Religious Attire and Dress

[Quintessence]

In many respects there is no functional separation between religion and culture, as one's answers to profound existential questions of our place in the world and our relationships with it interpenetrate all aspects of our lives. While religion is often specifically associated with cultural practices oriented towards the sacred, it can also encompass things that are considered a bit mundane or even pedestrian. Dress and attire is one of those things - an expression of culture and religion and who and what we are. It says things about our relationship with our own bodies, with the bodies of others, and with other things we hold in high esteem. There's a whole field of study that analyzes all this - I only got a cursory exposure to it in undergrad myself - so rather than get into those weeds a simple query for us to explore here.

In what way does your attire reflect your religion? Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures? Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

 

[JustGeorge]

Its varied. Very varied.

Most people have a 'style'. I don't. I can Goth it out one day, and wear colorful Indian clothes the next. Today I'm wearing a pink, grey, and white sweater with a skirt that is a modern take on traditional Korean hanbok. White lace boots.

I suppose what my dressing habits and religious habits are I look everywhere to see beauty as I may find it.

 

[crossfire]

In many respects there is no functional separation between religion and culture, as one's answers to profound existential questions of our place in the world and our relationships with it interpenetrate all aspects of our lives. While religion is often specifically associated with cultural practices oriented towards the sacred, it can also encompass things that are considered a bit mundane or even pedestrian. Dress and attire is one of those things - an expression of culture and religion and who and what we are. It says things about our relationship with our own bodies, with the bodies of others, and with other things we hold in high esteem. There's a whole field of study that analyzes all this - I only got a cursory exposure to it in undergrad myself - so rather than get into those weeds a simple query for us to explore here.

In what way does your attire reflect your religion?

It doesn't

Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures?

Does not apply.

Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

Pajamas are good--the usual attire one wears when withdrawing from the external world and turning inward.

 

[Spice]

I have a couple of dashikies I enjoy, but I'm not African or even African-American. I have a few scrub tops, but I've never been in the medical field. I have fringe moccasin boots, but I'm not American-Indian. I wear jeans and flannel, but I'm not a farmer nor a cowboy. I have fur lined mid-calf boots and I'm not Russian. I sometimes wear ankle length skirts but not due to religious affiliation nor to send any kind of message. And in the summer, I often wear golf-skirts, but I don't play golf.

What does this mix of fashion style say about who I am and what's my religion? I would say simple, inclusive, and subject to change. Today I'm in old-woman elastic-waisted knit pants and a seasonal/holiday print top, and I'm still "ME." Tomorrow? TBD.

 

[Jainarayan]

In what way does your attire reflect your religion? Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures? Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

1. It doesn't. For work, I wear a uniform of sorts ... white polo or button up shirt, black pants, black ball cap with store logo. Irl at home it's gym shorts and t-shirt; going out it's a polo or button up shirt, jeans or chinos, or shorts in the summer. Sometimes even staying home I get dressed.
2. If I wore traditional Hindu dress in public I would get strange looks and snickers at the least. There are very few Hindus in the area, actually almost none, and I do not look Indian/Hindu in any regard.
3. Not generally required. Some temples do require traditional dress. Women usually wear saree, men usually wear dhoti/veshti and kurta (traditional lower body draped fabric and long tunic-like shirt). I have worn a dhoti to temple on occasion. Being a westerner I've received several types of reactions: bemusement, high approval, indifference, confused looks. It must be noted I've never received negative reactions, though I've gotten strange looks.
4. I don't know the significance other than cultural and traditional reasons.

 

[Viker]

In what way does your attire reflect your religion?

It doesn't. Not every day attire, that is.

Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures?

Nope.

Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

On occasion. But it's never mandatory/obligatory. We can use robes, veils, etc. If they're ever worn it is for adornment to impress the pantheon. Also, to express unity and oneness. We don't have gender specific attire when we do agree to wear robing. And such attire makes performing complex rituals and dancing more comfortable. We can also just go skyclad.

 

[Vinayaka]

I have 3, maybe 4 variations, depending on context. At home I am extremely casual. For ethical (environmental) reasons I wear my clothing out ... completely. I have t-shirts and old sweaters that are 20+ years old with holes and cuffs missing, with paint stains. Once it's difficult to put on or keep on, due to the holes everywhere, I do chuck it. There is no suitable cloth recycling place.

When I go shopping, I am still casual, but decent casual. In other words, no shirts or sweaters with holes or paint stains. So too when we have guests.

When I go to temple, I wear veshti/dhoti 99% of the time, and always kurta. It helps me to see the purpose, feel religious, and I want to dress formally in front of my holy friends. (Gods) At home, for my sadhana, I wear the older temple stuff, worn veshtis, but still clean. Else I could never wear them out. Besides, I can't sit that comfortably in lotus wearing jeans.

I do not own any formal western clothing. I go to funerals and weddings in the best casual I can find.

 

[Eddi]

My attire has nothing to do with my religion

I don't actually own very many clothes

 

[Kathryn]

I don't wear things that are super low cut because I am a Christian and don't want to tempt anyone unnecessarily.

We can wear veils and that sort of thing to church but I usually don't. I dress casually but pleasantly for church, like business casual. Priests and the religious have their unique attire, but I don't.

