We are accustomed to the fact that in church women must wear headscarves, and everyone, regardless of age. I recently read that the requirement of a headscarf applies only to married women, and it is not obligatory for girls and maidens. This is true? And yet - in other Orthodox countries, in Greece, for example, women do not cover their heads with a headscarf in churches. It turns out that this is just our tradition?
Archpriest Andrei Efanov answers:
The mention in the Bible of the need for a woman to cover her head during prayer refers to the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians of the Apostle Paul. Since this text mentions the wife’s dependence on her husband, the conclusion is drawn from this that it is permissible for unmarried women to pray without a headdress. However, this conclusion is not entirely flawless.
“...if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; But if a woman is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself,” says the Apostle (1 Cor 11:6). Here there is a call for decency in appearance. Naturally, in apostolic times it was shameful for a woman to have her hair cut short or shaved. Therefore, references to tradition can be made in our time.
In our country, traditionally both girls and girls go to church in a headdress. It's beautiful and godly. Why change something if it's not bad? A person’s appearance and clothing set him in a certain mood, and it is very good that for prayer, for visiting church, we have a certain form of clothing. This disciplines and helps to spiritually tune in to prayer. Why destroy it?
You can, of course, look at the customs in other Orthodox countries. Yes, in Greece women go to temple without hats, and all of them, both married and unmarried. But there is a reason for this: during the period of Turkish rule, Muslim authorities so imposed on Christians the style of clothing prescribed by the Koran that refusal of the headscarf became a kind of protest. But in Orthodox Georgia you will more often see a girl wearing a headscarf in church than without a headscarf.
Of course, wearing a headdress in the temple is more of a tradition. But this is the tradition of our Russian Orthodox Church. And it is better to follow this tradition than to try to impose your opinion on your brothers and sisters in Christ. Such a demonstration of one’s independence and open-mindedness will not give rise to humility in the soul, and precious prayer time will be stolen by the inner desire to oppose oneself to others, by concern about how you look and how others react to you.
However, if a woman or girl wants to go to a temple to pray, then it doesn’t matter what she’s wearing; in this case, her desire to pray is much more important. But for a planned visit to the temple, it is better to follow the tradition.
Why does a woman need to cover her head in church, but a man does not?
This tradition is based on the words of the Holy Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says that a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman, on the contrary, with her head covered. In ancient culture, women's hair was considered the most striking element of female attractiveness, and covering it was a manifestation of feminine modesty. Greek hetaeras walked bare-haired, while respectable family women covered their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husbands.
But there is another reason, connected specifically with spiritual practice: during pagan zeal, when priestesses or soothsayers fell into a frenzy, they often turned out to be bare-haired, as if demonstrating by this that they were so overwhelmed by mystical ecstasy that they did not worry about social conventions at all. The Apostle is careful that Christians in no way imitate such behavior - as he writes elsewhere, worship should be performed “with decorum and order.”
We live in a different culture where open hair does not evoke such associations, but it is important for us to remember the general meaning of the apostle’s instruction - the clothing of a believer (whether man or woman) should be modest, discreet and not serve as a source of embarrassment or temptation to anyone. In addition, keeping the customs established in the Church helps us tune in to prayer and express our reverence for the holiness of the temple and the Liturgy performed in it. Therefore, traditionally, religious men consider it inappropriate to wear a headdress in church, and women without a headscarf.
How, in an Orthodox country where suicide was considered a sin, was it possible for officers to shoot themselves in the temple to preserve their honor?
From the fact that Russia is an Orthodox country, it does not follow that all the customs and traditions that existed at different times in certain social circles were Orthodox. Some of these customs are not only not associated with the Church, but were directly condemned by it - for example, the custom of duels. An even worse sin is suicide; a person who has committed a shameful act must repent, where possible, compensate those who suffered, and move on without doing anything similar in the future. Suicide, which in some circles was seen as a way to “preserve honor,” is actually a manifestation of pride and cowardice, an unwillingness to accept an unpleasant or humiliating situation. As the Church teaches, our life belongs to God, and we do not have the right to stop it arbitrarily.
While attending church, parishioners are required to follow certain rules and rituals. Some of them currently raise questions, for example, why should you wear a headscarf to church? Where did this custom come from, which goes against modern fashion in clothing?
Origin of the tradition
The tradition of women covering their heads in the temple has deep roots. In ancient times, in the cultures of many nations, covered hair was a sign that determined the status of a married woman, indicating her subordination to her husband. It was forbidden to appear on the streets with your head uncovered; it was considered very immodest.
