One of the reasons for the reluctance to visit the temple is often the strict requirements for clothing that exist in the Orthodox Church. In particular, a ban on trousers can turn off women.
The ban on women's trousers in the church is not as straightforward as it might seem. Some Christian women observe it so zealously that they do not wear trousers, not only when visiting the temple, but also in everyday life. Other women point out that when comparing trousers and a miniskirt, the first option looks much more modest.
Paradoxically, there is no consensus regarding women's trousers even among the priests.
Pants as men's clothing
Nowadays, few people, except historians, remember that once the wearing of trousers when visiting a temple was forbidden even for men. In the 9th century, the Bulgarian prince Boris almost abandoned the baptism of Bulgaria due to the fact that the Byzantine priesthood demanded that his subjects be prohibited … wearing trousers, and not only in the temple: this form of clothing, not typical of Byzantium, was considered "pagan."
In later eras, no one saw anything in men's trousers that would contradict the Christian faith, and women did not wear trousers until modern times. Thus, trousers were interpreted as an attribute of the male gender.
The prohibition on dressing up in clothes of the opposite sex - for both men and women - is contained in the Old Testament, and the New Testament has not abolished it. To a certain extent, this behavior was associated with non-traditional sexual orientation, which is also condemned by the Bible, but there was another reason.
Dressing up in clothes of the opposite sex was typical for pagan rituals of a magical nature. Magic and everything connected with it has always been condemned by the Church; this condemnation also extended to the wearing of men's clothing by women - especially in the temple.
But for this very reason, some modern priests say that you should not hold on to this prohibition so tightly. Trousers have long lost the status of exclusively men's clothing; there are ladies' trousers that no man will wear. A woman in such trousers cannot be said to have put on men's clothes, therefore, there is no reason not to let her into the temple.
Other reasons for the ban
Many priests still support the ban on women's trousers, pointing out that such clothes dictate certain forms of behavior that are incompatible with Christian norms. In a skirt it is uncomfortable to sit in a cheeky position, and in trousers it is very easy, and a change in the manner of behaving "pulls along" a change in behavior and even character.
The severity of the ban depends on how the parishioners, headed by the priest, are in a particular parish. Somewhere a woman in trousers may be treated more tolerantly, somewhere less, but in any case it is not worth risking, provoking a conflict in advance, especially on the first visit to the temple. Even if the parishioners are not inclined to be indignant about this, they will see that the woman who comes in a skirt knows and respects the church rules, this will help to immediately establish friendly relations.
Moreover, you should not come to a monastery in trousers, even as a sightseer - in monasteries they always adhere to stricter rules.
On the other hand, if an experienced parishioner saw a woman in trousers in the church, you should not immediately pounce on her with reproaches. Perhaps she did not plan a visit to the temple that day and went there at a moment of strong mental shock, in such a state a person needs not reproaches, but words of consolation.
