The color black possesses a dual symbolism, which explains its use in various contexts.

Dual Symbolism of Black: Mystique and Sacred Attire

The color black possesses a dual symbolism, which explains its use in various contexts. On one hand, in popular beliefs this color is associated with witches, demons, and villains, as it embodies emptiness, the absence of life, and a mystery that is hard for the human mind to comprehend. As noted in one source, “The color black is also mystical. It can have various and opposite meanings. It is the color of dense matter, analogous to a quadrilateral. It is the color of emptiness and the absence of life, personified in the fallen angel. This color cannot be applied to the Divine to emphasize the mystery of divinity and its transcendence... Then the color black serves as an expression of an intense light that appears to man as darkness” (source: link txt).

On the other hand, in religious symbolism colors are used to denote various spiritual states and ceremonial traditions. For instance, the issue of using the color black in the vestments of clergy is considered somewhat differently. In the traditions of ecclesiastical vestments, as the data shows, “there are vestments of various colors. It became customary to use light colors on feast days and dark colors on fasting days... during Holy Week, with the exception of Great Thursday and Great Saturday, black is used” (source: link txt). This demonstrates that in this context black does not carry an explicitly negative connotation; on the contrary, it is used to emphasize certain church periods and states that reflect a particular rhythm of liturgical life. Furthermore, “while monks wear special headgear such as the klobuk, kamilavka, and skufia in black, the priests of the white clergy are distinguished by being awarded the skufia, and then the kamilavka in purple” (source: link txt). Here, the difference in color choices helps to designate different roles and levels of spiritual service, where black may indicate a certain humility or even special conditions for worship.

Thus, the traditional perception of the color black as a symbol of mystery, emptiness, and negative forces is linked to its physical properties and its ability to absorb light, which renders its image sinister and impenetrable to ordinary perception. At the same time, in the context of church vestments, the color black has acquired a symbolism that reflects certain periods of the church calendar and specific aspects of service, allowing for the differentiation of the corresponding spiritual states and roles within the religious community.

Supporting citation(s):
“The color black is also mystical. It can have various and opposite meanings. It is the color of dense matter, analogous to a quadrilateral. It is the color of emptiness and the absence of life, personified in the fallen angel. This color cannot be applied to the Divine to emphasize the mystery of divinity and its transcendence; this is the color of apophatic theology (a theology that, through negations, shows that God is incomparable and incommensurable; that He is unfathomable in thought and inexpressible in words, and that He can be known as a mystery – through inner illumination). Then the color black serves as an expression of an intense light that appears to man as darkness” (source: link txt).

“Vestments come in different colors. It became customary on feast days to use light colors, and on fasting days to use dark colors. Nowadays, it is customary on Sundays to wear vestments of golden color, on the memorial days of the Holy Apostles and martyrs red, on feast days in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos blue, on the memorial days of the prophets green, and during Great Lent on weekdays and on Holy Week, with the exception of Great Thursday and Great Saturday, black. From Easter until Pentecost, from the Nativity of Christ until the Theophany, and on the Transfiguration of the Lord, white is the standard” (source: link txt).

“At the same time, while monks wear special head coverings such as the klobuk, kamilavka, and skufia in black, the priests of the white clergy are distinguished by being awarded the skufia, and then the kamilavka in purple. The term ‘skufia’ comes from σκυφος = ‘Scythos’, meaning bowl, as its shape resembles a bowl” (source: link txt).