Woman in the temple
Similar “dress code” rules existed in Jewish culture, where Christianity was born, and in Roman culture, where the first churches appeared. This is due to the fact that in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul the following words are written:
"5. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is as if she had been shaved.6. For if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; and if a wife is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself.” (1st sequence to Corinth.)
Someone may wonder: if in those days the wearing of a veil by married women was a universal rule, why did the Christians of the Corinthian church violate it, since the Apostle Paul had to specifically write about it? There is a version that this was due to the particular depravity of morals in the pagan city of Corinth (it was famous for this).
Because of this, local residents considered it unnecessary to observe the then widespread rules of decent clothing. And Christians, since they grew up in this city and were accustomed to its atmosphere, could also be infected with something from the general debauchery. That's why, The Apostle Paul called on Corinthian Christian women to be extremely modest and chaste in dress, to comply with all the rules of decency that existed in those days.
In ancient Rus', the custom of women covering their heads after marriage was also in use. According to the ideas of our ancestors, if strangers see a woman without a headscarf, it will be a shame for her and her entire family. This is where the expression “goofing off” comes from.
In the church this custom has been preserved to this day, but has changed.
If previously the tradition of covering their heads concerned exclusively married women, and girls did not wear headscarves either in church or on the street, now even little girls’ heads are covered.
Is it possible to go to church without a headscarf?
It should not be understood that a woman who enters a temple with her head uncovered is committing a sin. For God, the state of our soul is important, not the form of clothing. However, there are also people in the church. For many of them, a woman without a headdress will cause irritation. Even if they are wrong, they should not commit actions that knowingly lead people into the sin of condemnation and distract them from prayer.
For these reasons, you need to follow the established rules of church clothing and wear skirts and hats to church.
Why wear a headscarf to church?
Which scarf to choose for church
In Rus', there was an interesting custom of wearing scarves to services, the colors of which corresponded to the days of the church calendar and repeated the color of priestly robes. Perhaps someone in our time will want to follow this. Here is a list of these colors:
- The color of Easter is red or white. Women wore such scarves throughout the 40 days of the holiday.
- White ones were worn at Christmas.
- During Lent, a dark color was chosen. Black, dark blue, purple.
- For the Feast of the Life-Giving Trinity and on the Day of the Holy Spirit, green ones were worn. Green is the color of life.
- All the feasts of the Mother of God were blue.
- On ordinary days, they wore yellow scarves, the color of a simple, everyday priestly robe.
Interesting about Orthodoxy.
Each of the existing religions carries within itself a set of certain rules and foundations. Some of them are radically different. But there are also general canons that are observed in many world religions. For example, Christianity, Judaism and Islam prohibit a woman from walking with her head uncovered. Naturally, there are certain nuances in observing these traditions.
Christianity
According to biblical laws, by covering her head, a woman recognizes the headship of a man. The Apostle Paul said that submission to a man was ordained by God. And every Christian woman should gratefully accept the masculine principle. A woman's covered head symbolizes humility and is considered an important principle of the Christian faith. The scripture says that every woman should grow her hair and cover it with a scarf. Nowadays on the street you rarely see a woman tied with a scarf. Basically, modern Christian women wear a headscarf only in church, which cannot be said about Muslim women who religiously observe the laws of the Koran.
Islam
The principles of the Muslim religion are more radical. In Islam, awrah (concealment of nudity) is strictly observed. According to the Koran, a Muslim woman must sacredly honor God's advice and be pure. In Islam, it is prescribed for a woman to cover her entire body, including her feet and hands, while part of her face may remain uncovered. There is no specific clause about covering the head in the scripture, but the clause “hiding the whole body” also includes the head. There is a tradition that in Islam came from the Prophet Muhammad. All his children were girls. And he asked them and their wives to wear headscarves so that everyone around them would know that these women were from his family. In modern Islam this tradition is sacredly revered.
Judaism
In Judaism, every married woman must cover her head. Modern Jewish women can wear any headdress, including scarves, hats and even wigs. For an unmarried girl, this rule is not necessary to follow. The Holy Talmud strictly highlights the female role and teaches that a woman can show her virtues only to her spouse: before marriage she must be in complete submission to her father, after marriage the man becomes the head of the family. In principle, these principles can be traced in each of the religions discussed - the head is always a man.
As for the implementation of these canons, we now see their strict observance only in the Muslim religion. In Judaism, these instructions took on a more modern form. And in Christianity, most women consider the custom outdated; you rarely see a woman with her head covered in everyday life, unless, of course, you consider the weather conditions.
The rule that a woman must wear a headscarf to church has existed for centuries. In the modern world, having a skirt is not so necessary; it can be replaced with trousers. But regarding the fact that women’s hair should be hidden from prying eyes, traditions do not change and are a mandatory requirement.
