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Why are red vestments worn on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Pentecost?
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Church year
A church altar decorated with saint icons for All Saints' Day.
In the liturgical year of the Roman Catholic Church and several other Western traditions, the color red is worn for specific days to convey distinct theological meanings:
- Pentecost: Red symbolizes the "tongues of fire" that descended upon the Apostles when they received the Holy Spirit, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.12
- Palm Sunday and Good Friday: Red is used to represent the "bloody passions"—the suffering and death—of Jesus Christ.32
This color is also traditionally worn on the feasts of martyrs and Apostles to signify their sacrifice and suffering for the faith.32