RELIGIOUS HABIT

A 'religious habit' is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. For instance, for some Roman Catholic or Anglican orders, it might comprise a tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a hood for men and a veil for women; in other orders it might be a distinctive form of cassock for men, or a distinctive dress and bonnet for women. Modern habits sometimes take the form of a distinctive clerical suit for men and a simple dress suit for women. Catholic Canon Law requires only that it be in some way identifiable so that the person may serve as a witness to Gospel values, simple as a mark of detachment from vanity and greed, and becoming.
In many orders, the mark of the end of postulancy and the beginning of the novitiate in a particular religious community is a ceremony during which the new novice, having formally requested admission to the community, is clothed in the community's habit by the superior. In some cases the novice's habit will be somewhat different from the habit of a member under vows: for instance, in certain orders of women where the veil still forms part of the habit it is common for novices to wear a white veil while professed members wear black; among some Franciscan communities of men, novices wear a sort of overshirt over their tunic.

Contents

Habits of Catholic religious orders

Eastern Orthodox habit (''schema'')

See also

External links

Habits of Catholic religious orders

Eastern Orthodox habit (''schema'')

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not have distinct religious orders. The habit (Greek: Σχήμα, ''Schēma'') is the same throughout the world—with minor, local distinctions. The normal monastic color is black, symbolic of repentance and simplicity. The habit of monks and nuns is identical, except that nuns wear an additional 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', (2) the intermediate, known as the 'Stavrophore', and (3) the 'Great Schema'. Only 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. The parts of the Eastern Orthodox habit are:

★ 'Inner Rason' (Greek: Έσώρασον, ''Esórason''; Slavonic: ''Podryásnik''): The inner rason (cassock) is the innermost garment, corresponding to the Western monastic tunic. It is a long, collared garment coming to the feet, with narrow, tapered sleeves. Unlike the Roman cassock, it is double-breasted. The inner rason is the basic garment, and is worn at all times, even when working. It is often given to novices and 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 embroidered, especially on 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 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 ().

★ 'Outer Rason' (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.


★ 'Klobuk' (Greek: ; Slavonic: ): The distinctive headress of Eastern Orthodox monks and nuns is the klobuk, a stiffened hat, something like 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 klobuk 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:

Rassaphore	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
Klobuk	Klobuk	Koukoulion

See also

★ Degrees of Orthodox monasticism

★ Tonsure

External links

★ New Catholic Dictionary