Ship of Fools: Seasonal Colours

Thread: Seasonal Colours Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

To visit this thread, use this URL:
http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=70;t=028710

Posted by Roselyn (# 17859) on :

Are there any suggestions of contemporary ways to display seasonal colours in a moderately large brand-new building with tall windows behind the altar. there is little money or inclination for elaborate brocades.

Posted by SvitlanaV2 (# 16967) on :

If it's not a diversion, what are 'seasonal colours' for a church in Australia at this time of the year?

Posted by Adam. (# 4991) on :

We color the following: altar cloth (under the top white cloth), ambo frontal, credence table cloth, priest's book table cloth, table cloth for table by door with offerings on. Nothing elaborate about any of them. A tabernacle veil could be another option.

Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Roselyn:
there is little money or inclination for elaborate brocades.

Our sets include a cloth for the Table and antependia for the pulpit and lectern. Sometimes, there is a banner as well. With one exception, all of our sets were made by members of the congregation. Some are embroidered (white on white), some are hand-felted, and the newest set is painted silk. In many cases, they echo architectural motifs of the church or include symbolism specific to us. Not only are they beautiful, but they are much more meangingful to us than anything that could be bought at a store.

Of course, pulling this off requires having capable artists. But if you have even one or two capable folks, they can lead others in a group project with great results.

Posted by Roselyn (# 17859) on :

In the antipodes we gain extra insight into paradoxical theological issues as we need to understand liturgical seasons that are in direct opposition to the surrounding natural ones eg it is much harder to carve a spring pumpkin than a ripe autumn one.

Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :

What sort of architectural style is the building? If it's free from fussy decoration and fairly minimal, I'd suggest a similar style in the fabrics you use - plain, undecorated fabrics in the appropriate colour. And don't overdo it. A single splash of vivid colour in a plain, well-lit room can be enough - perhaps just a modest altar frontlet. If you use vestments, I'd suggest a very plain set in the same fabric.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Roselyn:
In the antipodes we gain extra insight into paradoxical theological issues as we need to understand liturgical seasons that are in direct opposition to the surrounding natural ones eg it is much harder to carve a spring pumpkin than a ripe autumn one.

What possible liturgical rite or season demands a pumpkin???

Posted by Augustine the Aleut (# 1472) on :

It may not be in the BCP, but this might be the rite which would answer your question.

Posted by Spike (# 36) on :

quote:
Originally posted by SvitlanaV2:
If it's not a diversion, what are 'seasonal colours' for a church in Australia at this time of the year?

The same as for anywhere else in the world.

Posted by Jay-Emm (# 11411) on :

No idea about these sorts of things, but what lighting do you have?
I could imagine some designs of churches might have some soft lighting (almost out the way) somewhere that could be gently coloured.

Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :

Flowers?

In some ways the Southern Hemisphere have the advantage here as their winter is during the long ordinary time so they just need to get greenery.

However I would like a photo of the front set up for worship before I made serious suggestions. If you have alcoves for instance simply installing lights that shine up/down and and can change colour would work. Plain drapes could equally do it if there was something they could be hung from.

Jengie

Posted by SvitlanaV2 (# 16967) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spike:

quote:
Originally posted by SvitlanaV2:
If it's not a diversion, what are 'seasonal colours' for a church in Australia at this time of the year?
The same as for anywhere else in the world.

What I've realised is that this thread is probably about Anglicanism, and other churches of that sort. Since I don't come from that tradition the notion of 'seasonal colours' doesn't have any particularly ecclesiastical meaning to me; it's simply a matter of decoration.

Sorry for my mistake!

Posted by Roselyn (# 17859) on :

Thank you. I'll let you know what happens.

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Adeodatus:
If you use vestments, I'd suggest a very plain set in the same fabric.

Textiles traditional in the color of the liturgical season are the vestments of the celebrant, and deacon and subdeacon, if you have them, the altar frontal, stoles, copes, burse, and veil.

Posted by bib (# 13074) on :

In a moment of devilment, I told the elderly priest that the gloves he was wearing on a rather cold day weren't the correct liturgical colour. I expected him to see the joke, but blow me down, he turned up thereafter in the correct colours : black, white, green, purple, red. I've felt guilty ever since.

Posted by Spike (# 36) on :

I once attended a funeral where the (female) priest was wearing purple nail varnish. I don't know whether it was deliberate or coincidence.

Posted by Belle Ringer (# 13379) on :

quote:
Originally posted by bib:
In a moment of devilment, I told the elderly priest that the gloves he was wearing on a rather cold day weren't the correct liturgical colour. I expected him to see the joke, but blow me down, he turned up thereafter in the correct colours : black, white, green, purple, red. I've felt guilty ever since.

Or just fun?

On Sundays if I go to church I often wear something (t-shirt, or skirt, or maybe just underwear no one but me will see) the liturgical color of the day, just because it amuses me to do so. If I lived in a winter place, gloves in all the "right" colors would be playfully tempting. The colors are meaningless to me theologically or as worship vehicles.

