Attending church requires an Orthodox woman to follow certain rules. One of them concerns appearance. How long should a skirt be, are tights needed, is it possible to come to service in trousers, and what shoes are appropriate in church? A woman is faced with a dilemma - what can be worn to church, and what item of clothing will look out of place at a church service.
There are several basic rules that it is advisable to follow when choosing clothes for church. By adhering to them, a parishioner can be absolutely sure that her appearance will not offend the feelings of other believers.
What can you wear to church?
The most important thing is that a woman should look neat and decent. The best option would be a long, fairly loose dress made of opaque fabric, the hem of which necessarily covers the knees.
Tips for choosing clothes and shoes for going to church:
- Sleeves should cover the shoulders. Ideally, a model with long sleeves or 3/4 sleeves is suitable.
- The neckline is small.
- The color of the outfit does not play a special role, but “flashy” colors should be avoided.
- You can wear a below-knee length skirt with a blouse, jumper, tunic or mid-thigh length shirt (sleeves are required).
- If you can't wear a dress or skirt, you can wear trousers. In this case, a large scarf or a special skirt with ties is tied around the hips. Such an accessory is usually found in almost every temple, or you can sew it yourself.
- You need comfortable shoes, without heels or low heels, since you will have to stand for at least 2 hours at work. In winter, early spring and late autumn, boots, shoes with low heels or low platforms are worn.
ADVICE! If the heels click too much, it is advisable to change the heels. Extraneous sounds in church greatly distract from prayer.
What is unacceptable in church
You cannot go to the temple in dresses and skirts longer than the knee, miniskirts, or models with a large slit. Translucent and transparent items (chiffon, lace, guipure, etc.) are strictly prohibited.
Dresses, blouses, sweaters and jumpers with a deep neckline and open shoulders are also considered an inappropriate choice. You cannot come to church in shorts, a top, or a T-shirt. Clothes should not contain prints, inscriptions or decor that contradict the church atmosphere (foreign words, images of pop personalities, animals, an abundance of rhinestones, beads, etc.).
Shoes with stiletto heels, flip-flops or overly creative models are not worn to the temple. Jewelry is used to a minimum: a cross, one or two modest rings, a thin chain, a discreet bracelet.
A woman must have a scarf, hat, bonnet or other women's headdress on her head.This is a rule that has no exceptions. In some churches, priests require parishioners to come exclusively in headscarves. If you plan to visit a new church, you should find out this nuance in advance.
IMPORTANT! You cannot paint your lips, because at the end of the service, parishioners approach the priest to kiss the crucifix and icon. Even if your lips were painted with colorless lipstick, church relics will get dirty. This is unhygienic and disrespectful towards other believers.
Why can you go to church without tights?
Not a single adequate clergyman would point out to a parishioner the lack of tights, since the Holy Scriptures say nothing about this either. Such conversations are usually started by the parishioners themselves, who pay a lot of attention to the external rather than the spiritual. With this attitude they demonstrate their own limitations, anger, lack of education and love for their neighbors, as well as disrespect for God.
ATTENTION! If a woman is dressed appropriately, no one has the right to blame her for not wearing tights!
In past centuries, rural and rural women knew nothing about tights, and calmly went to church in this form, even on great holidays. This alone indicates the bias in the statement that tights are required in church.
For health reasons, some women find it difficult to withstand long periods of service in a stuffy room in the summer. Nylon tights conduct heat very poorly, which can lead to severe overheating and even fainting.
What kind of shoes do you wear to church without tights?
Without tights, closed-toed shoes, ballet flats, and other not too revealing shoes are appropriate in church. On sandals, it is desirable that the heel be closed, but not necessary.Slightly open toes of shoes are acceptable.
Shoes should be of muted, calm colors, low heels, and not conspicuous. The point is not to distract the parishioners’ thoughts from prayer with your appearance (including the lack of tights).
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This is all so annoying, to be honest!!! I will never forget how my grandfather died in the evening, and in the morning my mother sent me and her friend to the Temple to get candles. And I’m in snot and tears, he literally died in my arms, I’m in shock and stressed, I’m 15. I forgot to put a scarf on my head. So the church grandmothers gave me such a hysteria that I had my head uncovered!!! In general, it was as if I had come to the Lord, and not to a sect with a dress code. The second incident was when I was in church, while waiting for the service, and took out and began to apply hygienic lipstick to moisturize my dry, chapped lips. Immediately I received a push in the back from behind from my grandmother and an indignant “no”. I muttered to her that the hygiene kit was colorless, but the grandmother did not stop. What does it matter to her? Anyway, I will never kiss icons, crosses and Father’s hands, I will not take communion while everyone is receiving communion with the same spoon, I’m out of my mind, I have tuberculosis, syphilis, herpes, olists and other infections that can be contracted through this, what the hell Not needed.So what about hygienic lipstick then?!? Therefore, I just go as is, in jeans, which means in jeans, without a scarf, which means without, with bare shoulders, which means bare. I came to talk to God, not to grandmothers! Moreover, not a single Father can say where exactly it is said that a woman is not allowed to wear trousers. Because nowhere, except in our stupid settings! Well, I don’t give a damn about other people’s opinions! And yes, by the way, through church scarves and skirts you can become infected with lice, lichen, scabies, herpes zoster, streptoderma, fungus, syphilis and a bunch of other nasty things! People, don't forget about this!
Do you know why I don’t go to church? I have no desire or need to listen to incomprehensible old church readings and memorized sermons, standing and crossing myself for 2-3 hours. I hate looking at fat and rich priests. And I don’t need an intermediary between TEMKTOTAMS ABOVE and me in the form of any church institution. Then all questions in terms of dress code and food restrictions are removed.
My grandmother taught me that it is better to go to church without a scarf or hat than not to go because of supposedly inappropriate clothing. People came up with all this, they are obviously bored with standing in the service, so they begin to look at those around them and lecture them. We are all sinners.
In Cyprus, where 100% of the population are believers, regularly go to churches, and traditions have never been interrupted at all, there are no such restrictions. The main thing is to come to the temple. Maybe that’s why 100% of them go there.
It’s a strange question: each individual woman decides to go anywhere with or without tights, it depends on her desire, time of year and weather.When visiting a temple, are there any special rules regarding this element of women's clothing? As far as I know - no.
I read the comments and I’m surprised at you, women... Why is it so difficult to put on a dress and a scarf? Why make a tragedy out of this? You must be more humble, because you are going to visit God, to his house. So you need to wear the best you have.