#headcovering

[gregoriaofnyssa]

The "Mantilla" is not Reverent, not Traditional, and not Catholic. It isn't Even a Veil.

The mantilla, a lacy, sometimes sparkly, transparent, half-circle or triangle-shaped garment, is often lauded as a traditional, reverent, catholic piece of church clothing, but it is none of the above. The mantilla is the long-lived fashion of the secular Spanish aristocracy, and until recently, was exclusive to those regions under Spanish influence and colonialism (absoloutly not universal or catholic). They were worn by women who didn't want to cover their pretty Catalan locks-- as good a reason as any to manipulate the traditions of the Church.

For a time, mantillas were even banned in the New World, and women wearing them would be denied communion. Why? Because the mantilla is not a veil. It's transparent-- in no way does it cover a woman's hair in the way Saint Paul described in Corinthians. He writes, "every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered." Women's heads and hair should be covered-- not adorned with glittering table coasters.

Fully ridiculous. Look me straight in the eyeballs and tell me this is what St. Paul had in mind when he told women to cover their heads. Be serious.

Though in Christianity, women do not veil out of any kind of modesty (or 'modesty'), the mantilla is immodest as it makes the practice of veiling into a fashion statement, which is what the mantilla always was since its very invention. It is not merely fashion (picking out a veil in a color that matches your outfit), but fashion meant to skirt the actual requirements of the church-- that is, a real, opaque veil that resembles something the historical church would've worn from the days of Pentecost to any time before the so-called Enlightenment. It would be better to wear no head covering of any kind or to simply braid your hair, than to engage in a practice of obstinate adornment. This is not my opinion as an Orthodox Christian (where proper veiling is more common but still not universal)-- it is the opinion of the historical Christian Church until about five seconds ago.

There is debate among Christians who study this teaching about whether Paul's words imply that the entirety of the hair (with the possible exception of bangs) should be covered, or if he means more specifically the head itself (allowing the length of the hair to hang out of the back of a veil). I do not feel strongly either way (in a theological sense) so long as the material is opaque and actually covers at least the area of the skull. That is the bare minimum of what Saint Paul writes.

Here are some examples of proper veils in a church environment:

I find this very pretty, but all I can think about is the satin slipping for all of the Divine Liturgy. I always have to clip and pin and have it tightly fastened before the curve of my skull.

Probably do not bring the sheep into the Church building.

The infatuation with mantillas in the non-Spanish/Latin world began, as far as I can surmise, piecemeal in the late 1800s, picking up to an almost universal practice after Vatican II. This is to say, now, when Roman Catholic women veil, they almost always wear a mantilla. Before the 60s, European and white American RC women mostly wore hats as their form of head covering, which are their own issue, mostly related to fashion and insufficient coverage. Is a "pillbox hat" really a head covering Saint Paul would find acceptable? But at least they're opaque, right? Well, I should pick my battles.

I believe the reason the mantilla is particularly popular among young Roman Catholic women is due to the way RC influencers and 'gurus' talk about the purpose of veiling.

The actual purpose of veiling is to submit to the commands of God as recorded by Saint Paul. This following of a commandment allows you to be properly reverent and to be in communion with the historical practices of the church, past, present, and future. It's a simple reason, not very wild, controversial, or entertaining. That's the problem for RC lady influencers-- there are only so many ways you can quote the letters to the Corinthians.

So, these women feel the need to make up other reasons to veil, all of which range from tangential, to irrelevant, to heretical. Here are some doozies:

To Imitate Mary

Now, we do many things to imitate Mary-- notably, repeating her Magnificat. But Mary did not invent veiling. Veiling is a near-universal cultural practice, performed for many reasons. Of course, Mary rightfully and righteously participated in the veiling of Christianity, but she is not the reason why we veil (or ought to).

Notice how she covers herself?

2. To 'Express your Femininity'

Kill me now. Ok, it is fine and good if veiling makes you feel feminine or gets you more in touch with your femininity. That is a blessing. I know I never feel more beautiful than when I'm veiling, but this is not a reason we veil! Veiling is not about our internal feelings; it's about following a commandment.

Ohh yeah this is definitely Apostolic.

3. For Modesty

We've been over this one. Stop confusing Christianity with Muhammad's movement. Seriously, can we find a middle ground between imitating degenerate secular aristocracy and the false prophet's wives? At this point, I'm begging you.

