Hair in India

General rules for Girls:

• Age 0-3 4 years- have their hair cut into a pixie style.
• Elementary school age- pigtails with bows
• Junior high- braids looped and set with bows
• High school- double braids or a single braid
• Unmarried- single braid
• Married-in a bun
• Shaven- hair is cut as an offering to God.
• flowers in hair is not mandatory but often used.

• Boys- no special rules
• All men- mustache is always worn as a sign of strength and/or accomplishment (aka virility).
• Hindu priests- head shaved, with beard, (often no shirt is worn, just orange sarong garment)
• Muslim married men- long bushy beards, short hair.
• Catholic priests- clean shaven or full beard. (When asked why a beard is allowed, they said it was to save time shaving.)

All ages- head shaven as offering to God.