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Priests seem to always get a chuckle from their congregation on one Sunday in Advent and Lent. It is the Sunday where they wear what appear to be "pink" vestments.
The priest will jokingly say, "It's rose, not pink!"
While everyone laughs, there is truth behind that statement. The Church does not list pink as a liturgical color. The reason behind it is a matter of the historical availability of dyes.
The color pink, a basic mixture of red and white, was not widely available until the 17th century, and its use wasn't as popular until the rise of artificial dyes in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Vogue explains that "Pink is said to have been worn in ancient India and imperial China, as well as the upper echelons of 18th-century European society, where it was a symbol of social status, since the materials used to dye such lavish garments were imported from expensive expeditions to central Asia and South America."
On the other hand, Catholics were well aware of other natural dyes available in Europe, such as madder, and the Church eventually prescribed the color rose, or rosacea in Latin.
Symbolism of rose
In a 1910 edition of The American Ecclesiastical Review the question of rose is brought-up, and the writer explains some of the symbolism behind the mixture of colors to create rose.
However, the red used can't dominate, otherwise it will remind us too much of martyrdom.
Finding the right shade of rose
The author continues with his explanation of the color rose, explaining why it is not pink, and where the proper dyes come from.
Now you might understand why your priest might make a joke about "pink." In truth, his vestment shouldn't be pink, but rose, to symbolize the lightening of penance and the approaching joy of Christmas.
