For centuries, Christian women have worn head coverings during worship. Only recently has this ancient, pious practice fallen by the wayside in many Christian communities, including Orthodox ones. Feminism considers head coverings oppressive and sexist, insisting that women must look and act exactly like men. However, covering the head during prayer helps women nurture their God-given feminine nature by cultivating humility, chastity, and obedience. In this post, we tell you everything you need to know about the practice of head covering (or veiling) for Christian women.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of contents
Scriptural basis for women covering their heads
The main passage involving women’s head coverings in Scripture is 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. In this letter to Corinth, St. Paul speaks to a number of problems occurring in their church community. The letter contains several sections, which he uses to discuss seven major issues with his spiritual children:
- Factionalism (1:10 – 3:23)
- Civil lawsuits (4:1-21; 6:1-8)
- Sexual immorality (5:1-13 – 6:9 – 7:40)
- Meat sacrificed to idols (8:1 – 9:27)
- Eucharistic theology and practice (10:1 – 11:34)
- Spiritual gifts (12:1 – 14:40)
- Resurrection life (15:1 – 16:24)
The passage in question falls under the third to last category: Eucharistic theology and practice. This tells us we are dealing with worship specifically, rather than other aspects of everyday life. This is a key distinction, as it differentiates Orthodoxy from Islam, which requires women cover their heads (and in some cases, everything but their eyes) at all times when in public.
Naturally, an Orthodox woman can choose to wear a veil in public if that is her desire; however, the Faith does not require this, nor is it enforced in the way we see in Islam.
Now let’s take a look at the passage itself and examine it more closely.
What does St. Paul mean?
In 1 Corinthians 11:2, St. Paul clearly exhorts the people to follow the traditions (oral and written) he passed down to them. A woman covering her head is one of these traditions, which was also an accepted Jewish practice throughout the Old Testament (Numbers 5:18; Genesis 24:64-65). It carried over into Christian tradition, as we can see in St. Paul’s letter, the writings of the Church Fathers, and in our iconography (more on these last two in a bit).
Requesting this of a woman is not oppression or sexism, but rather, an incredible compliment. Early Christian women chose to submit themselves to the Church and not allow their beauty to distract others during worship. St. Paul writes that this form of piety brings honor upon a woman, as her hair is “a glory to her.” Covering the thing that brings her glory in the presence of God is an act of submission and humility before Him. Any woman who submits to God in this way truly is a shining example to those around her.
Evidence for Christian head coverings in the early Church
During the days of the ancient Church, wearing head coverings was a unanimous practice among Christian women. Multiple Fathers of the Church mention this in their writings, including Tertullian of Carthage, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus of Rome, John Chrysostom, and Augustine of Hippo, among others.
Tertullian of Carthage
“So, too, did the Corinthians themselves understand. In fact, at this day the Corinthians do veil their virgins. What the apostles taught, their disciples approve.“[1]
Clement of Alexandria
“Woman and man are to go to church decently attired…for this is the wish of the Word, since it is becoming for her to pray veiled.“[2]
Hippolytus of Rome
In The Apostolic Tradition, a work ascribed to Hippolytus, he says: “And let all women have their heads covered with an opaque cloth…“[3]
John Chrysostom
“…the business of whether to cover one’s head was legislated by nature. When I say “nature,” I mean “God.” For he is the one who created nature. Take note, therefore, what great harm comes from overturning these boundaries! And don’t tell me that this is a small sin.”[4]
In a sermon during the Feast of the Ascension, he further asserts, “The angels are present here . . . Open the eyes of faith and look upon this sight. For if the very air is filled with angels, how much more so the Church! . . . Hear the Apostle teaching this, when he bids the women to cover their heads with a veil because of the presence of the angels.“
Augustine of Hippo
“It is not becoming, even in married women, to uncover their hair, since the apostle commands women to keep their heads covered.”[5]
We could spend hours pouring over quotes from the Church Fathers, but for the sake of brevity, we will stop there, and look now toward the head covering and its prominence in Orthodox iconography.
Head coverings on women in iconography
We use icons as visual guides to the Faith. They teach us about the lives of Christians who have come before us, and about the life of Christ Himself. They also teach us about piety and modesty.
Orthodox icons almost always depict Christian women wearing a head covering. You would be hard-pressed to find a female saint in the Orthodox tradition who is not wearing one. Even the Blessed Theotokos, the Mother of God, wears a head covering. Who better to serve as an example to women than the Mother of all Christians?
The only two Christian women without head coverings in their icons are St. Mary of Egypt and Eve, the first mother. The former did not wear one in her icon because the clothes she took with her to the desert disintegrated into rags. She had only the cloak St. Zosimas brought to her. And the latter, Eve, is depicted either with fig leaves or garments of skin, because it was until she ate of the fruit that she remained “naked and unashamed” with Adam in Paradise. Aside from these two women, if there are any other examples, they are extremely rare. And they are most likely aberrations from iconographic tradition.
Why do Christian women cover their heads during worship?
The primary reason Christian women choose to wear head coverings during worship is to adhere to the Holy Tradition of the Church. After all, women covering their heads during worship is an ancient practice in the Christian Church, one that has fallen into disuse, especially in the West. Note that there may be other secondary reasons why women choose to wear head coverings and that these differ from person to person.
