I'm just wondering about the story behind the collar that priests and bishops wear around their necks!!

Also, sometimes some of them wear some certain colours such us black and pinkish colour.

Is there a code behind these outfits or is it just to distinguish the religious people??

One more thing, do the occasion or the ceremony oblige the type of the outfit?

Thank you.

ALB - An ankle-length white linen vestment with sleeves which the priest wears at Mass.

AMICE - A rectangular, white linen cloth, stamped or embridered with a cross, which the priest draws over his head and wears around his neck and shoulders. It is the first vestment the priest uses for Mass.

BIRETTA - A stiff, square hat with three ridges on the top and a pompom or tassel in the center.

BROAD STOLE - A very long piece of cloth about ten inches wide which the deacon wears over his left shoulder and under his right arm diagonally across his chest and back. It is worn by deacons.

BUSKINS - The stockings worn by the Bishop when offering Pontifical Mass. They are the same color as the fabric of the sandals and vestments which the Bishop wears.

CAMAURO - A red velvet cap edged with ermine. It is worn at non-Church functions by the Pope. [see Pope Benedict XVI in the news lately!]

CAPPA - a long cape-like grament worn by the clergy; a cloak. [worn in preference to a top coat, and over the cassock]

CAPPA MAGNA - A long vestment with a hood, the latter being lined with silk or fur. It is worn by Cardinals and Bishops as a cape. Cardinals wear a red cappa magna; Bishops, a purple one. [have not seen these in a long time]

CASSOCK - A long-skirted close-fitting, black garment worn by clerics and priests. It is also called Soultane.

CHASUBLE - The most important Mass vestment. It is a large, full vestment, made of rich cloth. They came in various liturgical colors and shapes, fiddleback, gothic, etc.

CINCTURE - A long cord which the priest ties around his waist to hold the alb in place.

SURPLICE - A large-sleeved, linen tunic of half-length, which is worn by clerics over the cassock at the administration of the sacraments and various Church services. Today, its use is tolerated for lay altar boys.

DALMATIC - Large vestment worn by deacons. It hangs down full from the shoulders and has large broad sleeves.

FANONS or LAPPETS - The two small narrow strips of cloth which hang from the back of the mitre which the Bishop wears on his head on solemn occasions.

FERRIOLA - A short, elbow-length cape attached to the cassock.

FERRIOLONE - A full-length cape raeching to the ankles.

MANIPLE - A long narrow strip of silk worn by the priest on his left arm when he celebrates Mass. [now only worn by priests saying Mass under the indult and those of the Fraternity of St. Peter]

MITRE - The pointed folding hat which Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope wear at official church services.

MOZZETA - A short cape which reaches to the elbow and buttons down the front. A small hood is attached at the neck. It is worn by the Pope, Cardinals, and Abbots.

PALLIUM - A narrow white woolen ban worn around the shoulders, having two short woolen pendants, one hanging down teh front, the other down the back, and ornamented with six black crosses. It is worn by the Pope and Archbishops
as a sign of their authority.

RABAT - A black shirt-front which extends from the neck and covers the chest of the priest and to which the Roman collar is attached.

ROCHET - A linen surplice-like vestment with narrow sleeves. The bottom, the shoulder-pieces, and the ends of the sleeves of the rochet are ornamented with lace.

ROMAN COLLAR - The stiffly starched band of white linen (or plastic today) which is attached to the rabat and worn around the neck of the priest. It may also be a tab in a clerical shirt. It must be worn by a priest in public.

SCAPULAR - Monks wear it as a piece of cloth about the width of the shoulders and long enough to reach to the ankles both front and back when worn around the shoulders.

SIMAR - A black cassock edged in purple with a purple cape, sash and buttons, which the Bishop wears informally in his residence.

STOLE - A very long narrow strip of cloth. Priests today wear the stole around the neck and hanging straight down in the front. Bishops at Mass will wear the stole crossed over the chest.

ZUCHETTO - The skull cap worn by the Pope and Bishops

Clerical collar
A Clerical collar is an item of clerical clothing. It is a detachable collar that buttons onto a clergy shirt, being fastened by two metal studs, one attached at the front and one at the back to hold the collar to the shirt. The collar closes at the back of the neck, presenting a seamless front. It is almost always white, but is sometimes (especially in Roman Catholic practice) attached with a "collaret" or "collarino" that covers it almost completely, except for the top edge and a small white square at the base of the throat.

