IN Orthodox faith eat ancient custom A woman enters the church with her head covered. Where does this tradition come from and what does it mean, find out why a woman should wear a headscarf in church.
Origins and custom
This custom originated from the words of the Apostle Paul, he said that it is fitting for a woman to have a symbol on her head that denotes her humility and the power of her husband over her. Praying or kissing shrines with an uncovered head is considered shameful. From the words of the apostle begins one of the most ancient traditions associated with the church.
Why should a woman wear a headscarf in church?
A scarf on a woman's head emphasizes modesty and humility, and communication with God becomes purer and brighter.
In ancient culture, hair was considered the most striking attribute. female beauty. Attracting attention in church bad sign, since before the Face of the Lord everyone should be humble and clean their heads from sinful thoughts. Remember, clothes should also be modest, you should not choose an outfit for going to God's temple, embellished or flattering. In this case, a covered head will not make sense.
The headscarf is worn to emphasize the defenselessness of a woman and to call on the Lord for help and intercession.
Why should a man take off his hat in church?
Entering any room, a man must take off his hat, as a sign of respect to the owner. In the church, it's God. Thus he expresses his respect and demonstrates true faith.
Entering the temple without a headdress, a man shows his defenselessness in the face of the Lord and speaks of complete trust. In the church, a man renounces war and bloodshed and must repent of his sins. This is a symbol of the fact that before God everyone is equal and social status and position does not matter.
It must be remembered that a true believer is obliged to observe certain rules and customs, as a sign of respect for religion. Come to church at inappropriate clothing for the Orthodox is unacceptable and shameful. We wish you good luck and do not forget to press the buttons and
The tradition of covering one's head in church, this is not a law, but the insistent recommendation of the holy apostle Paul. In accordance with his Epistle to the Corinthians, a man should pray with an uncovered head, and a woman with a covered one. Since ancient times female hair were considered one of the most expressive elements of female attractiveness, and this was a counterbalance to modesty, one of the signs of which was covered hair.
Even in the pre-Christian era, getters in Greece walked with uncovered hair, and family women they had to express belonging to the husband, covering their heads, showing that they belong to the husband.
Where did the tradition of covering women's heads come from?
According to the instructions of the apostle appearance a believer, regardless of gender, should be restrained and modest, and cannot be a source of temptation or embarrassment. should be in the mood for prayer, expressing respect and reverence for the holiness of the temple and the Liturgy taking place in it. In this way, Christian tradition is the inadmissibility of believing men in the temple in a headdress, and believing women - without a headscarf.
This tradition is based on the statement of the Apostle that Christ is the head of every man, the head of the wife is the husband, and the head of Christ is God. For a man who prays with his head covered puts his head to shame, but a woman who prays with her head uncovered puts her head to shame, equating it with a shaved head. The man is the image and the glory of God, and the woman is the glory of the man, because "the husband is not from the wife and for the wife, but the wife is from the husband and for the husband." The handkerchief is a sign of power over her, this is for the Angels.
The opposite statement is not based on a misunderstanding of the principle of equality of men and women before God. Jesus never discriminated against women during his sermons, and by the way, the same applies to pagans, whom Jesus never discriminated against. In practice, Mary Magdalene was the first to observe the Risen One, and here her advantage, for example, over the Apostle Peter. Before Christ in achieving salvation and liberation, acquiring the Holy Spirit and eternal man and women are completely equal.
However, the error of some amateur theologians is that equality in Christ is not identical with equality in the flesh. In Christ, in fact, there are no gender and national characteristics, however, in nature we will all be different, until the very moment of transition into eternity. It is precisely these definite signs that the apostle Paul is trying to draw the attention of the Corinthians when discussing the covering of the head. He's not talking about covering or not covering his head" spiritual man that is in Christ, it specifically refers to human flesh, and it is certainly not yet in Christ.
The idea is that God has in subjection all the elements of both material and spiritual world, and they (this is the main thing) are ordered among themselves and are in a harmonious system, with a number of levels and subordinations. This system is harmony, and the claims of individual elements of this system for functions that are not characteristic of them lead to disharmony, disturbances and imbalance, and as a result, to its disorder.
With Christ, the idea of unity came to earth, and not the idea of equality, it is it that gives consistency, unanimity and lack of discontent, and while maintaining the individuality of each person, there must be mutual subordination - subordination and a certain system of hierarchy.
The apostle Paul finds an illustration of this interdependence in human body, in which everyone is in a state of subordination to other members, having equal rights, but also unequal opportunities. The body functions successfully when not the equalization of all members takes place, but the coordinated interaction and unity of each in its place and with its functions. Consequently, equality in a certain respect does not exclude, but presupposes a hierarchy, that is, inequality. Paul writes that the whole body is not an eye or an ear. A married sister, covering her head, shows the surrounding world her submission to the position established by God. And this is a testimony not only for others, but also a sign for the Angels. By observing people, Satan and the fallen angels discover that God has received obedience from people that he did not receive from them, and this shames them. Satan is ashamed not only by Jesus, who submitted to the Father, but also by ordinary handkerchiefs, that is, by people who submit to God's ordinances voluntarily. This is the obedience of the wife to her husband, and the covering of the head is a sign of this state. Satan is trying to convince persistent spirit women in not having to cover their heads.
But in doing so, Paul points out that covering the head is a voluntary act. This is where the shame of angels is manifested, in voluntariness, when women, equal to men in terms of grace, in the flesh obey them, giving a sign of their obedience to God's institutions. Therefore, there should be no compulsory ecclesiastical law on head coverings for sisters.
