Editor's Corner

Good morning, hot tamales! It seems the world is overheating everywhere you gowell, at least in the U.S. these days. To get away from it all, my husband and I filled a kiddie pool with ice and hopped in! No, not really. We did something boring and middle-aged: we started watching Shun.

Not the one from 1980, though I remember watching that with my dad. We started on the 2024 version. But what does my nighttime entertainment and a show about Japan have to do with English?

Im glad you asked! There was a scene with a Portuguese Jesuit priest, sporting a stunning shaved coiffure, and I ask aloud, Whats up with that hairdo, anyway?

We asked Google about it, and the response I heard was something about tonsils. That could not be right. I got on the computer and searched Google online and found my answer: tonsure. According to Wikipedia, tonsure is shaving the hair 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.

Though abandoned by the Pope, tonsure is still practiced these days by many religions and is a symbol of modesty or giving up worldly fashion and vanity as part of religious devotion. For example, some Catholic orders, Easter Orthodox church members, Buddhists, Hindus, and Islamic people still shave their heads or part of their heads.

Tonsure occurs at different times in life as part of a religious ceremony. It could be when joining a religion or as a particular religious ritual. In India, tonsuring (or Mundan) occurs as part of a ceremony for young children. Here is a little bit more information, from hindutsav.com:

By shaving off the first natural hair of the baby and immersing it in the holy river Ganga, we purify them from the thoughts, impurity, and karma of the past life.

It is also believed that tonsuring blesses the child with a healthy and long life. It is believed that the impurities during the pregnancy are also removed by shaving off the hair.

Many religions perform the ritual of shaving a babys head after birth. Not only Hindus but Muslims, Jews, Mongolians, Polish, etc. perform Mundan or tonsure. The tradition of shaving baby hair is common in parts of Asia and some Latin American countries. While the ceremonys names may differ, it is performed in several religions and countries worldwide.

I found it interesting that this isnt just a Catholic fashion saved for the monks. It is a much broader practice covering all ages and many religions. Still, I dont plan on getting a new haircut any time soon.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

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