Throughout the years, certain colors have come to symbolize the seasons of the liturgy. Christian clergy usually wear a stole or other vestment in a color keeping with the season.
Green is for ordinary time, or the season of Epiphany and the season after Pentecost.
In the New Testament, angels wore white to announce Christ's birth and Resurrection, so white is the color worn during the seasons of Christmas and Easter, although gold is sometimes worn at this time.
Purple signifies Christ and the coming of the King; thus purple is worn during Advent and Lent. In some churches, blue is worn. Blue is said to represent Mary, Queen of Heaven.
Red, the color of blood, is sometimes worn at the end of Lent. Red also symbolizes the Holy Spirit and is worn for Pentecost Sunday and for ordinations.
Clergy will also wear white for special services such as weddings, baptisms, funerals and the commemoration of a saint who died of natural causes. Red symbolizes a martyred saint.
Clergy may also wear undyed (hemp-colored) fabrics during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. In some churches, the crosses will be draped in black during those services.