The church is a place of union with God. It is filled with the grace that envelops our souls. Therefore, visiting the church is an extremely important event. Orthodox canons suggest a mandatory dress code, especially by women. But what if the desire to visit the temple arose suddenly?
Dress code according to the canons
The main rule - your appearance should not somehow distract the parishioners from prayer. Often people need time to forget about cares and fully tune in to prayer. The effective young lady in a bright outfit does not exactly contribute to this. Therefore, the Orthodox Church recommends giving preference to more modest outfits. Remember that the temple is not a place to emphasize status, security or beauty. Before God all are equal. However, do not go to extremes. A black, loose skirt up to the ground and a mourning-colored handkerchief are definitely overkill. Such clothes will only attract the views of the parishioners. Similar dark outfits are really appropriate in the period of fasting and special mourning cases.
Color of clothes
The opinions of many people, on this occasion are quite different. There is an opinion that the most appropriate for a trip to the temple is white clothes. Because this color embodies purity and righteousness. Others, however, insist that parishioners should wear outfits of gray and black tones. Nevertheless, such assumptions are not the rules of the Orthodox Church. It does not restrict parishioners to certain colors of dresses. Clothes can be any shade. Moreover, different Orthodox holidays have some conditioned color. For example, green shades are associated with the holiday of the Holy Trinity, red with Easter, blue with the Feasts dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and white refers to the Nativity of Christ and Baptism. Priests wear vestments of a certain color, according to each holiday.
Closed shoulders and knees
As already mentioned, the dress of a woman should be modest, so as not to distract the parishioners from prayer. Therefore, be sure to remember that the body should be covered with clothing. Especially pay attention to the décolleté, shoulders, waist and legs (to the knees). They should always be covered.
Cosmetics
Undoubtedly, the Church says that God made us beautiful and the true beauty is natural. But if you belong to those women who use cosmetics, then just follow the measure. Make-up should be restrained and not provocative. The same goes for the manicure.
The most important thing is that it is not advisable to come to the temple with lipstick on your lips. Kissing icons can leave a trace, which can be unpleasant for other parishioners.
What if the temple was not planned?
The church is a temple of God, whose doors are open to all comers. But if you did not plan to visit it when leaving home, what should you do? The daily wardrobe of many people does not always correspond to the recommended so-called dress code, which is worn in the temple, and the handkerchief is not always found in the women's purse. In this case, do not worry, in many churches, at the entrance you can ask for a handkerchief. Often there you can be given something similar to a veil than you can replace a skirt in order to cover your jeans. In any case, not appropriate, as you or someone seems, clothes should not be a barrier to your meeting with God. Follow the call of the heart. God merciful, loves and accepts you in every dress :-)
September 2015
