The question of how a woman should dress for church plagues many parishioners. Some resolutely refuse to wear all black or gray, saying that they would rather not go to the service. Others don't like wearing a full-length skirt that interferes with movement. Still others testify that all this is necessary. But is it? In fact, there are 4 main rules that Orthodox women need to adhere to:
- do not look vulgar and flashy;
- do not wear tight clothes;
- do not wear flashy jewelry (a cross is a must);
- the head must be covered with a scarf.
For the rest, Christian women can completely rely on their own taste and style. Nobody has the right to prohibit them from doing this. But let's move on to how a woman should dress correctly for church.
Women's bottom clothing
Christian women who ask the question of how a woman should dress for church are often also interested in whether it is possible to go there in trousers. In fact, it is undesirable, since you will distract parishioners from prayer, especially those who supposedly know everything about everything. But if there is no other option, you should wear special skirts with ties over your trousers; they are now sold in many stores, and sometimes are provided to parishioners directly in the church itself during the service.
But still, the best choice would be spacious skirts below the knee length, not necessarily floor-length. During worship, you should pray and turn to God, and not think about how uncomfortable it is to stand, and not be afraid of falling. Miniskirts are strictly prohibited! You should not lead the thoughts of men, including priests, in the wrong direction.
How to dress a child
There are no special regulations for children's clothing. Selecting clothes for children may have some concessions:
- Boys under 8 years old can wear shorts, with the exception of jeans and sports ones. The wardrobe item must be of a classic style.
- For girls, it is allowed to choose a knee-length dress, but the shoulders and back should not be exposed.
- Things should be well ironed and look neat.
- From the age of 7, a girl must wear a scarf; this should be done especially if the child takes part in the sacraments.
Women's shoes
The church service is very long, and you have to stand during it. Therefore, anyone interested in how a woman should dress for church in summer or winter should know: when visiting church, you need to choose comfortable and closed shoes. No sandals, open sandals, or high-heeled shoes that clatter loudly on the floor! If you cannot wear flat-soled shoes for any reason, wear shoes with 2-3 cm heels, to which heels are nailed.
Problem two
The second problem arises when, while complying with the requirements, a person does not care at all about the aesthetics of his appearance. By the way, 20-15 years ago, among people who were just beginning their path in spiritual life, it was believed that pious clothing was obviously baggy, ugly and even unkempt. I remember even the priests were forced to publicly denounce young men for their long-uncut hair, tied with an elastic band “stolen from their mother’s boudoir.” Fortunately, those days are over. The neophytes remembered that worship is primarily a holiday, where homeless people's costumes are inappropriate. Today there is even a program on one of the Orthodox channels dedicated to the topic of beauty in clothing. The attempt is very timid, but still deserving of approval, because to this day there are many parishioners who dress depressingly from a stylist’s point of view.
- » The scourge of many sincere parishioners has become skirts of an extremely problematic length - to the middle of the ankle. This length requires very slender legs and heels, as well as a certain style of the skirt itself, corresponding to the texture of the fabric, as well as some carefully constructed image. There is none of that here.
- "Scourge number two: color scheme. It is constantly gloomy: on one canvas there is brown with gray, black, faded blue and faded green.
- "Scourge number three: drawing. Every time the same question revolves in my head: whose sick imagination gave birth to such a print???
- "The fourth scourge: form. Clothes hang baggy.
- » Shoes (of course, based on the “comfortable” principle).
- » A combination of top and bottom with different prints, and even a scarf with a pattern.
- »Choice of clothing without taking into account individual characteristics (age, build, color type, figure type, character).
So, we have two global problems, to resolve which we will formulate the following task: how to comply with the church dress code and not violate style requirements? Or even more briefly: how to look pious and beautiful at the same time?
With the question posed, I want to end this material so that in subsequent publications I can give a detailed answer, but not tedious in length.
For this I remain sincerely yours, Maryana Ershova
Author of the article: Maryana Ershova This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it.
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WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS TOPIC?
Color of wardrobe items
Some, answering the question of how a woman should dress for church, answer: dark or even better black. This is a very erroneous view! Patriarch Kirill himself, answering a question from one of the parishioners, said that the color of clothes and other wardrobe items has nothing to do with appearance, modesty, or Orthodoxy in general. However, this does not mean that you can put on a clown costume and go to the temple in it. An Orthodox woman should look sweet and modest, as if she were really going to a great holiday, and not for a party with her friends. But in what style her clothes will be sewn - whether modern, rural or urban, it no longer matters. I wish you success!
How to dress for a man's service
Men are forbidden to come to church in a tracksuit. It is also unacceptable to visit a holy place in shorts, or in any clothing that exposes legs, for example, breeches, Bermuda shorts.
A believing parishioner should attend church in modest closed shoes; there should be no flip-flops in the church. Just like women, men are prohibited from entering the church wearing clothes with inscriptions or images.
The shirt should be loose and fully buttoned, even if it is hot.
The best outfit for a church service is a light shirt and trousers. In the old days, ties and jackets were welcomed, but now this rule has been abolished.
Blouse for church
Carefully select the blouse according to the parameters: closed chest and high collar, long sleeves. The length of the blouse should be up to the hip. The style is not tight-fitting, with a loose fit. Transparent fabrics should not be used when visiting the temple. Small decorative elements on a blouse will decorate it and add charm. Do not choose a blouse with too bright “acid” shades. It distracts attention from the most important thing, why people come to church. Coming to church to show off a new fashionable item in your wardrobe is bad manners. A white shirt or blouse of a simple cut will decorate your look in the best possible way. The most beautiful things are always simple to make.
