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 theLatin wordtonsura (meaning "clipping" or "shearing"[1]) and referred to a specific practice in medievalCatholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972. Tonsure, in its earliest Greek and Roman origin, was used as a sign or signifier for slavery.[2][3] Tonsure can also refer to the secular practice of shaving all or part of the scalp to show support or sympathy, or to designate mourning. Current usage more generally refers to cutting or shaving for monks, devotees, or mystics of any religion as a symbol of their renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.
Tonsure is still a traditional practice in Catholicism by specific religious orders (with papal permission). It is also commonly used in theEastern Orthodox Church for newly baptised members and is frequently used forBuddhist novices,monks, andnuns. The complete shaving of one's head bald, or just shortening the hair, exists as a traditional practice in Islam after completion of theHajj and is also practised by a number ofHindu religious orders.
Tonsure was not practiced by theEarly Church, and no records of its use in a Christian context exist prior to the 6th century.[4] There were three forms of tonsure known in the 7th and 8th centuries:
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.
St. Germanus I writes "The total tonsuring of the head is in imitation of the holy Apostle James, brother of the Lord, and the Apostle Paul, and of the rest."[11]
In theLatin Church of theCatholic Church, "first tonsure" was, in medieval times, and generally through to 1972,[12] the rite of inducting someone into the clergy and qualifying him for the civil benefits once enjoyed byclerics. Tonsure was a prerequisite for receiving theminor andmajor orders. Failing to maintain tonsure was the equivalent of attempting to abandon one's clerical state, and in the1917 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 hisOrdinary lost the clerical state.[13] 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. It was not supposed to be less than the size of a communicant'shost, even for a tonsuratus, someone simply tonsured, and the approximate size for a priest's tonsure was the size of a priest's host. Countries that were not Catholic had exceptions to this rule, especially in the English-speaking world. In England and America, for example, the bare spot was dispensed with, likely because of the persecutions that could arise from being a part of the Catholic clergy, but the ceremonious cutting of the hair in the first clerical tonsure was always required. In accordance withPope Paul VI'smotu proprioMinisteria quaedam of 15 August 1972, "first tonsure is no longer conferred".[12]
Apart from this general clerical tonsure, someWestern Rite monastic orders, for exampleCarthusians andTrappists, 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 monasticnovitiate for all monks, whether destined for service as priests or brothers.
Today inEastern Orthodoxy and in theEastern Catholic Churches ofByzantine Rite, there are three types of tonsure:baptismal,monastic, andclerical. It always consists of the cutting of four locks of hair in a cruciform pattern: at the front of head as the celebrant says "In the Name of the Father", at the back of head at the words "and the Son", and on either side of the head at the words "and the Holy Spirit". In all cases, the hair is allowed to grow back; the tonsure as such is not adopted as a hairstyle.
Baptismal tonsure is performed during the rite of Holy Baptism as a first sacrificial offering by the newly baptised. This tonsure is always performed, whether the one being baptised is an infant or an adult.
Monastic tonsure (of which there are three grades:Rasophore,Stavrophore and theGreat Schema), is the rite of initiation into the monastic state, symbolic of cutting off of self-will. Orthodox monks traditionally never cut their hair or beards after receiving the monastic tonsure as a sign of the consecration of their lives to God (reminiscent of the Vow of theNazirite).
Clerical tonsure is the equivalent of the "first tonsure" in the Latin church. It is done immediately prior to ordination to the minor order ofreader but is not repeated at subsequent ordinations.[14] 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.
Since the issuing ofMinisteria quaedam in 1972,[12] certain institutes have been authorized to use the first clerical tonsure, such as thePriestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (1988), theInstitute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (1990), and thePersonal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney (2001).
Although the tonsure itself is obsolete, the wearing of a skull cap, called azucchetto, in church to keep the head warm, which the fuller form of clerical tonsure led to, still survives. The zucchetto is worn by thepope (in white),cardinals (in red) andbishops (in purple) both during and outside of formal religious ceremonies. Priests may wear a simple black zucchetto, only outside of religious services, though this is almost never seen except on abbots, who continue to wear the black zucchetto, or abbots of the Order of Canons Regular of Premontre, who wear white. Another congregation of Canons Regular, the Canons Regular of the Lateran, wear a white zucchetto as part of their proper habit. Some priests who held special titles (certain ranks ofmonsignori and some canons, for instance) formerly wore black zucchettos with red or purple piping, but this too has fallen out of use except in a few, extremely rare cases.
Some monastic orders and individual monasteries[which?] still maintain the tradition of a monastic tonsure. While not required, it is still a common practice of Latin Church friars, such as theFranciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.[citation needed] Some references compare the tonsure to theCrown of Thorns worn byChrist at thecrucifixion.[15][16]
Among theMerovingians, whose rulers were the "long-haired kings",[17] 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.[18] ThusGrimoald the Elder, the son ofPippin of Landen, andDagobert II's guardian, seized the throne for his own son and had Dagobert tonsured, thus marking him unfit for kingship,[19] and exiled.[20]
The practice of tonsure, coupled withcastration, was common for deposed emperors and their sons inByzantium from around the 8th century, prior to which disfigurement, usually by blinding, was the normal practice.[21]
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Tonsure in Hinduism is a symbolic act representing purification, spiritual transformation, and the renunciation of ego and worldly attachments. This head-shaving ritual is deeply embedded in Hindu religious life, appearing in rites of passage, mourning customs, acts of penance, and the fulfillment of vows. Scriptural sources like the Dharmaśāstra, Purāṇas, and Itihāsas emphasize its role in fostering discipline, inner growth, and detachment, although its practice may vary depending on region, sect, and personal belief.