For example, some women wear them to help themselves or others focus more on prayer – in other words, they dress a certain way out of modesty. Others may decide to wear them to express their respect for a sacred space and their desire to be different from the secular world around them. Naturally, women can express all of these things without wearing a head covering or veil. But many Christian women choose to express these things through the very wearing of a head covering.
Is it required?
Some Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches require women to cover their heads in church. However this is not universally enforced. Here in the United States, the custom varies depending on the congregation and its origins. In most parishes, should women wish to cover their heads, they are encouraged to do so.
Where can I buy a head covering?
You can usually find scarves and headbands to use for coverings at your local thrift stores and clothing outlets. Target and Walmart also have nice products for a modest price. Alternatively, if you prefer to purchase online, here are a couple great companies we have found that specialize in head coverings:
How do I wear a head covering?
There are endless ways you can wear your head coverings! A simple Google image search will show you just how many options there are. At first it can be a bit overwhelming, when you see all the styles out there. Start with a style that appeals to you, and change it every couple weeks or so until you find one you like most.
Depending on what you use for your covering, the way you wear it differs. In this video tutorial, Christy Overlin shares a few easy styles for beginners using handkerchiefs, scarves, and headbands. The best part? All of these styles are appropriate for attending Orthodox church services!
Conclusion
Ultimately, in America, most jurisdictions in the Orthodox Church leave the woman to decide whether to cover her head. Over the last several years, many more women in Orthodox (and even Catholic and Protestant) churches have started covering their heads during worship. In a world that insists on tossing Christianity and its treasured values by the wayside, we are eager to connect with the ancient roots of the Church in every way possible!
References
- Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins.
- Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor.
- Hippolytus, and Easton, B. (1934). The Apostolic tradition of Hippolytus. New York: Macmillan, p.43.
- L. Kovacs, Judith (2005). The Church’s Bible (1 Corinthians). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. Page 180.
- Augustine of Hippo, Letters of St. Augustine.
7 Responses
I read articles like this and am reminded again and again of WHY we’re in church. It’s exactly right that we are not there to “show off” to others. We are there to worship God, end of story, full stop. Not only should I be less distracting to others, I should also be less distracted by what I am wearing. Yes, we need to dress nicely for church as we are in the presence of the King of Kings, but skin tight pencil skirts and glittering 4 inch heels don’t really depict piety. (Not to mention, how on Earth can you STAND for 1.5 hours or so, let alone prostrate in such attire?) I have made the choice to cover my head and be one of the vast minority who does so in my pew filled orthodox church. By doing so, I become less distracted and hopefully provide an example for new women coming into the church. Regardless of any of that, I am following the instructions given to me by God through the Bible, which, in the end, is really all that is important in this discussion. The wants of feminists and rebellious women can’t trump the law and commandments of God, no matter how much they kick and scream about it.
Would a hat also be acceptable in an Orthodox Church? (as long as it’s not flamboyant). Or must the covering absolutely be a piece of fabric?
Isidora,
Christ is born! We recommend asking your parish priest, as preferences differ depending on jurisdiction. Generally, the simpler, the better. Whether you are wearing a cloth covering or a hat. The idea is not to draw attention to oneself and instead to adopt a posture of humility. God bless!
I’m a protestant looking into Orthodoxy. I wear a headcovering to church because I’m fully convinced of everything written in this article. My daughter and I are the only people in our church who do because the church as a whole no longer believes in its validity. My family has visited one orthodox church and every married woman covered. They even had a basket of extras out for any visitors to use. I just assumed this was the case in all EO churches. I was taking aback reading this article that some Orthodox churches don’t take as strict of a stance. Especially amid all of the evidence (scriptural and traditional). Since the Orthodox church confirms the validity of the practice, can you please explain the reason for not requiring headcoverings in your church? When/how did it fall away?
Stephanie,
First of all, we are overjoyed to hear that you are inquiring into the Church; how exciting that must be for you! With regard to your question, Orthodoxy typically does not “require” things in the sense most of us might be used to in Western Christianity (specifically with regard to the legalism present in Roman Catholicism). For spiritual disciplines like fasting and covering the head during worship/prayer, the Church allows for flexibility depending on the spiritual state of each individual. The Church does not “require” anything that is not considered of dogmatic importance – for instance, belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, rejection of the filioque and Immaculate Conception of Mary, etc.
In some cases, the underlying culture in many Orthodox countries tends to shine through in its spiritual practices, particularly with regard to head coverings. Which is why the Russian Orthodox parish may enforce head coverings a bit more sternly than a Greek Orthodox parish, for instance. In many Orthodox parishes in America today, however, the practice is coming back after a couple generations of falling away from it. Glory to God for that!
God bless!
Such a great article. I always thought that the long hair in a woman IS her covering? And that all Christian women should therefore have long hair. Never before have I heard that because “it is her glory” she should actually cover it.
God bless!
Thank you and may you be blessed for sharing this article and video. I’m not Orthodox, but Roman Catholic. I received a call to cover several years ago. It has really helped me, not only to stay focused in prayer, but I find it easier to improve my modesty in both action and language as well when I lead with more modest dress.
I usually wear a mantilla style, but have always struggled with keeping it in place; everything simply slides off my head, as my hair is extremely straight.
I will definitely be trying out these other ways to cover.