A hair shirt is a coarse garment made of goat hair or other rough fibers, worn as a form of penance or mortification in some religious traditions. Originally, these garments were made literally from hair. Examples include the prophet Elijah, who was described in the Bible as wearing a hairy garment (2 Kings 1:8), and John the Baptist, who was said to have worn clothing made of camel's hair (Matthew 3:4).
In the Middle Ages, hair shirts became a symbol of humility, sorrow, and repentance. Wearing a hair shirt was seen as a way to atone for sins and to show one's devotion to God. The practice continued into the early modern period, and some religious orders still require their members to wear hair shirts as a form of discipline.





