I’ve seen Churches use Purple and something that looked like burlap with Red and Black stripes. Which color is the “real” Lenten liturgical color?
The simple answer is both. Purple is generally associated with penitence and mourning, and has been used in the Church for hundreds of years. The “burlap” with red and black markings is called Lenten Array. It hearkens back to the early Church’s use of sack cloth, or unbleached cotton or wool, to signify extreme acts of penitence and mourning. The Church, in turn, borrowed the color from our Jewish forbearers, as described in the Old Testament (see Job). Either color is appropriate.