4. To Show the Beauty of the Church

I am so sorry for you if you do not see the genuine beauty in the proper, traditional veiling of the Church. I don't know what else to tell you than that there is no tradition of the church that exists merely for your aesthetic entertainment. No statue carved nor icon writ, no paint spilled nor incense burned, no note sung, no vestment sewn has ever, ever been done merely because it is pretty. I understand the inclination to aesthetically prefer glittering lace that may dance in chapel light over a flat Pashmina or Pavlovsky Posad. However, I find it mind-boggling that this would seem a sufficient reason to abandon what the Scriptures actually demand. This is just as ridiculous as it would be to apostatize to Hinduism because you find their temples more visually appealing. You know what else is very sparkly and pretty? The Imam Ali Shrine in Iraq. Dazzling. But that does not make it part of the Christian Church. You must have the willpower and discernment to place what the Church demands above your personal fancies.

Women are so confused about veiling and the reasons why we must do it, is because veiling is no longer "simply what we do," as it has been both culturally and religiously until very recently. It is now, among RCs, an issue of controversy, somehow requiring justifications and auxiliary reasonings. It is not enough that Scripture demands it, the Church teaches it, and Her saints keep it-- there must be all these other reasons. This degradation of the veil began with things like the mantilla in Spain, the mesh bonnet and literal doyllie in Northern France and England, and other global innovations upon and rejections of the veil. We, as a Church, do not go from the wimple, to the mantilla, to a naked head over a few extremely progressive evenings. It was incremental, and participation in the mantilla only pushes us farther down the path of innovation.

If beauty is a real concern of yours, and no judgment if it is --the woman's heart years for beauty in a special and important way-- I think you'll find that the traditional veil allows just as much beauty and personal touch as the mantilla, if not much much more. Experimenting with veil styles is a small hobby of mine, and I feel accomplished when I can get the fabric to lay just right. My personal favorite is what I call the "cat ear" style, where there are two little peaks of fabric on the top of the head. Adorable.

Free yourself from mantilla mind slavery.

[nickdewolfarchive]

ethiopia 1976

young woman

photograph by nick dewolf https://www.flickr.com/photos/dboo/48061541737

[prolifeproliberty]

Jackpot at Walmart today with 5 new scarves at $5 each

[paula-of-christ]

Why do you veil? I've been thinking about and reconsidering my own practice of veiling (I veil during mass and adoration. My rule of thumb is that if Jesus isn't in the tabernacle, I'm veiling in that room) and I wanna hear some perspectives from women who veil more on a daily basis.

I answered my reasoning for doing so privately with you, since I wasn't at my computer and didn't feel i could type out an adequate response on my phone. But I didn't answer the question fully to my satisfaction, and as this ask will be thrown into the queue, it will be some weeks before it is actually posted.

I would first like to start off by linking to a post I made a couple of years ago regarding the discernment of headcovering. There's nothing wrong with searching for answers from others, but I don't want you to feel a decision paralysis regarding it. If you feel a pull towards doing so, you can get some cheap scarves from thrifting or bandanas and try it out, and if you don't like it, no harm done!

Now that I am older, have done more historical research into it, and have grown theologically in my own life, the reasons why I cover my head on a (roughly) daily basis can be boiled down to a few points. Not necessarily in the order of importance.

1) women - particularly if they are married - have been covering their heads across every culture and ethnicity for several millennia. It is only in very recent history (regardless of if you believe in young earth or not) that women have stopped covering their heads, and then it's only in western countries that they have done so.

2) it is healthier for the hair to keep it in protective styles (such as braids) and covered from the elements. Since I started covering my hair, the health of my hair has skyrocketed, and I need trims much less frequently, as I do not have split ends or dryness in my hair.

3) this is kind of a two-for-one, as it makes it more special that my husband is just about the only man who gets to see my hair, and it provides a very clear line around other men that I am not to be flirted with/engaged inappropriately with. It's like wearing a subconscious neon sign saying that I am religious and not interested in messing around.

4) it makes it easier to be modest in my dress. I am not going to cover my head but then wear skimpy clothing, because that would feel weird. This is relatively not an issue, as my wardrobe in general isn't going to be tight or showing a lot of skin, but there are a few articles of clothing that I only wear for date night or that need to be paired with something more loose fitting in order to look correct with a head covering.

It's come around a lot for me, and there are definitely days when I don't do so, be it convenience or comfort, but I do have some sort of covering on 90% of the time I'm leaving the house, and it mostly boils down to modesty, rather than religious reasons in particular.

[hestiashearthfire]

Veiling Hellenic polytheists interact! I think I’m going to start veiling for Hera/Hestia.

