Contents Introduction Paraments and Vestments Veiling Crosses and Images Flowers Paschal Candle Easter Vigil

Introduction

The Lenten fast is over!

This page covers matters related to church appointments (colors, candles, flowers, etc.) for Easter, including Ascension.

If you have not reviewed the general information on planning liturgy, worship appointments, etc., please do so at our Worship Aids.

For details on the design and execution of the liturgy, visit our Liturgies for Easter page.

Paraments and Vestments

The color for Easter (including Ascension) is white, but gold is permitted for Easter day. N.B., Easter Vigil is indicated as white in some resources; in others, gold is also permitted. Easter evening is white.

Veiling of Crosses and Images

Crosses and other images are not veiled during Easter. Remove any veils that might have been used during lent. In some places, the cross is draped in white (or gold), but it is not veiled.

Flowers

The fast is over! Go crazy with flowers, but not so crazy as to create obstacles or tripping hazards for those leading worship.

Paschal Candle

Because there has been so much confusion in connection to the use of the Paschal candle, we've dedicated a page to it. Visit our Paschal Candle page for general information and details related to its preparation, lighting, extinguishing, and placement.

Other Candles

The lighting and extinguishing of candles for the Sunday morning service is a matter of local custom. Some congregations have rather elaborate rituals for doing so. Others struggle to find acolytes. If lighting and extinguishing the altar candles has become a challenge, a congregation might follow the advice found in the Manual on the Liturgy—Lutheran Book of Worship: light the candles well before the service and extinguish them well after the service, doing so decorously but without pomp and circumstance. This can be done by ushers, the sexton, the altar guild, the pastor, etc., vesting to do so being optional. Two other notes about the lighting and extinguishing of candles:

• The practice of lighting the taper holder from the last altar candle and carrying a flame out of the sanctuary at the end of the service is not indicated in any liturgical manual; this practice should be discontinued.
• If the Paschal candle is burning, the other candles may be lit from it.

Easter Vigil

Easter Vigil is an exceptionally complicated service. It is not recommended that a congregation attempt an Easter Vigil without a resident pastor to guide the execution.