Veils & Hats: Is one preferable to the other?

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If I was ever going to wear anything on my head, it would be a pill box hat.

But it doesn’t really work with my usual Mass attire which is quite leisurely.
 
When I attend TLM, I just put on my head whatever I have handy that looks decent.

Last time I was in a hurry and forgot my lacy veil, so I had to run into a drugstore and buy the only headscarf they had available which was leopard print. I am keeping that one in my car for an “emergency” head covering in case I forget again.
 
When you attend the TLM, do you find that most/all of the women cover their heads? Our local one is probably about 60/40 covered/uncovered, which surprised me the first time I went, but even though I cover regardless of which form I attend I like that there isn’t pressure either way.
 
It depends on the TLM. If the TLM is at a Traditional Latin parish, or is one that is primarily being promoted by the Traditional Latin Mass organization in the area, then most of the women will be wearing head coverings. If the TLM is at the local cathedral or a monastery shrine that draws a diverse group of Catholics, there will be more women there without head coverings, and they also will be dressed more casually.

The first TLM I attended was just out of curiosity and I had no idea that people dressed more formally or that women covered their heads, so I was just in business casual pants and top for that one. After seeing that most of the other women wore skirt or dress and covered their head, I now do that when I go to TLM. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
 
I wear simple scarves without much decoration. In the winter, I simply don’t take my wool beret off. When it’s super hot I wear cotton/lace scarves, or at Easter when most women on our parish generally dresses a bit more elegant. We bow alot so most important for me is that the fabric can’t slip.
 
The Baptist tradition I come from is one where the women wear hats. My grandmother was a deaconess (read missionary/alter prep/and baptism prep). She frequently worse simple hats. On communion Sunday, they all wore chapel caps. I remember one Sunday I was sitting up front with her, and I didn’t have anything to cover my head or my knees (modesty cloth). She gave me a hanky for my knees and a clean Kleenex for my head! 😂

As an adult, I’ve been thinking about returning to covering my head. Hats aren’t popular in my parish. I’m considering a chapel cap or a wide headband. I’m not really into the full lacy veils.

ETA: maybe a pillbox hat is a good modest compromise 🤔
 
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That’s interesting! Our local one is a quasi parish, so they share the church building with another parish.
 
Roseeurekacross said:
Religious wear veils. Laity wear mantillas or head coverings.
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No, the laity can wear chapel veils, which are usually not the same as mantillas. When I think of mantillas, I think of the Spanish coverings which are bigger and more elaborate than chapel veils. It is not incorrect to call the simple lace coverings veils. What people were objecting to in past threads (particularly one poster who I don’t think is here anymore) is calling the practice itself “veiling” because using the word as a verb implies that you are “taking the veil” as a religious would do, and because many women cover their heads using a hat or something else other than a chapel veil.
 
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SMHW said:
For women who chose to wear head coverings, why do you chose the style of head covering that you do?
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Hats are nice if you can pull them off, but I have tried and can’t. I have a big head and long hair, and I just don’t think they look good on me. I wear either a simple chapel veil, or more often lately I wear a headscarf of some sort. The chapel veils are nice because they are the easiest to put on and off, but the scarfs are a little bit less conspicuous if the Mass I am attending doesn’t have many women who wear veils or other headcoverings.
 
Again, CAF rules state no blog spam.
The term veil is only appropriate for a religious.

As far as the statement pre or post vat head clothing choices, unless there are stats, it’s questionable. In the days of Jackie O , she very much popularised a certain type of head wear, in USA. So any stat needs to take fashion of the day and cultural conventions into account.

Mantilla (not veil) manufacturers will be advertising their product, rather then using propaganda to sell. Very clever advertising. It’s like food manufacturers attempting to sell foods with great food claims about the health of their product. Two infamous campaigns we scoff at these days are the smoking is good for your health and the donuts are good for your health.
We now know smoking causes all types of illness, some fatal. And eating sugar and fat in the form of a donut , isn’t a healthy snack.
 
Again, the term veil is for religious. Regardless of ‘chapel’ in front of it or not. Laity don’t veil.
 
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As for why I do veil and not hat:
  1. Always liked veils, Used to buy the old lady church veils that were always donated to the church rummage sales and wear them to go out clubbing.
  2. I have a huge head and the vast majority of women’s hats are for an average size head and I can’t get them on comfortably, or they look like when the hippo wears a dainty little hat in a children’s book.
 
It seems you need a degree in architecture to design and construct those things.

You also probably need a building permit.
 
Roseeurekacross said:
Again, CAF rules state no blog spam.
The term veil is only appropriate for a religious.

As far as the statement pre or post vat head clothing choices, unless there are stats, it’s questionable. In the days of Jackie O , she very much popularised a certain type of head wear, in USA. So any stat needs to take fashion of the day and cultural conventions into account.
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I agree that the word “veil” when used as a verb should only be used for religious. The word “veil” as a noun has long been used in English for that particular item of clothing. I do not believe the word “mantilla” was used in English as a general term for veils prior to 1960. In fact I suspect that usage came much later. It is possible that “mantilla” and “mantille” were used in French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, etc. But not in English.
Roseeurekacross said:
Mantilla (not veil) manufacturers will be advertising their product, rather then using propaganda to sell. Very clever advertising. It’s like food manufacturers attempting to sell foods with great food claims about the health of their product. Two infamous campaigns we scoff at these days are the smoking is good for your health and the donuts are good for your health.
Click to expand...
I agree that the manufacturers make claims to sell their products. I am of the opinion that veil/mantilla manufacturers exaggerate the traditions and meanings associated with their products. I do not believe those “traditional meanings” were a part of English language speaking countries’ traditions.
 
As others have said, “veiling” yes, is a term for the religious but there is absolutely nothing wrong at all using the word “veil”.

Even in the past when women wore the hats, many had a thin netting type piece of cloth that came down in front and they called it a “veil”.

The word veil can be used many different ways as a noun or as a verb and these images date back to 1917.

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Not sure.

If we can ask her in person, we will.

However at this point, it’s all conjecture.
 
They are using Bishop Sheen’s picture but it clearly states author unknown.
 
I don’t think there’s any conjecture as to what the virgin did. She was veiled as we can see with the iconography.

On the contrary, I would say the internal desire to do something different arises from passion- the passion for fashion, which is fundamentally vain.
 
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