Religious habit

The coif and veil were common items of clothing for married women in medieval Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Different orders adhere to different styles of dress; these styles have changed over time.

Sisters

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Historically, the religious habit of

While styles vary, for those wearing the traditional habit, three pieces are consistently worn: tunic (robe), belt/cincture, veil. The habit of some

Monks in the Catholic church wear a tunic, a cincture, a hooded scapular, and, for the Liturgy of the Hours, a mantle (novices) or a cowl (professed monks).^{[citation needed]}

Friars

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Canons regular

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Owing to the different traditions and origins that exist, there is no singular common habit worn by the

In the Netherlands, some wore a cacullae (a small asymmetrical black cope of cloth or sheepskin.) Some communities of canons, notably in Austria and Switzerland wear a sarotium, coming from the Latin sacrum rochettum, 'the sacred rochet'. It is a thin band of linen worn over the cassock when not in choir. As part of their choir dress, some communities of Canons wear a mozzetta, either black or purple over the rochet.

Outdoors Canons wear a black cloak and hood, but again adaptations have been made to this in some of the communities. Canons also traditionally wore a biretta.

Clergy

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Usually, secular priests wear either a black cassock or an ordinary men's garb in black or another dark color along with a white clerical collar. White cassocks or clothes may be worn in hot climates. Also, a ferraiolo (a kind of cope) could be worn along with the cassock. Priests also traditionally wore a biretta along with the cassock.

Deacons, priests, and bishops belonging to religious institutes wear the habit of their institute.

Abbot or cardinal

• 
  The religious habit of the Carmelite Order is brown and includes the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (also known as Brown Scapular)
• 
  The religious habit of the Hieronymite enclosed monks and nuns is white and includes a brown scapular
• 
  The religious habit of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (and also of the Sisters from the Order of Our Lady of Charity) is white, with a white scapular, a black veil and a large silver heart on the breast
• 
  The religious habit of the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix is white, with a blue scapular, a white and blue veil and a large golden heart on the breast
• 
  The religious habit of the

  Order of Friars Minor Conventual

  and Third Order Regular is black, although the Order of Friars Minor Conventual is returning to the grey habit worldwide
• 
  The religious habit of the Benedictines is black (the style varies depending upon the monastery)
• 
  The religious habit of the Carthusians is white. A similar habit is used by the Monastic Family of Bethlehem, of the Assumption of the Virgin and of Saint Bruno
• 
  The religious habit of the Dominicans is black and white
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  Cistercians in their religious habit (with the black scapular)
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  The religious habit of the

  Clarisses (also known as Poor Clares

  ) is brown, with a black veil
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  The religious habit of the Sisters of the Annunciation is white, with a red scapular and a black veil
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  The religious habit (based on the Indian sari) of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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  The religious habit of the

  Trinitarian Order

  is white with a distinctive cross with a blue horizontal bar and a red vertical bar
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  The religious habit of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament is white, with a red scapular and a black veil
• 
  Oratorians wear roughly the same vestments as parish priests. The distinctive Oratorian clerical collar consists of white cloth that folds over the collar all around the neck.
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  Sisters belonging to the Daughters of Charity with the cornette which used to be common
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  Religious habit of a Trappist monk
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  Religious habit of a

  Premonstratensian

  canon
• 
  Pauline Pius Przeździecki
• 
  The

  Mercedarians

  wear white
• 
  The religious habit of a

  Minims

  friar; it consists of a black tunic, a scapular with a capuche and a black cincture with four knots (four vows)

Lutheranism

In Lutheranism, various religious orders have a habit of a different colour. The Daughters of Mary wear a blue habit.^[10]

Anglicanism

Eastern Orthodoxy

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not have distinct religious orders such as those in the Catholic Church. The habit (Greek: Σχήμα, romanized: Schēma) is essentially the same throughout the world. The normal monastic color is black, symbolic of repentance and simplicity. The habits of monks and nuns are identical; additionally, nuns wear a scarf, called an apostolnik. The habit is bestowed in degrees, as the monk or nun advances in the spiritual life. There are three degrees: (1) the beginner, known as the Rassaphore ('robe bearer') (2) the intermediate, known as the Stavrophore ('cross bearer'), and (3) the Great Schema worn by Great Schema Monks or Nuns. Only the last, the Schemamonk or Schemanun, the monastic of the highest degree, wears the full habit.

