Posted on December 25, 2009.
How to dress a Christian? The issue of clothing, decent Christian, has a rich literary tradition and canon. Many of the holy fathers and teachers, who have written about how to look like a devout Christian, believed, apparently, a private matter, a matter of having a value of the whole Church. 81 According to Article 6 of the universal Christian church excommunicated, if put on clothes, not as a general custom.
Today is a statement of principle, taken literally, may distort the idea of exactly what kind of clothes the Church considers a pious and acceptable. On the one hand, some advocates call modern old-believers, not only for worship but also for work, shopping, walking etc. ozyamy wearing coats, serge, caftans, dresses, etc., but much more frequent in other extreme, when a "custom made designs in fashion. Therefore, we must carefully read the biblical words of the prophet: "Uboitesya the name of God, Zane, near the Lord's day. Yako Lord has prepared his sacrifice and devote ourselves narechennyya. And the day of the Lord's sacrifice, and avenged before the prince and the royal household, and all clothing obolchenyh in Alien "(Zephaniah, ch. 1).
What kind of clothes felt alien to the Orthodox Church Fathers? St. Ephrem the Syrian (Word 82) teaches us not to dress in colorful dress and wear modest clothing. Since we only need coverage, but not heterogeneity. "The reason (smysl. - Authors.) Clothing DRC sail only be one flesh" (Book of Nikon, Abbot of the Montagne Noire, the word 37). Everyone should wear clothes befitting her rank and sex. Helmsman In the book, we find that in 11 Gangrsky Cathedral rule commands to put his wife if she donned male attire (even if done for the love of abstinence), but does not prevent Christians to light clothing. This should avoid the luxury of not tempt the timid brethren. Some for reasons of fashion wear and luxury are the high costs, and urges the St. Cyril of Alexandria, saying that, carried away by the colorful clothing, they are deprived of the divine place. This also applies to members of the clergy (Book Nicon, abbot of the Black Mountains, on the ground 37): If a bishop or deacon wears shiny clothes, ornaments, it must be corrected if listening not - to bring the ban and rash. Cox (l. 602 ob.) Contains instruction to the priest novopostavlennomu, which states: "Clothing glezna be long before or trademarks or utensils of the" down to earth, ie clothes to wear long, until ankle, without potpourri of the world and jewelry. While women dressed prohibited to open the shoulders, chest, etc. In the book of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Serbia (Ch. 39) This custom has been validated as the Latin, and therefore a heretic.
Old Believers are always serious about the traditional dress, especially the cutting of clothes please. The temples can still be seen of men in coats and boots, under the caftan them wore a shirt worn outside, belted with woven or braided belt with ornaments, embroidered prayer or commemorative inscription. Women, especially in the choir robes and shawls, stabbed under the chin with a shawl color may vary depending on the holiday (eg Easter to you wear red, and the Trinity - green). Old Believers, who for one reason or another did not have such a gown, wear good faith, in no event shall not expose or shoulders, or hands.
Custom slaughter handkerchief under her chin with a pin and distributed to all alumni. However, in the south, especially in the parishes nekrasovtsev, a handkerchief tied to a node that looks like a custom novoobryadcheskih congregation. Pondering this distinction, some staroobryadki interpret custom to tie a handkerchief on the site, as a sign of yaw Judah, a symbol that has no basis in hristootstupnichestva very religious.
