We all have them: the day you got married, the day a grandchild was born, the day you finally retired. We call them red-letter days, days so special they stand out from the rest. But why red, and why letters?
The phrase is surprisingly literal. In medieval Christian calendars and handwritten manuscripts, the most important feast days were marked in red ink, while ordinary days were written in black. Those special days became known as red letter days, and ordinary ones as black letter days. Over time, the phrase grew to mean any day of special importance or opportunity.
Older Than You Might Think
The idea of marking key dates in red goes back even further than the Middle Ages. A calendar from the Roman Republic, which lasted from 509 to 27 BC, shows important days marked in red.
Medieval scribes made red a regular tool. Initial capital letters and highlighted words in manuscripts were written in red ink. These red passages were called rubrics, from the Latin rubrica, meaning red ochre or red chalk. In church books, the rubrics were often instructions for the service, set in red so they wouldn't be confused with the prayers themselves. Red was the usual choice, though by the late Middle Ages other colors were used for rubrics too.
The practice continued after the printing press arrived, including in Catholic liturgical books. And it never really went away. Many calendars today still print holidays and festivals in red.
Red Days in the Church Calendar
In the Church of England, red letter days are major feast days with their own special prayers and Bible readings in the Book of Common Prayer. They traditionally include all Sundays, feasts like Christmas, Easter, and the Epiphany, and the feast days of the apostles.
On those days, Holy Communion was traditionally expected, and in many places they were also legal holidays when ordinary work was discouraged. Minor saints' days were black letter days, noted in the calendar but without special services. Across medieval Europe, the top feasts were days of obligation, when the faithful were expected to attend Mass and avoid ordinary labor.
Judges in Scarlet
In Britain, the tradition is still alive in a colorful way. On certain red letter days, judges of the English High Court traditionally wear scarlet robes when the court sits. The list mixes saints' days with royal occasions, such as the King's birthday. Because royal dates are included, the list changes from one generation to the next. A century ago it honored King George V and Queen Mary instead.
Here's a quirky twist: because the list only includes days that fall within the court's legal terms, Christmas Day and Easter Day don't count as red letter days for this purpose. British universities have a similar custom, called scarlet days, when holders of doctorates may wear their scarlet gowns instead of black ones.
Red Days Around the World
The same idea pops up far beyond England. In Norway, Sweden, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and parts of Latin America, a public holiday is sometimes simply called a red day, because that's how it appears on the calendar.
So the next time you circle a special date on your kitchen calendar, consider grabbing a red pen. You'll be keeping alive a habit shared by Roman calendar makers, medieval monks, and British judges.