Legend
There are several versions of why a woman should wear a headscarf. One of them says that a long time ago people could come to the temple in any clothes. Which did not always please God. Therefore, he decided to send a message motivating the introduction of a certain dress code. One night, the girl had a dream that said that if she visited the temple in a headscarf and skirt, then all her prayers would be answered. In addition, she will have a patron angel who will help in every possible way in life. And these items of clothing will help you recognize her among other girls. It’s easy to guess that for her next visit to church the girl chose a long skirt and a headscarf for the temple. In response to the surprised questions of others about her appearance, the girl talked about her vision.
Since everyone wanted to get what they asked for, the tradition of wearing a headscarf and skirt spread very quickly and became the norm for everyone.
Apostle Paul
It was from his words that the tradition of a woman entering church with her head covered began. The scarf symbolizes her submission to her husband. It acts as a sign of power. When a woman gets married, she takes on new responsibilities. Now she is in charge of the house, keeping calm and peace in it. She is responsible for her children and husband before God. During a wedding in church, the scarf must completely cover the newlywed's head. It is a symbol of humility and agreement to accept new responsibilities. And also a scarf on a woman’s head speaks of her consent to be a faithful wife.
And it was believed that without him it was shameful for a woman to be in God’s house, to pray for something and venerate the icon and the cross.
The Apostle said that a woman should either shave her head or cover her hair with a scarf. Paul's recommendation quickly became a tradition that has survived to this day.
Other versions
People come to the temple in search of peace, for joint prayers and conversations with God. To ensure that nothing distracts from this, it is required that clothing be as formal as possible. A woman has attractive parts of her body that can distract views and thoughts. Therefore, they should wear long skirts and closed blouses. Hair was one of those intimate features that only the husband was allowed to see. That's why the scarf is in the temple - to cover your hair. And in worldly life, a woman was supposed to cover her head. It was also believed that it receives energy from the earth, and in order for it to be stored in the body and not evaporate through the crown, a barrier must be created.
The opposite rule applies to men. Before entering the temple, they must remove their headdress. By doing this they demonstrate their respect and complete trust in God. Because by exposing your head, you remove your full protection.
Previously, when wearing various hats was extremely popular, one could understand from them what status their owner had in society. Since the house of God did not recognize social and public hierarchy, entering it, one had to forget about one’s importance in worldly life. The headdress was removed, since everyone is equal in the church. This rule was important during wars, since enemies on the field should not be enemies in the temple, since this place is free of them.
The opposite approach
It is interesting that not all Orthodox churches support the obligation for women to wear a headscarf for church. For example, women are required to enter Greek temples only with their heads uncovered.
In the Ukrainian city of Akhtyrka there is a temple in which there is an image of the Mother of God with her head uncovered with a scarf. Women also enter it without hats.
Since the obligation to cover a woman’s head is quite controversial, there are opinions that this is a social norm that can be changed. Therefore, girls in some churches do not wear headscarves, since parishioners there have adopted other traditions regarding appearance.
Shawl color
Women who are little familiar with the rules of church etiquette do not know that the choice of color and ornament of a scarf for a church plays an important role.
So, secular ladies who enter the temple only on the occasion of some event are recommended to have at least three options for this headdress:
- Pastel light colors. It can be plain or with a soft pattern, such as a flower. It is supposed to be worn on the occasion of holidays. You can opt for a simple white scarf.
- A plain dark scarf is tied on the head on the occasion of mourning and on fasting days.
- An ordinary scarf, any color. It can be plain or with an ornament. You will need it if you need to go to church on a regular day.
Those who are much closer to the church and attend it regularly usually have a whole collection of these hats in their wardrobe. For example, the color red is relevant at Easter and in the subsequent period until the Ascension. On Palm Sunday and the days of the Holy Trinity, a green scarf is worn. And those with a floral pattern are usually worn by women who help the temple and do dirty jobs.
How to tie?
Not everyone knows how to tie a scarf into a temple. The most correct way is to simply tie the ends under the chin. This method is also the simplest. If it does not hold well and falls off, then you should wrap it around your neck and tie it at the back. To do this, the headdress must be of sufficient length. If the product is short, then you can cover your forehead with it and tie it at the back. But to avoid difficulties, you can purchase ready-made Orthodox scarves. They resemble a hood and are secured with special ties under the chin. In stores you can find a sufficient assortment of colors, so you can choose an option for any occasion. Usually, not much attention is paid to how the scarf is tied. The fact that it exists is much more important.
Despite the fact that life has changed, for a person who is a believer and respects the church, there are traditional rules of behavior in it. They also apply to clothing, which is why women still wear a headscarf for the temple, although some consider this an outdated tradition.
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