The habit is formally bestowed upon monks and nuns at the ceremony known as the tonsure (Greek κουρά). The parts of the Eastern Orthodox habit are:

• Inner Rason (
  seminarians, though this differs from community to community. The inner rason is also worn by chanters, readers, and the married clergy. For monks and nuns, it symbolizes the vow of poverty
  .
• Belt (Greek: Ζώνη, Zone; Slavonic: Poyas): The belt worn by Orthodox monks and nuns is normally leather, though sometimes it is of cloth. In the Russian tradition, married clergy, as well as the higher monastic clergy, may wear a cloth belt that is finely
  feast days. The belt is symbolic of the vow of chastity
  .
• Paramand (Greek: Παραμανδύας, Paramandýas; Slavonic: Paraman): The Paramand is a piece of cloth, approximately 5 inches (130 mm) square which is attached by ribbons to a wooden cross. The cloth is embroidered with a cross and the
  Instruments of the Passion. The wooden cross is worn over the chest, then the ribbons pass over and under the arms, like a yoke, and hold the square cloth centered on the back. The paramand is symbolic of the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29–30).^[11]
• Outer Rason (a.k.a., Greek: εξώρασον, exorason or simply ράσο, raso; Slavonic: ryasa): Among the Greeks it is worn by readers and all higher clerics; among the Russians it is worn only by monks, deacons, priests, and bishops.
• Analavos (Greek: Άνάλαβος; Slavonic: Analav): The distinctive dress of the Great Schema is the analavos, and it is worn only by Schemamonks and Schemanuns. Traditionally made of either leather or wool, the analavos covers the shoulders, and then comes down in the front and back, forming a cross (see illustration, above right).
• Polystavrion (Greek: Πολυσταύριον, lit. "many crosses"): The polystavrion is a long cord that has been plaited with numerous crosses forming a yoke that is worn over the analavos to hold it in place.
• Mantle (Greek: Μανδύας, Mandías; Slavonic: Mantíya): The
  Mantle
  is a long, full cape, joined at the neck which the monastic wears over the other parts of the habit.

• Kalymafki (a.k.a.
  fez, only black and with straight sides, covered with a veil. The veil has lappets which hang down on each side of the head and a stylized hood falling down the back. For monastics of the Great Schema, the kalymafki takes a very distinctive shape, known as a koukoulion (cowl), and is embroidered with the Instruments of the Passion. The koukoulion is also worn by the Patriarchs of several local churches, regardless of whether or not he has been tonsured to that degree. In the Slavic tradition, the koukoulion will be in the form of a cloth hood, similar to that worn on the Western cowl. Outside church, monastics wear a soft hat known as a Skufia
  . Again, for Schemamonks and Schemanuns it is embroidered with the Instruments of the Passion.

The portions of the habit worn by the various degrees of monastics is as follows:

Rasophore	Stavrophore	Great Schema
Inner Rason	Inner Rason	Inner Rason
Belt	Belt	Belt
	Paramand	Paramand
Outer Rason	Outer Rason	Outer Rason
		Analavos
	Mantle (Russian use only)	Mantle
		Polystavrion
Kalymafki	Kalymafki	Koukoulion

Eastern Orthodox habits gallery

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  Inner Rason worn by Polish Orthodox Church cleric
• 
• 
  Monk at the Mount Athos, 1850s

Hinduism

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In Hinduism, Religious clothing is a huge element of an individual’s life. Most Hindus are known to wear a religious pendant in their daily life to show their faith in God. Hindu women cover their heads with scarf as a sign of respect for not only religion but also their husbands.

