The Colour Blue

Introduction
In the Anglican tradition each church season has liturgical colours that move us through the rich tapestry of Jesus’ life.  On the first Sunday of Advent November 29, church hangings will change to purple or blue.  Either colour is acceptable with purple (also used in the penitential season of Lent) reminding us of John the Baptist calling us to prepare for Christ’s coming with repentance.  More and more churches are also returning to blue, to emphasis our preparation, like Mary’s, being filled with great hope.  I want to thank Susan G. for the following wonderful reflection on St. Anne’s favourite colour.   
Canon Lynall

At a summer Welcoming Team/Magnetic Church meeting, the subject of colours came up; specifically the St. Anne’s blue that is so often used around our church. The question was, why did our St. Anne’s Byron ancestors choose blue? It’s possible they just liked blue. It’s possible that blue was easy to come by in rural Ontario. Or, it’s possible that as in all things, God had His hand in choosing this rich, dark, royal blue colour as an identifying colour for our little cobblestoned church.

There are several plants around the world that when processed and added to fiber will produce various blue colours. But in most natural dyers opinions no plant dyes blue better, truer, with more variety and integrity than the indigo plant. Several varieties of indigo grow in Southeast Asia and Southern North America. The use of indigo has a strong history. Mummified remains from Egyptian tombs show that a mixture of henna and indigo were used to colour hair and false beards blue-black. Pharos daughters painted their bodies with indigo blue and gold. Cloth dyed with indigo has been dated as early as 2500 BC. The colour blue has been associated with royalty (blue bloods) or divinity in many cultures from ancient Egypt to South America and Europe.

Indigo has been particularly valued because its colour is fast (will not fade). It also dyes both vegetable fibers (cotton and linen) and animal fibers (wool or silk) consistently. Indigo is also a natural insect repellent. It was seen as a protective colour; a colour that warded off evil spirits and disease. Mothers would have wrapped their precious baby boys in cloth dyed in indigo in the hopes of protecting them. Mary would probably have done the same with Jesus. And to this day, we continue to dress our baby boys in blue.

For centuries, the church has associated the colour blue with the Virgin Mary (The Queen of Heaven). She is usually cloaked in blue on icons and paintings. Blue is the colour of predawn, the colour of the night sky where the star shone when the holy birth was announced, the colour of heaven. Some sources say blue may also symbolize the waters of Genesis I, and like amniotic fluid or the water of the baptismal font, from which flows the beginning of a new creation.

So where does St. Anne fit in to this blue story? St. Anne was the Great Mother. Being the Mother of Mary, the Mother of the Queen of Heaven is a highly exalted position within the Holy Royal family. The name Anne, means Grace. We can only imagine, the love and devotion of this Mother to her unwed, pregnant daughter who has been so blessed by God. How Anne must have worried. Under the law, Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death. Anne is not mentioned in the New Testament. What we know of her is apocryphal. We can imagine though, that she must have been a powerful, strong, faithful woman full of God’s Grace. God knew he could count on Anne to help and support her daughter and son-in-law in their monumental task of holding and protecting the Light of Christ.

In Jewish households, the women were usually the keepers of the Jewish faith. We can only imagine, Jesus, at the feet of his mother and grandmother,  learning to prepare the special foods, light the candles and say the Sabbath prayers. Just as Jesus describes himself as a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings (Luke 13:34), we can imagine Anne gathering her family around to help protect them in very dangerous times.

As we gather as Anglicans in the parish of St. Anne’s Byron, we can imagine Anne, The Great Mother, full of God’s Grace, the Mother of the Queen of Heaven, protecting us. Perhaps she is calling us to gather all God’s people under her great blue mantle.

The feast of St. Anne is celebrated on July 26. Let us pray for grandmothers everywhere. 

Offered in light and peace,  Susan G.