What is a veil?

A veil is an article of clothing, used almost exclusively by the woman, to cover the head or face. One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space. The actual socio-cultural, psychological, and socio-sexual functions of veils have not been studied extensively. These type of functions, however, most likely includes the maintenance of social distance and the communication of social status and cultural identity.

In Mesopotamia, the region centered in present-day Iraq near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, a veil was a rectangular piece of cloth woven of linen, wool, or cotton and worn by women to hide their faces from public view. While the veils worn by the wealthiest women could be beautiful, veils were not worn for fashionable reasons alone. Veils were one of the first legally enforced garments.

In the 13^th Century B.C., Assyrian law dictated that wives, daughters, and widows must wear a veil, but prostitutes and slave girls were forbidden to wear a veil. The veil thus served as a way of protecting a father or husband's interest in his daughter or wife. The alluring face of a married or marriageable woman could not tempt men from beneath a veil. Wives, daughters, and widows would be severely punished for not covering their faces in public. Those caught wearing their veil illegally could be flogged, have pitch poured on their heads, or their ears cut off. But punishments also extended to male observers. If a man recognized a prostitute or slave woman wearing a veil and did not report her to an authority, he could be publicly flogged, mutilated (having his hand chopped off, for example), his ears pierced and a cord run through them and tied behind his back, and “He shall do labor of the king for one full month.” In Ancient times, even to pagans, the veil was apparently a very serious piece of clothing.

Does anyone wear the veil anymore?

The answer is yes, the tradition of veiling continues into the twenty-first century in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The headcovering, at least during worship services, is still required in a few Protestant denominations and among the more traditional Catholics. Many of the Anabaptist denominations, like the Amish, some Mennonites, the Old German Baptist, and the Hutterites headcover. Many of the Apostolic and Pentecostal, the Plymouth Brethren, and many of the Dutch Reformed churches also headcover. The Muslim religion encourages the use of veils by women. Modern-day women who follow Islam customarily wear veils, and some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have Muslim governments that enforce laws concerning women wearing veils.

For many centuries, until around 1175, Anglo-Saxon and then Anglo-Norman women, with the exception of young unmarried girls, wore veils that entirely covered their hair, and often their necks up to their chins. This type of veil is most commonly known as a wimple. Only in the Tudor period of England (begun in 1485), when hoods became increasingly popular, did veils of this type become less common.

In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam the concept of covering the head is or was associated with propriety. All traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, show her veiled. Veiling was a common practice with church-going women until the 1960s, and a number of very traditional churches retain the custom. The wearing of various forms of the Muslim veil has provoked controversy in the West. In India, Hindu women veil for traditional purposes, it is custom in rural areas to veil in front of male elders. This veil is called the ghoonghat.

What does the veil mean?

For those in Islam, the women wear the veil (or hijab) for modesty and privacy. For the modern Western bride, it symbolizes virginity to others on her wedding day. To the catholic nun, it is for piety. To a Jewish woman, the veil (or tichel) is a symbol of marriage and devotion to her husband.

There are many reasons Christians wear the veil. To me, and I hope to other Christian women who still wear the veil, it is firstly a visible symbol of acceptance of God's order of authority. Secondly the veil is worn to both honor Christ and man. Thirdly, it is worn for protection that is referred to in I Corinthians 11:10. Though woman is created "the weaker vessel" (I Peter 3:7), and under the authority of man, her acceptance of God's headship order gives appropriate signals to the angels. Finally, for me, I wear the veil for personal reasons as well. The veil helps to remind me, and those around me, that I am a servant of Christ. In this way I am also protected from evil.