Hallo again to all.

'On Wednesdays, we wear pink,' we are told by Regina George, the ringleader of a high school clique dubbed 'the Plastics' in the 2004 film, and now musical, Mean Girls. This bit of information let everyone who is anyone know who was an insider—and more importantly, who was not. On the third Sunday on Advent, we wear pink. Or rose, for those more liturgically minded. The photo to the right, which has been floating around Facebook, brings together the best of both the movie and liturgy.‡ This is different from the other Sundays of Advent, which feature a deeper purple or blue. Gaudete Sunday focuses on the joy of the coming Christ child. In many of our congregations, the reason for this is lost. We no longer start our service with the antiphon from Philippians, 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,' from which the term gaudete is taken though it appears in the readings late—and the average Anglican is unlikely to have much knowledge of Latin regardless. And yet this tradition sticks.

A single rose candle in a circle of violet candles, and rose vestments seen only one other day a year, breaking the solemn anticipation of the last and next two weeks, to find joy in the season.

Pink is a bit of a loaded colour in modernity. Seen mostly frequently on very young girls, it has come to signify feminity—whether a soft pink, signifying the soft innocence of a young girl or the sassy hot pink of Barbie or punk hair, its significance is quite gendered. Pink rarely occurs in nature, and though utilized in both eastern and western art, it wasn't popular in clothing or design until the mid 18th century, with pastel pink commonly used for both men and women's fashion. It was only in the post World War II era that pink became firmly representative of things feminine.*

We also then, find ourselves most reminded of Mary and her role as the Mother of our Lord on this day. Though Mary is traditionally depicted in blue, the display of pink draws the thoughts of many preachers and music directors to Mary and Marian devotions on this Gaudete Sunday†.

For many male clerics, this and Laudate Sunday in Lent may be the only times the colour graces their bodies—another way of setting aside this time in Advent. Putting aside vague insecurities of modern masculinity for liturgical correctness.

So Rejoice in the Lord always, and this week, do it in a splash of pink.

See you next week.

16 December 2018
http://anglicansonline.org

‡If you have an attribution for this meme, please let us know!

*Perhaps due to the pink stars gay men were forced to wear by the Nazis during WWII. For more detailed histories of pink visit The Surprisingly Dark History of Pink and A Brief History of the Color Pink.

†And likely the joy she is feeling at not being pregnant in the near future.