Religious habit
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A religious habit refers to the distinctive garment(s) worn by members of religious orders. For instance, for some Catholic orders, it might comprise a tunic covered by a scapular and cowl, with a hood for men and a veil for women; in other Catholic orders it might be a distinctive form of cassock for men, or a distinctive dress and bonnet for women. Modern habits sometimes take the form of a distinctive clerical suit for men and a simple dress suit for women. Catholic Canon Law requires only that it be in some way identifiable so that the person may serve as a witness to Gospel values, simple as a mark of detachment from vanity and greed, and becoming.
In many orders, the mark of the end of postulancy and the beginning of the novitiate in a particular religious community is a ceremony during which the new novice, having formally requested admission to the community, is clothed in the community's habit by the superior. In some cases the novice's habit will be somewhat different from the habit of a member under vows: for instance, in certain orders of women where the veil still forms part of the habit it is common for novices to wear a white veil while professed members wear black; among some Franciscan communities of men, novices wear a sort of overshirt over their tunic.
[edit] Habits of Catholic religious orders
 The habit of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor and Friars Minor Capuchin is brown; the habit of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and Third Order Regular is black. |
 The habit of the Benedictines is black (the style varies depending upon the monastery). |
 The habit of the Carthusians is white (a novice wears a black cloak over the white Carthusian habit). |
 The habit of the Dominicans is black and white. |