Be attentive to yourself and indulgent towards others
Archpriest Nikolai Nikolenko, rector of the Panteleimon Church in Zheleznoye:
We, thank God, are not a resort town, there are no vacationers, and therefore the problem of summer clothing is not acute. In coastal cities the situation is really difficult. If a person arrived in breeches and in this form went into the church to light a candle and pray about what bothers him, I will not make a comment, and I teach my parishioners the same. The main thing is that we do not offend anyone in the temple.
Clothes are now such that you don’t know what to recommend, especially in the case of a summer wardrobe. You can wear a long skirt that is see-through, and it will be worse than shorts. Or you can be in shorts, but with a repentant feeling in your heart that you didn’t think about what to wear to church. So you can't judge anyone. For God, the main thing is not clothes, but our souls. Everything depends on the internal state of a person. If a tourist comes to the temple in a swimsuit, as was the case in the 1990s, when the Svyatogorsk Lavra was opened, then, of course, you need to tell him about the inappropriateness of such clothing. If everything is within the bounds of decency, you shouldn’t be particularly picky. Of course, every person must be aware of where and why he is going. The priest can lovingly hint if something is wrong.
To summarize, first of all we need to look at who exactly came to the temple in inappropriate clothing. If this is a regular parishioner, you can delicately point out his mistake. If it is a random person, it is better not to touch him. I would advise church-going people before leaving the house to pay attention to how neatly they are dressed, whether their clothes are short, whether their dress or shirt is see-through (nowadays even men wear mesh shirts that do not hide anything). Of course, clothing cannot defile a person, but anyone who goes to temple should pay attention to his appearance and try to dress decently and neatly.
Black scarf
In divine services, black is used during Lent and at funeral services. Dressing in black vestments entered church practice only in 1730, when the clergy were invited to dress in them for the burial of Peter I.
Black color is a symbol of sorrow and repentance. It is no coincidence that monastic vestments are exactly like this. This is withdrawal from the world, avoidance of vanity, devotion to repentant meditation, grief over one’s sins.
A black scarf is worn during mourning, both church and personal.
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To church in trousers
Trousers are considered men's clothing and are not usually worn for work. However, if you choose the right style, you shouldn’t deny yourself the pleasure. A high-waist style with a classic, non-tight trouser shape can be worn to church. It is better to choose a fabric that is not bright, in muted shades. Bright details with metal or rhinestones will be unnecessary. Clothing in the winter season has its own characteristics. Women often wear trousers; they should not be abandoned when attending church. Warm fabric will warm the legs and prevent the woman from freezing.
About the colors of scarves
The robes of clergy depend on certain holidays. When festivities are dedicated to the Savior, the clergy wear white vestments, and parishioners wear scarves of the same color. Christian women tie blue scarves on the feast days of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and yellow scarves on Sunday services. Once you look closely, it becomes clear that all the colors of the rainbow are present in ceremonial, church attire (in the literal sense of the word): blue, yellow and their shades, green, purple, red.
Pious women, gathering for a festive service, wear a scarf of a certain color. Let's talk more about this.
Avoid extremes and enjoy your holiday
Archpriest Nikolai Markovsky, rector of the Intercession Church in the village. Zaitsevo:
When it’s +35 - +40 degrees outside, I think it’s unnecessary to wear floor-length skirts and long-sleeved shirts. It's hard to wear them in the heat. I am for shorts and short sleeves; I don’t see any sin in wearing such clothes. Of course, everything should be within reason - the same shorts come in very different lengths.
As for summer clothes for the temple: we must understand that we will stand before God there. It is unacceptable to go to service in shorts, sleeveless vests, T-shirts and similar loose-fitting clothing. You must dress appropriately when going to church. I'm not saying that a woman is obliged to wear a floor-length skirt, but this skirt should cover her knees. You need to show respect for the Church, for the people around you, and try not to seduce anyone with your appearance. True, sometimes you can observe another picture, when particularly pious grandmothers admonish a young girl and scold her for not dressing correctly. This is also an extreme, because a person may have certain circumstances: for example, a relative is in the hospital, you want to pray for him in church, but there are no suitable clothes at hand. Can we prohibit a person in such a situation from entering the temple? In all other cases, you should dress modestly when going to church so as not to seduce anyone with your appearance.
As for beachwear, we do not live in the Middle Ages, when a bare shoulder or knee was considered the height of indecency. Outside the 21st century, stores are replete with a wide variety of models of swimsuits and swimming trunks, and choosing the right one is not difficult. Here, too, it is advisable to avoid extremes, because some swimsuits not only do not hide anything, but emphasize everything that is and is not possible. Three strings at the top, two at the bottom do not really fit with the image of a believing woman, this should not happen. There are different models of swimsuits, both closed and open, in which you can look adequate. So choose a normal swimsuit or swimming trunks - and swim to your health. I would not recommend swimming in a shirt or cassock, because this will only cause laughter among others.
If a person wants to lecture someone, he will find a reason: it turns out that those around him, if not wearing the wrong swimsuits, are lying on the beach incorrectly or doing something else wrong. You have to know moderation in everything, but cheap popular Christianity on the beach (a priest in a cassock and hat, a woman in a long skirt or shirt) looks archaic and is inconvenient for relaxation. And, of course, you need to think about your behavior no less than about your clothes. I hope our readers understand this and do not need such reminders.