In India, Most devoted Hindus are seen wearing a tilak & orange clothing depicting devotion to their religion. Most Hindu Pandits are either seen in a white or orange (kesari) religious clothing in India.

Brahmin Hindus are most known for their devotion to the religion among all Hindus. And they are seen wearing religious habits at various important moments in their life.

Overall, Religious Habits are still in heavy practice among hindus which ties the religion together & maintains their strength.

Islam

See also: Islamic clothing

Islam does not have religious habits or monastic orders. Muslim ascetics do not have particular uniforms, but rather dress in humble clothing appropriate to their era and region.^{[citation needed]}

Jainism

Female ascetics and

muhapati

, which is a square or rectangular piece of cloth of a prescribed measurement, either in their hand or tied on their face covering the mouth. Svetambara ascetics have an Ogho or Rajoharan (a broom of woolen threads) to clean insects around their sitting place or while they are walking. Digambara ascetics have a Morpichhi and a Kamandal in their hands. This practice may vary among different sects of Jains but essential principle remains the same to limit needs.

Shinto

In Japan, various types of very traditional dress are worn by Shinto priests, often dating to styles worn by nobles during the Nara period or Heian period.

Hakama (袴) are a type of traditional Japanese clothing, originally worn only by men, but today they are worn by both sexes. There are two types, divided umanori (馬乗り, "horse-riding hakama") and undivided andon bakama (行灯袴, "lantern hakama"). The umanori type have divided legs, similar to trousers, but both types appear similar. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles, and are worn over a kimono (hakamashita), with the kimono then appearing like a shirt.

A Jōe (浄衣) is a garment worn in Japan by people attending religious ceremonies and activities, including Buddhist and Shinto related occasions. Not only Shinto and Buddhist priests can be found wearing Jōe at rituals, but laymen as well, for example when participating in pilgrimage such as the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The garment is usually white or yellow and is made of linen or silk depending on its kind and use. The Shinto priest who wears the jōe is attired in a peaked cap called tate-eboshi, an outer tunic called the jōe proper, an outer robe called jōe no sodegukuri no o, an undergarment called hitoe, ballooning trousers called sashinuki or nubakama, and a girdle called jōe no ate-obi.

See also

• Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism
• Religious dress
• Tonsure
• Zucchetto

References

1. ^ Kieschnick, John. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. Princeton University Press, Oxfordshire, 2003. p. 90.
2. ^ ^{a b} Kieschnick, John. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. Princeton University Press, Oxfordshire, 2003. p. 89.
3. ^ Hino, Shoun. Three Mountains and Seven Rivers. 2004. p. 55
4. ^ Hino, Shoun. Three Mountains and Seven Rivers. 2004. pp. 55–56
5. ISBN 9781921842085
6. ^ Mohr, Thea. Tsedroen, Jampa. Dignity and Discipline: Reviving Full Ordination for Buddhist Nuns. 2010. p. 266
7. ^ ^{a b} Dudjom Rinpoche Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows. 1999. p. 16
8. ^ "Why do nuns (and monks) wear habits?". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
9. ^ "Our Religious Habit". Dominican Sisters. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
10. ISBN 978-0-295-74242-7
    .
11. ^ Matthew 11:29–30

Further reading

• Dwyer-McNulty, Sally (2014). Common Threads: A Cultural History of Clothing in American Catholicism. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
  ISBN 978-1-4696-1409-0
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Religious habits.

• New Catholic Dictionary
• Images of medieval monks and nuns in the dress of their Orders (Public Domain images and text)
• Many photographs of nuns and sisters in the dress of their respective orders
• Catholic Sisters International Collection, University of Dayton Special Collections (photographs of reproductions of over 130 religious habits)