Mandatory Head covering in Orthodox church?

[PetersKeys]

Is it mandatory for women to cover their head in an Eastern Orthodox church?

 

[bpbasilphx]

Some Orthodox parishes are rather strict about it. Others are not.

It’s a beautiful custom, and I think they are becoming. But God knows what the top of a woman’s head looks like. After all, He invented them.

Lack of a covering should not become a reason not to go to church.

 

[PatrickJT914]

I don’t know how I feel about seeing a womans head being covered. I seen very, very few actually covered. I suppose it has a certain personal reverence for the person wearing it. Wearing one might make a woman feeling more virturious, feminine, humble, more like Mary.
I don’t think it should be mandatory. It should be left up to the individual woman how she personally wants to give reverence. Because if it becomes mandatory, that could lead to putting tissue paper on one’s head in case of emergency. Any way just a quick few thoughts.

 

[Patchunky]

Is it mandatory for women to cover their head in an Eastern Orthodox church?

Just remember the reason the woman’s head was covered. It showed her station and position within the village community.

It showed who was eligible for marriage, who was newly married, who was married with children, who was a grandmother and who was a widow…

 

[Jofantioch]

what about the biblical commandments to cover? (Cor 11:1-16, 1Thess 2:15, 3:6)

In summary, the reasons St. Paul advises women to cover their heads in church are:

1. Our Lord commanded it;
2. it is a visible sign of an invisible order established by God;
3. The angels at Mass are offended if women don’t use it;
4. it is a ceremonial vestment;
5. it is our heritage.

tldm.org/news6/veils.htm

 

[Evlogitos]

Technically, yes, head coverings are mandatory. However, for the sake of economy, they are often (too often) dispensed with.

 

[PetersKeys]

I agree. I think its disrespectful to not cover during the sacrifice at mass. I’ve found at Church that women who cover seem to be more devoted to their faith. Why throw away that rich heritage for the sake of modernism?

 

[StMarina303ad]

Is it mandatory for women to cover their head in an Eastern Orthodox church?

Depends on the parish - because it is a cultural thing.

Generally speaking:

In all Monasteries: Yes (and only dresses - no skin showing from the neck down & no make up) - in fact, if you arrive, not dressed appropriately, they usually have clothes for you to wear over what you came in wearing.

In the Russian Orthodox Churches: Yes (and only dresses - no skin showing from the neck down & no make up)

In the Serbian Orthodox Churches: No (but women/girls should be in dresses rather than pants, make up is fine)

In the Greek Orthodox Churches: No (pants are just fine - although usually the women wear suits - jackets/blouses with either pants or skirts, but not always - make up is fine)

OCA - anything goes for both sexes for the most part - often times you’ll see devote members wearing burkenstocks (did I spell those shoes right?) or open toed sandles, shorts are not unusual - especially during Vespers the night before Divine Liturgy - but some of the women do wear veils, but it’s unusual.

 

[Triciacat]

what about the biblical commandments to cover? (Cor 11:1-16, 1Thess 2:15, 3:6)

In summary, the reasons St. Paul advises women to cover their heads in church are:

1. Our Lord commanded it;
2. it is a visible sign of an invisible order established by God;
3. The angels at Mass are offended if women don’t use it;
4. it is a ceremonial vestment;
5. it is our heritage.

tldm.org/news6/veils.htm

Let’s clear up this common misunderstanding about head covering in the Orthodox Church. We refer to I Corinthians:

“But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying, disgraces her head; for she is one and the same with her whose head is shaved.” (1 Cor. 11:5)

Notice St. Paul is giving instruction to the Corinthians. In Corinth, prostitutes were plenty and shaved their heads. This is what he is referring to. If we continue to read on to verse 15, it says:

“but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Cor. 11:15)

We need to put 1 Corinthians into proper context to realize St. Paul’s meaning here regarding head covering.

 

[Nicholas82]

Let’s clear up this common misunderstanding about head covering in the Orthodox Church. We refer to I Corinthians:

“But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying, disgraces her head; for she is one and the same with her whose head is shaved.” (1 Cor. 11:5)

Notice St. Paul is giving instruction to the Corinthians. In Corinth, prostitutes were plenty and shaved their heads. This is what he is referring to. If we continue to read on to verse 15, it says:

“but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Cor. 11:15)

We need to put 1 Corinthians into proper context to realize St. Paul’s meaning here regarding head covering.

No one in my Antiochian parish wears head coverings.

 

[Triciacat]

Nor in my Orthodox church, either. Unfortunately, due to the misunderstanding and misquoting of St. Paul’s teachings in his letter to the Corinthians, some still do.

Verse 15 is often ignored for some reason.

 

[notsmart]

Nor in my Orthodox church, either. Unfortunately, due to the misunderstanding and misquoting of St. Paul’s teachings in his letter to the Corinthians, some still do.

Verse 15 is often ignored for some reason.

What is considered to be “long” hair, by Paul?

 

[Triciacat]

What is considered to be “long” hair, by Paul?

I’m not aware of any specific instructions in Scripture as to how long hair was supposed to be. He is just differentiating from those with shaven heads who often held to immoral lifestyles. Note the question mark (?) after his words–perhaps he is warning us against being overly vain where hair is concerned, and is trying to say that God gave us hair for one reason–to cover our heads.

The important meaning here is that Paul is admonishing us against hypocrisy.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

The prostitutes in Corinth had shaven heads because they were slaves. Their masters kept the elaborate wigs they wore while on duty locked up. This prevented the shaved prostitutes from running. Some of these prostitutes became Christians and went to Mass. St. Paul didn’t want the women with long beautiful hair putting down these slaves and glorying in their own long hair.

This of course, brings up many other questions. A slave does as he/she is told or suffers the consequences. If a slave was forced to be a prostitute, what would the Church require of her/him in terms of morality?