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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, in its earliest Greek and Roman origin, was used as a sign or signifier for slavery. 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 the Eastern Orthodox Church for newly baptised members and is frequently used for Buddhist novices, Bhikkhu, and nuns. The complete shaving of one's head bald, or just shortening the hair, exists as a traditional practice in Islam after completion of the Hajj and is also practised by a number of Hindu religious orders.
Although the tonsure itself is obsolete, the wearing of a skull cap, called a zucchetto, in church to keep the head warm, which the fuller form of clerical tonsure led to, still survives. The zucchetto is worn by the pope (in white), cardinals (in red) and (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 of monsignori 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.
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 have gathered, 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. Tonsured hair is among the most valuable in the world for Wig and artificial hair extensions and a major export from India, which exported $770 million in 2021.
The Theravada Vinaya 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 moon Uposatha days.
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) by Daoxuan, newly-ordained monks should leave one, three, or five small knots of hair ( cūḍā) that are ceremonially shaved by their teacher when receiving precepts. Chinese Buddhism includes a practice called jieba (戒疤), wherein the monk or nun receives small burns to the scalp to symbolize their adherence to the bodhisattva path.
The Verse of Tonsure ( Teihatsu no ge 剃髮偈) is recited by Soto Zen practitioners:
Tibetan Buddhist tradition assigns auspicious days depending on when both laypeople and monastics cut their hair. The Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya also regulates the wearing of a special cloth when shaving the head called keśapratigrahaṇa (剃髮衣). This is also the name of the shrine built for the Buddha's hair before it was enshrined in a stupa in Trāyastriṃśa heaven.
In an effort to distinguish themselves from ancient practices of tonsure associated with idolatry, by doing the inverse, Orthodox Jewish males do not shave the payot with straight blades, as described in Leviticus 19:27.
See also the custom of Upsherin, celebrating a boy's first haircut at the age of three.
According to a narration recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari:
Another narration expands on the reasoning:
Classical Sunni jurists generally interpreted these narrations to mean that al-qazaʻ is makruh (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.
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.
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.
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