Christian Head Covering in the Orthodox Church: Because of the Angels

A series to explore the traditions, scriptures and practice of Christian head covering

Part 1: An Introduction 

In the Orthodox Christian Church, the practice of women covering their heads with either a scarf, veil or hat is still an honored tradition.  But where does this tradition come from and why is it reemerging in modern practice? 

Somewhere in my 5th year as an Orthodox Christian, I encountered some women wearing head coverings during Liturgy.  These head coverings reminded me of something from my past.  My mother, a former Roman Catholic, kept her mother’s black mantilla, a vestige of her former life, in her top dresser drawer. Sometimes, if my mother asked me to fetch something from her dresser, I would encounter this small black laced scarf. It had a scent of a by-gone time and was a thing of simple beauty. I imagined my stout grandmother wearing it to Mass in the 1950’s.  Alternatively, the modern head coverings I saw in 2008 were flowy, adeptly wrapped scarves, their wearers comfortable and often quite young. 

Seeing women covering their heads intrigued me to learn more.  I asked my priest at the time what he thought: “Why are women wearing a scarf and should I wear one?”  Although he didn’t answer the question directly, Father Jacob’s answer was simple: “When you come to Liturgy, try wearing a head covering. If you feel holy and prayerful, then keep it on.”  

His answer was brief and marked the beginning of my journey of wearing a head covering during services.  His response also sparked a desire to understand the practice more fully.  

In this series, we will explore this ancient practice that is given to women in the Church.  We will look at its history and re-emergence in the West. We will look at the imagery of the veil in the church as well as jurisdictional and regional differences in the practice of this tradition.  Finally, we will explore contemporary thoughts on the head covering and look at possible reasons why this practice is returning. 

I hope you will join me as we explore Christian head covering in the Orthodox Church.