pengwen

The last time we visited Greece, about 10 years ago, we were told that shorts and pants were not permitted for women. We must wear a skirt or dress, sleeves on tops, and a head covering. Do those customs still apply?

brotherleelove2004

Yes, as a matter of common courtesy and respect.

flanneruk

No.

Few Greeks (at any rate these days)share Americans' weird belief that trousers are somehow immodest on a woman. Indeed I can't think of anywhere else in the world where such nonsense is held either. Greek women rarely wear head coverings even when attending Divine Liturgy. However, there are a handful of major pilgrim sites (like the shrine at Tinos) that do require dresses or skirts on women.

Mrs F doesn't wear shorts or tank tops for serious church visiting anyway, but I certainly haven't seen them worn by visitors to major cathedrals, or for Divine Liturgy anywhere.

But, when driving round out of the way places, we have sometimes found churches with interesting frescoes when she's been relatively scantily dressed. We've never found this caused offence: in our experience, Greek xenia overrides whatever dress code might or might not exist, and Greeks are a great deal more concerned you behave respectfully and dress unprovocatively than with the Pharisaical box-ticking, skirt measuring, insanity some Italians go in for.

Common sense, and a decent respect for Greece's wonderful church heritage, both say it's bloody silly to avoid visiting a church you happen on when driving round just because you've not dressed as if you were on a pligrimage.

thursdaysd

You need a skirt for the monasteries at Meteora, but they will have a supply of tie-on skirts you can wear over your trousers.

cristine27

You can definitely get in with trousers and nobody will even notice. But not with shorts, unless you'll find a small chapel in the middle of nowhere!
Head coverings? Of course not!! (actually i have seen only very very old women wear this in villages)

pengwen

Thanks for all the replies. Certainly Shrines and Churches should be visited with respect wheter it's old fashioned or not. We went to Mt. Cassino last year in Italy and shorts were not permitted to enter the church for men or women.

P_M

"Few Greeks (at any rate these days)share Americans' weird belief that trousers are somehow immodest on a woman"

flanner, as lifelong American I have know VERY few Americans who believe that trousers are immodest on a woman. Sure there are a few fundamentalist religious groups who might have that belief, but this is not a widespread opinion in America.

thanos_GR

pengwen

I agree Lee and also much what Flanner says.

Things have changed, but not in all places.

If you are in a remote area and visting a church it will be expected, especially by older peoples to show respect. They will not, of course, be rude to you and they will let you dress how you wish but they will not be comfortable about how you looks.

An example of this is nude sunbathing.

This is practiced in many places now in Greece. It is understood that if any elderly Greek peoples are close to you, you should dress and not remain naked. It is not unknown even on this island for an elderly local person to contact police if that respect is not shown.

It sounds crazy but we are now of a different age but tradition is strong.

Yes, some very remote churches will expect your head to be covered. Very few I know, but it does still happen heres.

thanos

Underhill

Covering your head with a scarf is no big deal.

joe4212

No, it isn't underhill.

Thanos's information is interesting though. It must be about 6 years ago now, but when in Athens we were about to visit a small church on its outskirts that had been in some of the guidebooks. We hesitated when we found a service was taking place.

A lady outside saw that hesitation but beckoned us to come in but kept pointing to my wife's head. She went into the church and came back out with a sort of large square scarf that she helped my wife put on.

Of course, we didn't understand a single word during that service but it was fascinating and wonderful. Again, the kindness of strangers.............

Joe

cristine27

I'm really astonished by this 'head covering'. I'm 30years old and live in Greece all my life. I've never ever been asked to wear a head covering when entering a church however small or big it is.
Really it seems very strange to hear that...

billbarr

Hi cristine

I've been travelling to your wonderful city for many years. In fact, long before you were born. If I could trade cities with you I would!

I don't attend any church services when in Athens but I am sure I remember in a village in the Peloponnese (a friend owned a small taverna there) regularly seeing some women with their heads covered going into a church. I remember simply because I'd never seen it happen in Athens.

As for nude sunbathing. mmmmmm. This past summer we were having lunch at a beachside restaurant on Syros. In front of us, a couple came out of the water completely naked and didn't care who saw them. Personally, it made me uncomfortable but I am an 'oldie' now and all I could think of were the family groups sitting with us having a meal. The staff in the taverna got to them quickly and they swam off.

I could understand and accept it happening on Mykonos but Syros?

Ah well, times they are a changing.

kind regards,

bill

nicegirl512

I didn't see any restrictions on clothing for entering churches except the monasteries at Meteora, which provide coverings as previously mentioned (my story is here http://travelathomeandabroad.blogspo...untainous.html). I was surprised at what some people were comfortable wearing in a church--skimpy tank tops and such--but nobody looked at them disapprovingly or asked that they leave.

Christina

The fact that some women or older women wear head coversing doesn't mean it is required. Some people cling to old customs, that's all.

I think the trousers thing isn't really about modesty -- I have a relative in a fundamentalist religion and they won't allow women to wear them, but it's not because of modesty. It's because they think it is cross-dressing and that women shouldn't dress like men (I"m not kidding).

thursdaysd

The more rigid Russian Orthodox Churches are opposed to women in trousers as well. The new church in Ekaterinberg dedicated to the last tsar and his family requires skirts - they even have a board outside trying to explain why. (Russian on the front, English on the back.)