One of the most well-known forms of tonsure is the Chudakarana, or Mundan ceremony, where a child's first haircut is performed between the ages of one and seven. This rite, typically conducted at sacred places like the Ganges River, is believed to purify the child from past-life influences and unwanted traits. As one of the sixteen major samskaras (Hindu rites of passage), it marks a new beginning in the child's spiritual and social life.
In the context of mourning rituals, male relatives often shave their heads upon the death of a close family member. This act symbolizes humility, detachment, and the temporary renunciation of worldly identity during the grieving process. It prepares the mourner emotionally and spiritually for performing the final rites, reinforcing the principle of vairagya (detachment) and helping maintain a focused, devotional state of mind.
Tonsure as penance or vow fulfillment is another prominent tradition in Hinduism. Devotees offer their hair at temples such as Tirupati or Varanasi as a form of thanksgiving, self-surrender, or penance. It serves as an expression of devotion and humility, signifying the surrender of pride before the divine. In religious initiations, such as Upanayana, head-shaving symbolizes a clean slate and readiness for spiritual learning, reinforcing the values of purity and dedication to dharma.
Since the 1960s, unbeknownst to most pilgrims, temples havegathered, cleaned, and sold tonsured hair to the commercial hair market in order to fund their activities. In 2019,Tirumala temple gathered and sold 157 tons of tonsured hair for $1.6 million.[22] Tonsured hair is among the most valuable in the world forwigs andartificial hair extensions and a major export from India, which exported $770 million in 2021.
InBuddhism, tonsure (Sanskrit:mundanā) is a part of the rite ofpravrajya and also a part of becoming abhikshu (monk) orbhikshuni (nun). This involves shaving the head and face. This tonsure is renewed as often as required to keep the head cleanly shaven.
TheTheravadaVinaya stipulates that a monk must shave every two months or when the hair grows two finger-breadths in length. When the Buddha-to-be first cut his hair, the remaining hair curled clockwise to this length, never to grow long again. It is common for the monastic community to shave during the full moon and new moonUposatha days.[23]
Mahayana tradition varies slightly in its forms of tonsure depending on region. According to the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya commentary (四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔, T. 1804) byDaoxuan, newly-ordained monks should leave one, three, or five small knots of hair (cūḍā) that are ceremonially shaved by their teacher when receiving precepts.[24]Chinese Buddhism includes a practice calledjieba (戒疤), wherein the monk or nun receives small burns to the scalp to symbolize their adherence to thebodhisattva path.
TheVerse of Tonsure (Teihatsu no ge 剃髮偈) is recited bySoto Zen practitioners:[25]
Tibetan Buddhist tradition assigns auspicious days depending on when both laypeople and monastics cut their hair.[26] TheMūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya also regulates the wearing of a special cloth when shaving the head calledkeśapratigrahaṇa (剃髮衣). This is also the name of the shrine built for the Buddha's hair before it was enshrined in a stupa inTrāyastriṃśa heaven.[27]
The purification process of themetzora (one afflicted withtzaraath) involved the ritual shaving of themetzorah's entire body except for the afflicted locations.[28]
In an effort to distinguish themselves from ancient practices of tonsure associated with idolatry, by doing the inverse,Orthodox Jewish males do not shave thecorners of their beards or scalps with straight blades, as described in Leviticus 19:27.
See also the custom ofUpsherin, celebrating a boy's first haircut at the age of three.
In Sunni Islam, partial tonsure—shaving parts of the head while leaving other parts unshaven—is discouraged. This practice is referred to in Arabic asal-qazaʻ (القزع), and is explicitly mentioned in several hadith attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, which emphasize consistency in hair grooming.
According to a narration recorded inSahih al-Bukhari:
Another narration expands on the reasoning:
Classical Sunni jurists generally interpreted these narrations to mean that al-qazaʻ ismakruh (discouraged), rather than strictly forbidden (haram). The Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools regard the practice as disliked due to the prophetic prohibition, while the Hanafi school tends to allow it unless associated with vanity or non-Islamic customs.[33][34]
Some scholars also contextualize the ruling as a means of discouraging Muslims from imitating grooming styles practiced by non-Muslim religious groups, such as Christian monastic tonsure.[35]
In contemporary times, Islamic rulings on hairstyles continue to emphasize modesty and discourage styles that reflect vanity or mimic religious or subcultural symbolism. However, many scholars note that short or stylized haircuts are not automatically included under al-qazaʻ unless they reflect the patterns explicitly prohibited in hadith.[36]
The Prophet forbade al-qazaʻ, which is shaving part of the head and leaving the rest.
Hadith no. 4195
Hadith no. 5048
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The dictionary definition oftonsure at Wiktionary
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