www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization What to wear?

Wolfgang maybe the message was for you and it was because the security ex-ray machine thought it had detected you might not be wearing mothers best bloomers for the occasion.

A lot of international tourists forget to bring clothes for visiting religious places. I know a number of expereinced women travellers who take at least one sarong to use as a veil when travelling in Muslims parts of the world. St Peter's has staff who actively prevent tourists from entering who are not properly covered up. I always put one pair of good trousers in my back pack for Church or going out.

ICXC
NIKA

In Mexico you can find:

1. The mainstram Roman Church: people go dressed as they want, some wear shorts and flip-flops, girls with short skirts, no one cares very much of how they dress. Adults usualy wear everyday clothing. (You can still find the old ladies wearing veil and kneeling). The appereance of the recently built churches does not invite to elegancy.

2. The Orthodox: people wear everyday clothing but nothing revealing, flips or shorts with the exception of the children and some days in summer. (Of course when Metropolitan Herman or Bartholomew I come to visit they're all wearing suits and ties and the place is not empty as usualy).

3. The Old-Rite Catholics: Girls dress in the best French fashion all covered, women wear veils and almost always dress in black (the married ones), men wear very old suits and ties (sometimes broken suits). They make very exagerated prostrations and make the sign of the cross many times.

I was surpised how loose they'd gotten on that locally, at least on holidays. They will not permit you to receive Communion with an uncovered head. I noticed several young women last Christmas, who spoke fluent Russian, not wearing anything on their heads and that sort of irked me, although I try as a rule not to stare at fellow worshippers, really. If it's really bitterly cold out, they don't get antsy about trousers if ladies have long coats on, I've noticed more of that, too, lately - again, among young women speaking fluent Russian. Maybe our Russian traditions in America are being changed by real Russians, I dunno?! But frankly, part of the old atmosphere I like of ROCOR churches and some other old Orthodox churches I've been to (like my baba's old church) is popping a scarf and a long skirt on before going in. I don't like to see traditions slip away where they were so firmly entrenced. Part of worship to me is connecting with tradition and the continuity of faith and its expression. Normally, I am not a scarf-wearing girl, but there are places where I still expect to do it. I guess that's changing, though. :-(