 

[Truthseeker]

In many respects there is no functional separation between religion and culture, as one's answers to profound existential questions of our place in the world and our relationships with it interpenetrate all aspects of our lives. While religion is often specifically associated with cultural practices oriented towards the sacred, it can also encompass things that are considered a bit mundane or even pedestrian. Dress and attire is one of those things - an expression of culture and religion and who and what we are. It says things about our relationship with our own bodies, with the bodies of others, and with other things we hold in high esteem. There's a whole field of study that analyzes all this - I only got a cursory exposure to it in undergrad myself - so rather than get into those weeds a simple query for us to explore here.

In what way does your attire reflect your religion? Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures? Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

For some reason Baha'is can only guess, for men they are supposed to not allow their hair to grow below their "ear lobes". However, that is not in effect anywhere in the Baha'i world. The Baha'i Faith is different in that the laws of the Baha'i Faith evolve over time, which includes laws that are in Baha'u'llah's book of laws. It is up to the Universal House of Justice to decide when this law would apply to Baha'i men.

 

[JustGeorge]

For some reason Baha'is can only guess, for men they are supposed to not allow their hair to grow below their "ear lobes". However, that is not in effect anywhere in the Baha'i world. The Baha'i Faith is different in that the laws of the Baha'i Faith evolve over time, which includes laws that are in Baha'u'llah's book of laws. It is up to the Universal House of Justice to decide when this law would apply to Baha'i men.

My sons would make poor Baha'is, then. One's hair is a few inches below his shoulders, another mid back, and the little guy's hair goes all the way to his butt!

I saw a video recently that some Native Americans wear braids as part of their cultural identity. I saw a little boy yesterday with his hair cut short, other than one very very long braid going down his back. I thought that was neat.

 

[Truthseeker]

My sons would make poor Baha'is, then. One's hair is a few inches below his shoulders, another mid back, and the little guy's hair goes all the way to his butt!

I saw a video recently that some Native Americans wear braids as part of their cultural identity. I saw a little boy yesterday with his hair cut short, other than one very very long braid going down his back. I thought that was neat.

That Baha'i law is not important at all for Baha'is, much less being important for someone who is not a Baha'i. Much more important, in my opinion is the law of obligatory prayer, or the law that after the male and female pick each other, then they need the permission of the parents to get married. The latter is important because unity is at the heart of the Baha'i Faith. We need to have unified extended families. Also for that law sometimes the parents see things the couple doesn't because they are more detached from the situation. It's true, though, that sometimes the parents deny permission because of prejudice. But I'm rambling.

If having hair no lower than the earlobes was important it would have been applied to Baha'is much earlier than now. Besides, I see no purpose for it in the year 2024.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

In many respects there is no functional separation between religion and culture, as one's answers to profound existential questions of our place in the world and our relationships with it interpenetrate all aspects of our lives. While religion is often specifically associated with cultural practices oriented towards the sacred, it can also encompass things that are considered a bit mundane or even pedestrian. Dress and attire is one of those things - an expression of culture and religion and who and what we are. It says things about our relationship with our own bodies, with the bodies of others, and with other things we hold in high esteem. There's a whole field of study that analyzes all this - I only got a cursory exposure to it in undergrad myself - so rather than get into those weeds a simple query for us to explore here.

In what way does your attire reflect your religion? Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures? Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

While I'm not religious, I think I especially appreciate the Quaker attitude to religious dress.

It's similar to their attitude against giving oaths: having one special, higher standard of honesty for special occasions implies that you're less than fully honest the rest of the time.

In the same vein, when they attend meetings for worship, they just wear their everyday clothes. Everyday life is as filled with God's creation as anything you'd find in a meeting house, and every person you meet on the street has the "inner light of Christ," so there's nothing in the meeting house that's "more holy" than you would experience in any other context. This means the only reason to be fancy for a meeting for worship would be to impress the other members, which would be a bit prideful for Quakers.

 

[Truthseeker]

While I'm not religious, I think I especially appreciate the Quaker attitude to religious dress.

It's similar to their attitude against giving oaths: having one special, higher standard of honesty for special occasions implies that you're less than fully honest the rest of the time.

In the same vein, when they attend meetings for worship, they just wear their everyday clothes. Everyday life is as filled with God's creation as anything you'd find in a meeting house, and every person you meet on the street has the "inner light of Christ," so there's nothing in the meeting house that's "more holy" than you would experience in any other context. This means the only reason to be fancy for a meeting for worship would be to impress the other members, which would be a bit prideful for Quakers.

When I was a kid, my Quaker parents had me dress up in a suit when we went to church. It depends on which Quakers you are talking about.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

When I was a kid, my Quaker parents had me dress up in a suit when we went to church. It depends on which Quakers you are talking about.

Sure. I'm talking specifically about unprogrammed Quaker meetings.

 

[Truthseeker]

Sure. I'm talking specifically about unprogrammed Quaker meetings.

Oh, yes, I went with my mother to where I used to live, Baltimore, Md., and my childhood church unprogrammed Quaker church at that time in the 1990s didn't care how you dress.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In what way does your attire reflect your religion? Are you unable to express your religion through attire due to other cultural pressures? Is there special ceremonial attire used for religious rituals? What is the symbolic significance of that?

My attire is western during the day (Shirt, pants) and Muslim during the night (Kurta, pyjama). My religion or culture does not require a particular dress. Sure, if I were to engage in rituals (I am a strong atheist, used to be a theist long back), I would wear a silk 'dhoti' (Veshti) with yellow borders and a similar cloth covering the upper body, something like the image below, or just a cotton towel to clean my hands during the ritual. The symbolic significance is clean and as minimal as possible in the society. Concentrate on the ritual, that is the idea.

Not with leather shoes, it would be a wooden sandal (Kharaun).