Those wishing to join a monastery begin their lives as novices. One starts by being a Postulant who may be permitted alter three months or so to wear a portion of the Habit (tunic and leather belt), which is regarded as a tacit expression of a determination to abide in the monastic life of asceticism, subject to the approval of the Abbot. After coming to the monastery and living as a guest for not less than three days, the abbot or abbess may bless the candidate to become a novice. There is no formal ceremony for the clothing of a novice, he or she simply receives permission to wear the clothing of a novice. In the Eastern monastic tradition, novices may or may not dress in the black inner cassock