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

quote:
Originally posted by bib:
he turned up thereafter in the correct colours : black, white, green, purple, red.

This would have made sense were he a bishop in full kit, with matching socks.

Posted by Jante (# 9163) on :

In one modern church I worshipped in the liturgical colour was displayed using a long simple banner in the correct colour with a simple symbol on ( think dove for Pentecost) It hung on the wall behind the Altar and fitted well with the style of building. I've looked for a picture to link to but can only find ones of the exterior of the building.

Posted by Vulpior (# 12744) on :

If the altar itself is designed to be seen rather than fully covered with a frontal (or uses space below as part of its design), then use of a simple superfrontal that only hangs a few inches from the top of the altar, and/or frontal strips that leave much of the front uncovered, can be effective.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

We follow the usual liturgical colour of the season, although on special feast days (Easter, Christmas, the Patronal Festival) we have an historic frontal for the High Altar which appears to be mostly made of gold embroidery.

For some reason (probably known only to the president of the Altar Guild), during Lent and Advent we use purple super-frontals only, leaving the lower portion of the altar visible. While the carving is a thing of beauty, I'm inclined to think it looks sort of unfinished without a full-length frontal.

Just my 2p.

Posted by Enoch (# 14322) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Vulpior:
If the altar itself is designed to be seen rather than fully covered with a frontal (or uses space below as part of its design), then use of a simple superfrontal that only hangs a few inches from the top of the altar, and/or frontal strips that leave much of the front uncovered, can be effective.

Hear, hear. If your altar is a Jacobean table with spirally carved legs, or even if it's a well designed and executed modern one made out of good quality timber, it should not be concealed by grubby ecclesiastical cloth and faded embroidery, even seasonally correct. There are, I'd agree, quite a lot of wooden tables that benefit from being concealed, but otherwise, a clean white cloth should be sufficient.

Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:

quote:
Originally posted by bib:
In a moment of devilment, I told the elderly priest that the gloves he was wearing on a rather cold day weren't the correct liturgical colour. I expected him to see the joke, but blow me down, he turned up thereafter in the correct colours : black, white, green, purple, red. I've felt guilty ever since.
Or just fun?

On Sundays if I go to church I often wear something (t-shirt, or skirt, or maybe just underwear no one but me will see) the liturgical color of the day, just because it amuses me to do so. If I lived in a winter place, gloves in all the "right" colors would be playfully tempting. The colors are meaningless to me theologically or as worship vehicles.

Some English novelist (Evelyn Waugh, perhaps) refers to 'one of those English cathedrals where all the canons' widows dress in the colour of the day' (I may not be quoting correctly). I would find that 1) colourful, and 2) amusing.

Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :

Another think to remember is that whatever you're doing with fabric, it's not necessary to use silk or brocades. Especially if the building is modern or has clean lines, the colour is what matters, not the fabric. I've seen excellent hangings (altar and ambo frontals as well as generic hangings on the wall) made from solid coloured broadcloth or similar. Consider how to keep wrinkles out (unless you're using Indian cotton) but remember that once the cloth is in place, no one should be grabbing it or doing anything to add wrinkles.

There are also relatively inexpensive polester damasked fabrics, if something that looks "richer" is needed.

And I'd agree with a couple of posters -- in a modern building, an altar frontal is nice -- as close to laudian as you can get -- as are hangings on the lectern/pulpit if you have and use them, but a single (large) splash of colour on the wall behind the altar can be very effective.

John

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

quote:
Originally posted by John Holding:
…a single (large) splash of colour on the wall behind the altar…

Dossal cloth is the high falutin' ecclesiastical jargon for this. Use images.google.com to search for "dossal cloth". They needn't be large. Some of those shown have a function more like that of a low-profile riddel screen. (Searching for images using "riddel post" seems more fruitful, though the images are still few.)

quote:
Originally posted by Enoch:

quote:
Originally posted by Vulpior:
If the altar itself is designed to be seen rather than fully covered with a frontal (or uses space below as part of its design), then use of a simple superfrontal that only hangs a few inches from the top of the altar, and/or frontal strips that leave much of the front uncovered, can be effective.
Hear, hear. If your altar is a Jacobean table with spirally carved legs, or even if it's a well designed and executed modern one made out of good quality timber,

Or, if you have the body of the patron saint tucked behind glass, it can be quite fetching under a superfrontal and in any case ought to be exposed for veneration.

quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
For some reason (probably known only to the president of the Altar Guild), during Lent and Advent we use purple super-frontals only, leaving the lower portion of the altar visible. While the carving is a thing of beauty, I'm inclined to think it looks sort of unfinished without a full-length frontal.

This is supposed to give one an unsettled feeling, appropriate to our fasting and abstinence in other ways during Lent. At Our Lady of Hardwork, we close the elaborate Lady Chapel reredos triptych as a way of denying ourselves its beauty from Ash Wednesday till the Easter Vigil.

UBB.classic^TM 6.5.0