Lentorama 2013: There's a Name for That

Day 25: mitre

The hat which gives rise to all the pointy hat jokes. They're only supposed to be worn by bishops and abbots, but the occasional non-bishoped cardinal is given dispensation to wear one as well, I suppose to fit in with his colleagues.

Eastern churches use a mitre that's derived from the crown of the Byzantine emperor, and thus is rounder and kind of bulbous (like the crown is enclosed in whatever material the mitre is made from). They're more ornate than Western mitres (at least the ones in use now, which have been moving away from the jewel-encrusted versions), and stand out quite a bit.