Liturgical Colors Worn by Sacred Ministers and Drapery Used in the Adornment of Altar

By a law of her liturgy,  the Church regulates that the vestments worn by her sacred ministers, and the drapery used in the adornment of the altar should match the color to that which is stipulated for the Office of the day. The colors thus approved by the Church in relation with her public worship are called the liturgical colors, as follow:

Number

In the Roman Rite, since Pius V, colors are five in number, namely white, red, green, violet, and black. 

Rose is employed only on  Laetare (The fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent) and Gauedete (The third Sunday of Advent) Sundays.

Blue is prescribed in some dioceses of Spain for the Mass of the Immaculate Conception.

White is appropriate to Trinity Sunday, the feasts of Our Lord, except those of His Passion, the feasts of the Blessed Virgin, angels, confessors, women and virgins,  the Nativity of St. John the Baptist,who are not martyrs, the feast of the Chains and of the Chair of St. Peter the chief feast of St. John the Evangelist, , the Conversion of St. Paul, All Saints, the anniversaries of the election and coronation of the pope and of the election and consecration of bishops to consecration of churches and altars, . Likewise it is for the octaves of these feasts 

and the Offices de tempore from Holy Saturday to the vigil of Pentecost.

It is used for votive Masses when the feasts have white, and for the nuptial Mass.

It is also employed in services that are linked to the Blessed Sacrament, at the burial of children, in the administration of baptism, Holy Viaticum, and matrimony.

Red is used the week of Pentecost, on the feasts of Christ's Passion and His Precious Blood, the Finding and Elevation of the Cross, the feasts of Apostles and martyrs, and in votive Masses of these feasts. It is used on Holy Innocents if the feast takes place on Sunday and always on its octave.

Green is taken in Offices de tempore from the octave of the Epiphany to Septuagesima, and from the octave of Pentecost to Advent, exclusive of ember-days and vigils during that time, and on Sundays taking place within an octave.

Violet is employed on Advent and from Septuagesima to Easter, on vigils that are fast days, and on ember-days, except the vigil of Pentecost and the ember-days during the octave of Pentecost. 

Likewise it is used for Mass on rogation-days, for votive Masses of the Passion and of penitential character, at the blessing of holy water and candles. The stole utilized in the administration of penance and of extreme unction and in the first part of the baptismal ceremonies must be violet.

Black is used in offices for the dead, and on Good Friday.

Affected vestments

The drapery and vestments affected by the law of liturgical colors are:

1). antependium of the altar, and as a matter of aptness, the tabernacle veil

2). burse and chalice veil

3). maniple, stole, chasuble, cope, and humeral veil

4). maniple, stole, tunic, and dalmatic of the sacred ministers, and  the broad stole and folded chasuble when taken. 

All of these must match up with the rules prescribing the use of each color. The rubrical recommendations consider the main or constitutive portion of each vestment, so that the borders or other ornamental accessories do not determine the quality of color. Neither does the lining, but the Roman practice is to have it in synchronicity with the vestment itself, yellow however being generally adopted instead of pure white.

Obligation

The compulsion of using any specific color starts with the First Vespers of the Office of which it is characteristic, or with the Matins if the Office has no First Vespers, and stops as soon as the following Office begins. Vestments made of pure cloth of gold may be used for red, white, and green colors; cloth of silver may be employed instead of white. Multicolored vestments is unacceptable except for the predominant color.

Antiquity

Benedict XIV says that up to the fourth century white was the only liturgical color in use. Other colors were brought in soon afterwards. 

Innocent III  was among the first to highlight a distinction. He cited four principal colors, white, red, green, black as of general use, and one, violet for example, as used intermittently. The latter was frequently employed from the thirteenth century. 

An "Ordo Romanus" of the fourteenth century specifies five. 

Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries blue and yellow were ordinary but they may not be employed without very special authorization.

Symbolism

Outside of Rome, consistency of observance was effective in the second quarter of the 19th century by the abolition of other uses.

In the Western Church only the Ambrosian Rite maintains its peculiar colors. Most of the Oriental rites have no prescribed liturgical colors.

The Greek Rite alone has a permanent practice but even among them it is not a compulsory.

The Ruthenians follow the Roman regulation since 1891.

The variety of liturgical colors in the Church spring from the mystical meaning connected to them. Thus, the symbolism of each color is detailed as follow:

White – symbol of light, epitomizes innocence and purity, joy triumph and glory

• Season of Christmas
• Season of Easter 
• Feasts of the Lord, other than of His passion 
• Feasts of Mary, the angels, and saints who were not martyrs 
• All Saints (1 November) 
• Feasts of the Apostles 
• Nuptial Masses 
• Masses for the dead (Requiem Masses) when the deceased is a baptized child who died before the age of reason

Note: White is the color of Popes' non-liturgical dress. White can be replaced by Silver.

Red - the language of fire and blood, indicates the Passion, burning charity and the martyrs' generous sacrifice. 

• Feasts of the Lord's passion, Blood, and Cross 
• Feasts of the martyrs 
• Palm Sunday 
• Pentecost 

Note: Red is the color of Cardinals' non-liturgical dress

Green -  the hue of plants and trees, indicates hope of life eternal, the Holy Ghost

•  Time After Epiphany 
• Time After Pentecost 

Violet - the gloomy cast of the mortified, connotes affliction and melancholy, 

penance, and humility.

• Season of Advent 
• Season of Septuagesima 
• Season of Lent 
• Rogation Days
• Ember Days (except for Pentecost Ember Days)
• Vigils except for Ascension and Pentecost 
• Good Friday 

Note: Violet, literally "amaranth red," is the color of Bishops', Archbishops', and Patriarchs' non-liturgical dress

Black - the universal emblem of mourning, signifies the sorrow of death and the somberness of the tomb, mourning, and sorrow.    

• All Souls Day 
• Masses for the dead (Requiem Masses), except for baptized children who've died before the age of reason 

Joy - Rose 

• Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) 
• Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent) 

Joy - Gold

Gold can replace white, red, or green (but not violet or black

References: 

1. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04134a.htm, Liturgical Colors 
2. http://www.catholic.org/clife/lcolors.php, Liturgical Colors