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There are two main arguments as to why many Jewish men dress in black. One is that it dates from the days when people were forced by law to dress in clothing that reflected their social rank (Sumptuary Laws) - the royalty and aristocracy wore bright colours (especially purple) to show that they were at the top and different groups below them had their own colours. Jews, who were regarded as non-citizens, wore black so that they could be immediately distinguished from non-Jews. Although this died out in most places during the 18th and 19th Centuries, many Jews - especially the very orthodox Charedim - continued to dress sombrely because of their conservative ways and it became traditional Jewish dress.

Black can also be seen as an expression of divrai yirah shomayim, a concept meaning "fearing Heaven." Orthodox Jewish life can be a very serious business and Orthodox Jews commonly take great steps to avoid what they see as the frivolities of modern life - wearing black is part of this.

Finally, many Jews - Orthodox or otherwise - dress in a traditionally Jewish manner simply to make it obvious that they are Jews. Judaism has been around for several thousand years and the Jewish people have contributed a very great deal to human knowledge and ethics, so many Jews feel pride in being Jewish.

The dreadlocks that many Jewish men have are actually sidelocks, since they hang from the temples of the head and not from other parts of the scalp as is the case with Rastafari. The Hebrew name for them is peyot or in Yiddish payes, and they are a result of the Bibilical law that states "Do not round the corner of your head, nor shall you destroy the corners of your beard," which is interpreted as meaning that we should not shave our hair.

Hats or skullcaps (known as a kippah or yarmulke) are worn due to the belief that G-d resides in Heaven, above our heads. Hence the head is covered to separate the wearer and his or her everyday life on Earth from the divine presence and to show respect for G-d.

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