What does tonsure mean in history?
tonsure(Verb) To subject to the often ritual shaving of the crown of the head as a sign of humility and one's religious vocation. Some tonsures were more dramatic than others, leaving only a fringe of hair.
What is tonsure in the Catholic Church?
ton·sure | ˈtän(t)-shər . (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : the Roman Catholic or Eastern rite of admission to the clerical state by the clipping or shaving of a portion of the head. 2 : the shaven crown or patch worn by monks and other clerics. 3 : a bald spot resembling a tonsure. tonsure.
What is the tonsure ceremony?
Tonsure(noun) the first ceremony used for devoting a person to the service of God and the church; the first degree of the clericate, given by a bishop, abbot, or cardinal priest, consisting in cutting off the hair from a circular space at the back of the head, with prayers and benedictions; hence, entrance or admission into minor orders.
What is tonsure in Buddhism?
In Buddhism, tonsure is a part of the rite of pabbajja and also a part of becoming a monk (Skt. Bhikshu) or nun (Skt. Bhikshuni ). This involves shaving the head and face. This tonsure is renewed as often as required to keep the head cleanly shaven.
What is a tonsure?
Tonsure (/ˈtɒnʃər/) is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tonsura (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972.
How do you use the word tonsure?
tonsure in American Englishthe act of cutting the hair or shaving the head.the shaving of the head or of some part of it as a religious practice or rite, esp. ... the part of a cleric's head, usually the crown, left bare by shaving the hair.the state of being shorn. ... to confer the ecclesiastical tonsure upon.
What is another word for tonsure?
What is another word for tonsure?shavebarbermowtruncatedetachchopcurtailreduceskiveslash77 more rows
Why do monks have a tonsure?
In modern times, tonsure refers to cutting or shaving hair by monks or religious devotees. Ridding of your hair serves as a symbol of renunciation of worldly ego and fashion. In Buddhism, shaving your head (and face) is part of Pabbajja.
What do you call a shaved head?
hairless. adjectivewithout growth on body part. bald. baldheaded. beardless.
What is a clean shaved head called?
adjectivewithout growth on body part. bald. baldheaded. beardless. clean-shaven.
When was tonsure abolished?
The practice was in vogue till the Roman Catholic Church abolished the practice of tonsure in 1972.
What we call shaved head?
bald Add to list Share. Use the adjective bald to describe someone who has no hair on his head. If your uncle has a smooth, hairless scalp, he's bald. Some men are bald because they shave their heads, while others have become bald gradually over the years.
Why do priests have their heads shaved?
St. Germanus I, Patriarch of Constantinople from 715 to 730, writes "The double crown inscribed on the head of the priest through tonsure represents the precious head of the chief-apostle Peter. When he was sent out in the teaching and preaching of the Lord, his head was shaved by those who did not believe his word, as if in mockery. The Teacher Christ blessed this head, changed dishonour into honour, ridicule into praise. He placed on it a crown made not out of precious stones, but one which shines more than gold, topaz, or precious stone – with the stone and rock of faith.” In the Eastern Orthodox Church today, priests, deacons, readers, and other tonsured offices do not have their heads shaved. Rather, four locks of hair are clipped from the top of the head in the shape of a cross to mark their obedience to the Church.
What was the tonsure of the 7th century?
There were three forms of tonsure known in the 7th and 8th centuries: The Oriental, which claimed the authority of Saint Paul the Apostle (Acts 18:18) and consisted of shaving the whole head. This was observed in the Eastern churches, including the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches.
What is the tonsure of a monk called?
Apart from this general clerical tonsure, some Western Rite monastic orders, for example Carthusians and Trappists, employed a very full version of tonsure, shaving the head entirely bald and keeping only a narrow ring of short hair, sometimes called "the monastic crown" (see "Roman tonsure", above), from the time of entrance into the monastic novitiate for all monks, whether destined for service as priests or brothers.
What does it mean to cut your hair?
Tonsure. Tonsure ( / ˈtɒnʃər /) is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tonsura (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972.
What is the sign of tonsure?
Over time, the appearance of tonsure varied, ending up for non-monastic clergy as generally consisting of a symbolic cutting of a few tufts of hair at first tonsure in the Sign of the Cross and in wearing a bare spot on the back of the head which varied according to the degree of orders.
What is the meaning of "failing to maintain tonsure"?
Failing to maintain tonsure was the equivalent of attempting to abandon one's clerical state, and in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, any cleric in minor orders (or simply tonsured) who did not resume the tonsure within a month after being warned by his Ordinary lost the clerical state.
When is tonsure done?
It is done immediately prior to ordination to the minor order of reader but is not repeated at subsequent ordinations. This led to a once common usage that one was, for instance, "tonsured a reader", although technically the tonsure occurs prior to the prayer of ordination within the ordination rite.
What is the meaning of tonsure?
Tonsure, in various religions, a ceremony of initiation in which hair is clipped from the head as part of the ritual marking one’s entrance into a new stage of religious development or activity.
What is the first tonsure in Hinduism?
In Hinduism the first tonsure undergone by a young boy (the ceremony of cūḍākaraṇa) is one of the saṃskāra s, or personal sacraments, that mark the boy’s transition from an infant to a child.
What is the tonsure ceremony?