The clerical collar is a fairly modern invention (the detachable collar itself is supposed to have been invented in 1827), although the "collarino" may date as far back as the 17th century. Church of England's Enquiry Centre reports (citing the Glasgow Herald of December 6, 1894) that the practice of Anglican clergy wearing a detachable clerical collar was invented by a Rev Dr Donald McLeod1 and became more popular through the Oxford Movement.

Clerical collars are sometimes informally called dog collars. The term "Roman collar" implies that the wearer is a Catholic priest.

From the Wiki:

A clerical collar is a piece of clerical clothing. It is a detachable collar that buttons onto a clergy shirt or rabbat (vest), being fastened by two metal studs, one attached at the front and one at the back to hold the collar to the shirt. The collar closes at the back of the neck, presenting a seamless front. It is almost always white. Sometimes (especially in Roman Catholic practice) it is attached with a "collaret" or "collarino" that covers the white collar almost completely, except for the top edge and a small white square at the base of the throat, to mimick the collar of a cassock. Sometimes the collar is black (or whatever color is appropriate to the rank of the clergyman), with only a detachable tab of white in the front.

The clerical collar is a fairly modern invention (the detachable collar itself is supposed to have been invented in 1827), although the "collarino" may date as far back as the 17th century. The Church of England's Enquiry Centre reports (citing the Glasgow Herald of December 6, 1894) that the practice of Anglican clergy wearing a detachable clerical collar was invented by a Rev Dr Donald McLeod[1] and became more popular through the Oxford Movement.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the clerical collar is worn by all ranks of clergy, thus, bishops, priests, and deacons—normally transitional but occasionally permanent; often by seminarians who have been admitted to candidacy for the priesthood, as is the case in the Diocese of Rome; and by college and graduate level seminarians with their cassock during liturgical celebrations.

The Roman collar with black and often with a cassock, is a sort of "walking around" outfit that priests wear outside when they are "on duty" to signify the fact that they are a priest. The cassock is the long dresslike garment that buttons in the front with many buttons.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cassock.jpg/450px-Cassock.jpg

But when celebrating Mass, the priest wears a number of different vestments. The one you usually notice the most is the outer one, the chasuble. Here's a lovely one:

http://www.jacquiebinns.com/christ_chausble_image_38.jpg

If you go to Mass, you will also notice the stole, which looks a bit like a scarf. Here you can see a different style of chasuble with a stole around it:

http://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/htimages2/a022ht_8_StoleChausible.jpg

All these articles of clothing Muslims would think of as "human traditions". We think of them as traditions sanctioned by God through long use. They grew out of the type of vestments the high priest would wear in the Temple combined with various Roman customs.

The black cassock and Roman collar is pretty new. But the vestments for Mass are much older.

also : cardinals, monsigneurs, canons and the different orders too..fransicans, carmelites, domenicans, jesuits etc etc etc

The vestments are so beautiful. I was in St. Ferdinand over in Indiana and had the opportunity to see vestments being created. Lot of love and hours go into each and every one of them.

The vestments are so beautiful. I was in St. Ferdinand over in Indiana and had the opportunity to see vestments being created. Lot of love and hours go into each and every one of them.
my mother has a friend whose son has just been ordained.
she made all his lace, thread by thread, by hand. people have been visiting her house just to see the vestments, like a museum piece. my kids were fascinated. then the son was talking to my kids showing them his chalice, his altar napkins and his other things, all the intricate embroidery done by the mother with so much love.

Oh, yes, monks have their own habits for normal wear which are different from secular priests.

But when they celebrate Mass, they wear the same kind of vestments.

Cardinals usually wear a red cassock instead of black. Sometimes black with red piping. Monsignors usually wear a kind of purple piping on their black vestments. The Pope wears white. Bishops wear black with a kind of pinkish-purplish piping.

And bishops of all kinds wear a mitre and carry a crozier as ensignia of their office:

http://www.vicariatekuwait.org/events/bishop_ballin_ord7.jpg
Bishops wearing mitres on their heads. The one on the right is receiving his crozier, a sort of shepherd's staff

That was interesting to read. I thank you all.