Nice People 13: Nice Save

LydiaJ

I've had prescription strength paracetamol/codeine for migraines, and also for neck pain. I only ever took them at bedtime - I had alternative non-drowsy painkillers for the daytime - but I can imagine how they would make you feel if you took them and then stayed awake to feel the effects.

GDB2222

LydiaJ wrote: »

A few years ago I visited a (white, Christian) friend who lives in a Muslim area of Birmingham. As I got closer to her house I did start to feel, er, exposed because of wearing short sleeves while almost every other woman in sight had a hijab, but even then I didn't feel it was a no go area, or that the situation was in any way threatening to me. I just felt mildly concerned about possibly offending their cultural sensitivities with my bare arms. Other visits to Birmingham have involved different parts of the city where I haven't noticed anything remarkable about the ethnic demographic.

If you went to Stamford Hill, which has a high proportion of very traditional Jews, you would have found that all the Jewish ladies there are very covered up. Skirts well below the knee, and long sleeves. If they are married, they cover their hair, although often they do this with a wig. No hijabs or niqabs, but it's the same tradition at heart.

If you walked around in short sleeves, you might feel slightly out of place, but nobody would say anything. If you decided to go into a synagogue, through the ladies' entrance, I am pretty sure they would ask you to cover up your arms. What would happen if you wandered into Westminster Abbey in the middle of a service wearing just a bikini? Or completely nude? Does anything go these days?

LydiaJ

GDB2222 wrote: »

If you went to Stamford Hill, which has a high proportion of very traditional Jews, you would have found that all the Jewish ladies there are very covered up. Skirts well below the knee, and long sleeves. If they are married, they cover their hair, although often they do this with a wig. No hijabs or niqabs, but it's the same tradition at heart.

If you walked around in short sleeves, you might feel slightly out of place, but nobody would say anything. If you decided to go into a synagogue, through the ladies' entrance, I am pretty sure they would ask you to cover up your arms. What would happen if you wandered into Westminster Abbey in the middle of a service wearing just a bikini? Or completely nude? Does anything go these days?

No idea about Westminster Abbey. At my church the policy is to be welcoming to anybody who wants to come in, although I've no idea what they would do with somebody in a bikini, and I'm quite sure they wouldn't be OK with somebody nude. It hasn't happened AFAIK. But being nude in public isn't generally acceptable in most places in the UK - it's not just churches etc!

On various occasions my kids have been taken on school trips to visit places of worship of various religions (including a synagogue, a mosque and a Hindu temple). The letter explaining about the trip often asks one or both genders of children to follow some kind of dress code - mostly to do with covering or not covering the head with a hat, IIRC. The school has always written letters along the lines of "it is very nice of these people to welcome our school to their place of worship so we are going to be nice back by respecting their dress code and giving them a charitable donation". AFAIK everybody has been happy to comply.

Setting a dress code for inside their own premises seems perfectly reasonable to me. Not making a fuss about different kinds of clothes on the street in "their" areas seems like normal civilised behaviour. I'm not surprised to find the Birmingham Muslims and Stamford Hill Jews in agreement about it.

lostinrates

GDB2222 wrote: »

. What would happen if you wandered into Westminster Abbey in the middle of a service wearing just a bikini? Or completely nude? Does anything go these days?

differences used to exist between Christian denominations a surprising amount. ( no idea what happens now) Not so much on swimwear but on 'dress code'. But also in country.

Spirit_2

LydiaJ wrote: »

No idea about Westminster Abbey. At my church the policy is to be welcoming to anybody who wants to come in, although I've no idea what they would do with somebody in a bikini, and I'm quite sure they wouldn't be OK with somebody nude. It hasn't happened AFAIK. But being nude in public isn't generally acceptable in most places in the UK - it's not just churches etc!

On various occasions my kids have been taken on school trips to visit places of worship of various religions (including a synagogue, a mosque and a Hindu temple). The letter explaining about the trip often asks one or both genders of children to follow some kind of dress code - mostly to do with covering or not covering the head with a hat, IIRC. The school has always written letters along the lines of "it is very nice of these people to welcome our school to their place of worship so we are going to be nice back by respecting their dress code and giving them a charitable donation". AFAIK everybody has been happy to comply.

Setting a dress code for inside their own premises seems perfectly reasonable to me. Not making a fuss about different kinds of clothes on the street in "their" areas seems like normal civilised behaviour. I'm not surprised to find the Birmingham Muslims and Stamford Hill Jews in agreement about it.

We were visiting a mosque in Brunei on New Years eve Some years ago. l had taken a shawl to cover my head but on the way in we were given chadors to wear. Once inside we came across a party of muslim visitors, wearing western dress and with mobile phone of one them ringing to the tune of "auld langsyne" .

silvercar

lostinrates wrote: »

differences used to exist between Christian denominations a surprising amount. ( no idea what happens now) Not so much on swimwear but on 'dress code'. But also in country.

Even in this country, some Christian groups dress smart to go to church and others don't. Going to synagogue on Saturdays, generally means dressing smart, whatever brand of Judiasm you follow. I was quite surprised when a friend told me that she goes to church in jeans.

lostinrates

silvercar wrote: »

Even in this country, some Christian groups dress smart to go to church and others don't. Going to synagogue on Saturdays, generally means dressing smart, whatever brand of Judiasm you follow. I was quite surprised when a friend told me that she goes to church in jeans.

Yes, sorry, this country was initially what I was ( clumsily ) referring to. Yes, I'd comfortably wear jeans in a Catholic Church.

silvercar

lostinrates wrote: »

Yes, sorry, this country was initially what I was ( clumsily ) referring to. Yes, I'd comfortably wear jeans in a Catholic Church.

Interesting. I'm ashamed how little I know about the different branches of Christianity in this country.

I thought that Catholics were in the main "High church" so would dress up/ smart to go to church, in the same way that they adorn their churches, whereas more low church groups like Methodists would feel less of a need to be smart. Or is it local custom?

Spirit_2

silvercar wrote: »

Interesting. I'm ashamed how little I know about the different branches of Christianity in this country.

I thought that Catholics were in the main "High church" so would dress up/ smart to go to church, in the same way that they adorn their churches, whereas more low church groups like Methodists would feel less of a need to be smart. Or is it local custom?

it is varied by the feel of each individual congregation. I am RC and as a child always wore a mantilla to Mass but not to other things such as confession. adult women wore hats or mantillas. At a nuptial mass in Kildare a few years ago I was wearing a hat so thought nothing of the headgear of others, the following Sunday I ttended the same church to accompany my aunt to Mass. As we we enrered the church she reached into her hand bag and brought out a neatly folded mantilla for me. She was wearing a hat.

The church I mostly attend now is c of e. It is a bit of a middle class club, and as I am not a regular worshipper, but go to services such as Rememberance Day people are usually smartly dressed, but I think they dress smartly anyway, our previous vicar was trendy and the church attracted families and was more casual then.

michaels

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