Remember when women covered their heads in church?

[Graybeard]

In my day a woman would not think of entering a church without something on her head. If she wasn't wearing a hat she would improvise with a scarf, a veil or even just a hankie opened up and placed on the head.

Was this a church requirement or just something women did on their own? And when did it stop?

[onehandle]

1. The answer to any headwear transformational moment question is...

JFK's time in office.

That was the end of hats.

My first memory of church, late 60s, only older women and men wore any headwear.

[Wait Wut]

3. Maybe some/most, but not all.

As a member of the Episcopal church, I had to wear what was basically a doily on my head. That was mid 70's. By the time I was married, few women wore them anymore unless they had altar duties.

[Graybeard]

7. I watch the female acolytes.

When I was in my teens I was the Chairman of the Acolytes Guild in our Episcopal church, scheduling assignments for the many services. We were all boys.

Now I watch Roman Catholic and Episcopal services on TV and I notice that none of the young women acolytes are wearing any kind of head covering.

[Graybeard]

8. Jackie was famous for her hats.

I remember that Jackie Kennedy was identified with a certain type of hat that she always wore.

[onehandle]

10. That was the last hurrah for hats. nt

[hedgehog]

2. I know I wore a head covering to 8th grade graduation in 1968,

but not to high school graduation in 1972. Apparently, there was never a formal declaration that the requirement be dropped, just a quiet recognition after women stopped it of their own accord:

http://blog.adw.org/2010/05/should-women-cover-their-heads-in-church/

In America, if a woman wears a veil or mantilla, it is taken as a sign she supports traditional practices such as the Latin Mass.

In other parts of the world, Catholic women continue to wear a head covering at Church.

[Graybeard]

6. Thank you for that wonderful link.

It is exactly the type of information I was looking for. Answered all of my questions. Thanks again.

[woodsprite]

4. We were just discussing this the other day at work.

My boss said she can remember when she was a little girl (60s/70s) she forgot her mantilla for mass and her mom bobby-pinned a Kleenex to her head. She said she was about 8yo, but she has never forgiven her mom for that.

My daughter is doing an art conservation study abroad to Italy this summer and she was told to make sure she takes some kind of head covering, a non-sleeveless blouse, and a skirt that comes at least 3" below her knees since they are going to be touring the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and will be staying in a local church building where they'll be doing some restoration work. Have to have her read up on the protocols. Presbys don't go in for many rules like that, but I don't want her to miss out on anything because she's not prepared.

[nolabear]

18. I had that experience in Italy as well.

They had little paper head and arm coverings like capes for each shoulder in some places. No skirt requirements that I recall though.

[olddots]

5. they still do in many places .

At the Orthodox Atheist Temple you see women and men wearing 1958 Buick hub caps on their heads in reverence to Bob Dobbs .

[kwassa]

14. like this?

[trof]

9. Ok, you pushed one of my buttons. Religious head coverings.

What's with that?

Yarmulkes.
Broad brimmed black fedoras on Hasidics.
Red beanies on Cardinals and the like.
The mitre on Catholic bishops and the pope.

I've been to Catholic funerals where women would whip out a hanky and put it on their heads before entering the church.

Many of us show respect for the dead, and on other occasions, by doffing our head coverings and holding them over our hearts.

How is it respectful in some cases to cover the head, and disrespectful in others?
Oh heck, I forgot.
We're talking about 'religion'.
They all have 'special' rules.
A pox on all of them.

[surrealAmerican]

11. Interesting ...

...I grew up Jewish (not orthodox), and it was only married women (and men and boys) who needed to cover their head in schul. Girls got a pass for some reason.

[LiberalEsto]

12. And the shoulders had to be covered too nt

[olddots]

13. I grew up Unitarian

clothing was optional ....L.R.Y. ...L.R.Y. !

[kwassa]

15. where I lost my virginity.

TMI

[mainstreetonce]

16. Required

It was required in the Catholic church. I think it stopped in the eighties.

[kwassa]

21. Losing my virginity was required in the Catholic church?

[truegrit44]

22. I think it stopped in the eighties.... well shows how long it's

been since I was in the church of my forced religious upbringing.......I never knew they didn't do that anymore and I remember forgetting my scarf and my mother pinning a tissue on my head, way humiliating!!

I think if I ever was to enter one of these places again in my life I would feel naked without a head covering.

[Graybeard]

23. Long time for me too.

What prompted this thread was watching all of the 'churchy' stuff going on with the Pope's election.

[musette_sf]

17. Bobby pin and tissue was good enough for me

Get to mass just before the homily -
Leave mass right after Communion (at the second collection at my parish) -
Voila, obligation fulfilled.
Take collection money to White Caste.

[benld74]

19. I can recall both my mom, aunts and even my sister wearing them to mass,

whn I was a kid. We visited the Lady of the Snows Shrine once, I was wearing shorts, and I was NOT allowed to enter! Heck I was 6, it was hot. I never understood.

[Brother Buzz]

20. I only remember women wearing hats on Easter Sunday

My Mom made a new one every year, special, just for Easter Sunday. Maybe it was just a UCC thing.

[a la izquierda]

24. In some parts of Mexico, women still do.

And I once went to an Egyptian Coptic mass, and had to cover my shoulders and head. In the summer. In Florida.