Are you looking for the proper tippets to go with your clerical robes? There’s a rich and complex history behind Christian vestments, and the various meanings and symbolisms attached to them and their corresponding colors.

One thing that’s certain across most Christian denominations, however, is the fact that these play an important role in the vestments that preachers, ministers, and other members of the clergy wear. And it’s these details that this article aims to briefly touch on and help you review and recall.

What Are Tippets

A tippet, or stole, is a long, narrow piece of cloth worn by Christian clergy, typically over the shoulders and hanging down in front and back. Tippets are often made of the same material as the vestments worn by the clergy member, such as silk or brocade.

In Christian vestments, tippets are typically worn by bishops, priests, and deacons. They are typically worn during liturgical ceremonies, such as the celebration of the Eucharist. The tippet is often worn over the alb, which is a long, white tunic worn by the clergy.

Tippets and the Liturgical Calendar

Tippets often come in a variety of colors, each one pertaining to a specific season or period within the liturgical calendar. This, of course, is different between each of the denominations of Christianity.

Stoles In the Catholic Church

As an example, in the Catholic Church, liturgical colors are used to indicate the liturgical seasons and feast days throughout the liturgical year. The liturgical colors used in the Catholic Church are white, red, green, purple, and black.

White: White is the liturgical color used for the most important celebrations of the liturgical year, such as Christmas, Easter, and the Feast of the Nativity. It symbolizes the joy and glory of the Resurrection, the purity and innocence of the incarnate Christ, and the light of Christ as the light of the world.

Red: Red is the liturgical color used for the feast of Pentecost and for the feasts of martyrs. It symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit, the blood of the martyrs and the love of God.

Green: Green is the liturgical color used for the time after Pentecost, and it symbolizes growth, new beginnings, and the hope of eternal life.

Purple: Purple is traditionally used during the seasons of Advent and Lent, and symbolizes royalty, penitence, and the coming of the Messiah.

Tippets in the Anglican Church

In the Anglican tradition, tippets are also known as “preaching scarves”. Those ordained will often be seen wearing a black tippet, which is worn during the majority of the liturgical year, and is a symbol of humility, mourning, and repentance.

Other colors in the Anglican church have formed over the last century to represent different forms of lay leadership. Commissioned lay workers in some dioceses, for example, have been seen wearing red tippets, and lay ministers have also been known to sometimes wear blue ones.

Tippets in the Eastern Orthodox Church

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, liturgical colors are used to indicate the liturgical seasons and feast days throughout the liturgical year. The liturgical colors used in the Eastern Orthodox Church are typically gold, white, red, green, and purple.

White: White is the liturgical color used for the majority of the liturgical year, and it symbolizes purity, innocence, and joy.

Purple: Purple is traditionally used during Great Lent and it symbolizes repentance, humility, and the coming of the Messiah.

Red: Red is the liturgical color used on Holy Thursday, the Feasts of Martyrs, the Feast of the Cross, as well as during the Nativity and Apostles’ Fasts.

Where to Purchase Tippets Online?

Acquiring the appropriate Tippets in the appropriate colors can be challenging, particularly if they’re not readily available locally in your area. However, if you’ve been searching online for the ideal store to purchase them and have them delivered to your residence, then one highly-recommended shop is Divinity Clergy Wear. Having one of the largest selection of clergy suits and robes online, you’ll have little trouble finding exactly what you’re looking for, especially tippets.