In Buddhism tonsure is performed as a part of the ceremony of ordination as a novice ( pravrajyā ceremony) and as a monk ( upasaṃpadā ceremony). Thereafter, the monk keeps his head and face clean-shaven. In Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand most male children undergo the pravrajyā ceremony at about the age of eight or older and spend a few days ...
What is tonsure in the Orthodox Church?
In the Eastern Orthodox church tonsure is part of the ordination of the lector (reader). In certain of the Eastern churches tonsure has also been a part of the ceremony admitting a man to the monastic life. The origins of the Christian use of this rite are not clear, but early Christian ascetics may have imitated the ancient religious practice ...
Why do Jaina monks cut their hair?
Jaina monks also cut their hair as a sign of renouncing the worldly life and entering the monkhood, traditionally, by plucking out the hairs one by one. Both Jaina and Buddhist customs are theoretically in imitation of the act performed by their teachers Mahāvīra and Gautama, who cut off their hair upon leaving their households to embark on the spiritual life.
What is a rite of passage?
rite of passage, ceremonial event, existing in all historically known societies, that marks the passage from one social or religious status to another. This article describes these rites among various societies throughout the world, giving greatest attention to the most common types of rites;…
What is ceremonial object?
ceremonial object: Objects used in rites of passage
What is the meaning of "tonsured"?
See synonyms for: tonsure / tonsured on Thesaurus.com. noun. the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head. the shaving of the head or of some part of it as a religious practice or rite, especially in preparation for entering the priesthood or a monastic order. the part of a cleric's head, usually the crown, left bare by shaving the hair.
What is the part of a cleric's head that is left bare?
the part of a cleric's head, usually the crown, left bare by shaving the hair.
Why is the word "sinister" Latin?
The word "sinister" is Latin for "left," because left-handed people were often thought of as suspicious, evil, or demonic.
What is tonsure used for?
Additionally, tonsure can be used for punishing people for severe crimes.
What are the strongest ties between clerics?
The strongest ties - tonsure kinship - are only found among clerics, while regional affiliations are also confined to clerics.
When are minor orders of candle bearer and cantor given?
The minor orders of candle bearer and cantor are given before tonsure during ordination to the lectorate.
Where did the water come from in the monastery?
The water came from a nearby spring, and was used by the monks for washing, shaving, tonsure, and doing laundry.
Who performs a tonsure?
The abbot or hieromonk who performs a tonsure must be of at least the rank he is tonsuring into.
Is "tonsured" correct?
The confusion has arisen by the common reference to a man being tonsured a reader which, while widespread, is not technically correct.
What does "tonsure" mean in monks?
tonsure meaning: 1. the top back part of a monk's head from which a circle of hair has been removed 2. the top back …. Learn more.
Who was the educated writer whose only sign of belonging to the clergy was the tonsure?
There arose the sola tonsura clericus, the educated writer whose only sign of belonging to the clergy was the tonsure.
Do you have to adopt the Tonsureor to become a samurai?
Such persons, however, were not required to adopt the tonsureor to give up their position as samurai.
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Overview
Tonsure is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word tonsura (meaning "clipping" or "shearing" ) and referred to a specific practice in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Tonsure can also refer to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sy…
Christianity
Tonsure was not widely known in antiquity. Tradition states that it originated with the disciples of Jesus, who observed the Torah command not to shave the hair around the sides of one's head (Leviticus 19:27). There were three forms of tonsure known in the 7th and 8th centuries:
• The Oriental, which claimed the authority of Saint Paul the Apostle (Acts 18:18…
Hinduism
Tonsure is usually the part of three rites of passages in the life of the individual in Hinduism. The first is called Chudakarana (IAST: Cūḍākaraṇa, Sanskrit: चूडाकरण; literally, "rite of tonsure"), also known as choulam, caula, chudakarma, or mundana, marks the child's first haircut, typically the shaving of the head. The mother dresses up, sometimes in her wedding sari, and with th…
Buddhism
In Buddhism, tonsure is a part of the rite of pabbajja and also a part of becoming a monk (Skt. Bhikshu) or nun (Skt. Bhikshuni). This involves shaving the head and face. This tonsure is renewed as often as required to keep the head cleanly shaven.
Judaism
The purification process of the metzora (one afflicted with tzaraath) involved the ritual shaving of the metzorah's entire body except for the afflicted locations.
In a effort to distinguish themselves from ancient practices of tonsure associated with idolatry, by doing the inverse, some hasidic Orthodox Jewish males do not shave the corners of their beards or scalps with straight blades, as described in Leviticus 19:27.
Islam
Partial tonsure is forbidden in Islam. Muhammad forbade shaving one's hair on some parts of the head while letting it grow on other parts, as in tonsure. However, shaving the head entirely is allowed. The proscription is detailed in the hadith.
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – نَهَى عَنِ الْقَزَعِ
From Ibnu 'Umar (he says), the Prophet – peace be upon him – forbids the Qoza‘ (i.e. shaving h…
Secular European
Among the Merovingians, whose rulers were the "long-haired kings", the ancient custom remained that an unsuccessful pretender or a dethroned king would be tonsured. Then he had to retire to a monastery, but sometimes this lasted only until his hair grew back. Thus Grimoald the Elder, the son of Pippin of Landen, and Dagobert II's guardian, seized the throne for his own son and had Dagobert tonsured, thus marking him unfit for kingship, and exiled.
See also
• Bede
• Buddhism
• Head shaving
• Male-pattern hair loss
• Monasticism