[butterflies-and-bumble-bees]

some picrews I love

pepperjackets itslillyillustrates

Gibson Girl Creator Medieval Maker

Toon Me! girl maker

[godshousecat]

I’ve been feeling called to start covering my head again. It’s been a while since I’ve done so regularly and I don’t quite know what it means to me when I do but something has been tugging at me lately to take another step in my modesty journey. Whenever I have a veil in place it acts as a constant reminder of God above and I feel like it helps center me.

[boldlydelicatekryptonite]

Fashion and sewing week 2 part 2 updates.

Yep, I am continuing my sewing journey. For those of you who are new, I will do a quick update about what I have been doing this week. So, what have I been doing? Well, I recently got myself a nice little small sewing machine, a 202A, which has become my go-to tool for various future sewing projects. It’s compact yet powerful, and I’m truly enjoying exploring its features. The first project I…

[laces-and-pearls]

A very interesting article. Although I must say that neither me nor my friends ever wear veils while praying at home. Only when in church. And you can go into a church without a headcovering if you go there unplanned or if you forget it. The (healthy-minded, understanding) priests never say anything bad, and they prohibit other women and men from commenting on other people's clothes and lack of veils.

pictures credits: 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️

[illustratinglaura]

Crimson

[nickdewolfarchive]

boston, massachusetts 1974

young woman, tremont & park

photograph by nick dewolf https://www.flickr.com/photos/dboo/40495238692

[prolifeproliberty]

”But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.“

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬-‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

[paula-of-christ]

"but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head" Though I want to follow all biblical teachings, this is the verse which troubles me and shakes my faith. How can I dishonor myself by prayer? Are these prayers wrong, do they count against me? May I not speak to God unless I first put on a covering? I may be misinterpreting the verse or jumping at shadows but this is genuinely distressing to me. I want to be close to God and this seems like a barrier in my way. Please, can you shed some light for me?

This answer to a similar question (just from the man's POV rather than the woman's) from Catholic Answers seems like the best fit for your question. It's a more theological answer than I could have given. I'll put a TLDR and then the reason why I choose to cover at Mass/wear a headscarf in life under a read-more.

TLDR: the covering or not covering of one's head is a tradition of the Church that Paul is asserting, and since Jesus gave the apostles the ability to change ("Bind and loose") traditions here on earth, the Magisterium as loosened the tradition of headcovering. It is still a valid practice if one chooses to do it, but the pope isn't dishonored by covering his head and you are not dishonored by not covering yours.

One thing that Paul is referencing -- and here is where I prefer a NCB or NABRE translation -- is the Jewish practice of (married) women covering their hair as a sign of their marriage. It was common at the time for unmarried women to also cover their heads while why were out and about, as a show of piety (the same reason why women started doing it in Europe), but if they were around men they weren't married to in their own homes, it wasn't shameful to have their heads uncovered the way it would be if they were married. It started as a practice not out of a specific command, but because in the Old Testament, a righteous (married) woman was described as having her head covered, and so it started at first as a devotional practice, and then became a big t Tradition. It was common also, for married women in other cultures to cover their heads as a sign of their marriage, and the Corinthians would have practiced that, hence Paul talking about it with them. As you can imagine, without asking and without things like wedding rings, it can be pretty hard to know whether a woman is married just by looking at her.

Anyways, so the 'dishonor' (or rather, 'disgrace' or 'shame') that she is bringing on her head, is because a married woman is praying before God, in front of OTHER PEOPLE that is not her husband, and it brings a disreputable opinion down on her. It is very much a *cultural* thing Paul is talking about. In the last 150 years, with headcoverings of any type going out of style (we only wear hats now to keep our heads warm or keep the sun out of our face, as an example), there is no longer a loss of reputation or respect if a married woman is seen out of doors with her head uncovered.

I choose to continue following this ancient practice because I feel that it is right for me, it is not disobedient to the rule of the Magisterium, and mainly just because I like it. It makes me less focused on what others think of me, especially at Mass, and especially when I'm out and about, it's a nice feeling of 'protection' almost, even when my husband isn't there to do so.

[annagracewood]

YouTube Videos on Head Covering

Below are YouTube videos on head covering. These YouTube videos on head covering are all from sound men in the faith such as Brian Sauvé, Carlton McCleod, Joel Webborn, R.C. Sproul, and several others. I have watched them all and I believe that these videos are an important tool in our attempt to understand 1 Corinthians 11: 2-16. Soli Deo Gloria! Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

[godshousecat]

I’ve been covering my head more lately due to my scalp issues but I’ve fallen in love with the beauty of veiling again. I love the feeling of modesty, protection, and privacy it brings me.