While visiting the church, parishioners are required to observe certain rules and rituals. Some of them are currently raising questions, for example, why is it necessary to wear a headscarf to church? Where did this custom come from, which goes against modern fashion in clothing?
Origin of tradition
The tradition that women cover their heads in the temple has deep roots. In ancient times, in the cultures of many peoples, closed hair was a sign that determined the status of a married woman, talking about her subordination to her husband. It was forbidden to appear on the streets with an uncovered head, it was considered very immodest.
woman in the temple
Similar rules"Dress codes" existed in Jewish culture, where Christianity originated, and in Roman culture, where the first churches appeared. It is connected with this that the following words are written in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul:
"five. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is the same as if she were shaved.6. For if a woman does not want to cover herself, then let her have her hair cut; but if a woman is ashamed to have her hair cut or shaved, let her cover herself.” (1 epistle to Corinth.)
Someone may wonder: if in those days the wearing of a veil by married women was a universal rule, why did the Christians of the Corinthian church break it, since the apostle Paul had to specifically write about it? There is a version that this was due to the special depravity of morals in the pagan city of Corinth (it was famous for this).
Because of which, locals considered optional to comply with the then widespread rules of decent clothing. And Christians, since they grew up in this city and got used to its atmosphere, could also become infected with something from the general licentiousness. That's why, the Apostle Paul urged Corinthian Christian women to be extremely modest and chaste in dress, to comply with all the rules of decency that existed in those days.
IN ancient Russia the custom of women covering their heads after marriage was also in use. According to the ideas of our ancestors, if strangers see a woman without a headscarf, it will be a shame for her and her entire family. That's where the expression "goof off" comes from.
In the church, this custom has been preserved to this day, but has changed.
If before the tradition of covering their heads concerned only married women, and the girls did not wear headscarves either in the temple or on the street, now even little girls cover their heads.
Can you go to church without a headscarf?
It should not be understood as if a woman who entered the temple with an open head commits a sin. For God, the state of our soul is important, not the form of clothing. However, there are also people in the church. For many of them, a woman without a headdress will cause irritation. Even though they are wrong, one should not take actions that deliberately lead people into the sin of condemnation and distract them from prayer.
For these reasons, it is necessary to follow the established rules church clothes, to wear skirts and hats to the temple.
Why wear a headscarf to church
What scarf to choose for the church
In Russia there was interesting custom wear scarves to the service, the colors of which correspond to the days church calendar and repeat the color of priestly robes. Perhaps someone in our time would like to follow this. Here is a list of these colors:
- The color of Easter is red or white. Women wore such scarves all 40 days of the holiday.
- White was worn for Christmas.
- During Great Lent they chose dark color. Black, dark blue, purple.
- By the feast of the Life-Giving Trinity and on the Day of the Holy Spirit, they put on green. Green is the color of life.
- All Mother of God holidays were blue.
- IN common days they put on yellow scarves, the color of a simple, everyday priestly robe.
Interesting about Orthodoxy.
This tradition dates back to deep Christian antiquity, namely to apostolic times. At that time, every married, respectable woman, leaving the house, covered her head. The head covering, which, for example, we see on icons Mother of God, testified to the marital status of the woman. This head covering meant that she was not free, that she belonged to her husband. To “bare the crown” of a woman or loosen her hair meant to humiliate or punish her (see Isaiah 3:17; cf. Num. 5:18).
Harlots and vicious women showed their special occupation by not covering their heads.
The husband had the right to divorce his wife without returning her dowry, if she appeared on the street with bare hair, this was considered an insult to her husband.
Girls and girls did not cover their heads, because the cover was a sign of the special status of a married woman (which is why, according to tradition, an unmarried virgin can enter the temple without a head cover)
So, at home, a married woman took off her veil, leaving the house, be sure to put it on.
Men, leaving the house, could not cover their heads. In any case, if they were covered on the street, it was from the heat, and not because it was supposed to be so. During worship, the Jews also did not cover their heads, with the exception of special occasions. So, for example, they covered their heads during fasting or mourning. Those who were excommunicated from the synagogue and lepers were also required to cover their heads.
Now imagine the situation: the Apostles herald the advent of new times. The former has passed, the world has approached the line beyond which everything new will begin! People who have accepted Christ are experiencing a truly revolutionary mood. It is not surprising in such a state to reject the old, the former and strive for the new. This is what happened among the Christians of Corinth. Many of them are beginning to teach that traditional forms of behavior and propriety must be abolished. On this occasion Ap. Paul expresses his opinion and says that such disputes are extremely harmful, because they discredit Christians in the eyes of others. Christians appear to outsiders of the Church as brawlers, violators of generally accepted decency and norms of behavior.
In order to confirm his words, the Apostle Paul, as he loves and does very often, unfolds a whole theological proof that it is not necessary to violate the accepted norms of behavior.
Here is a passage in which Paul speaks on this subject:
1. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
2. I praise you, brethren, that you remember everything of mine and keep the traditions as I gave you.
3. I also want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, the husband is the head of the wife, and God is the head of Christ.
4. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered shames his head.
5. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is the same as if she were shaved.
6. For if a woman does not want to cover herself, then let her have her hair cut; but if a woman is ashamed to have her hair cut or shaved, let her cover herself.
7. Therefore, the husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; and the wife is the glory of the husband.
8. For the husband is not from the wife, but the wife is from the husband;
9. And the husband was not made for the wife, but the wife for the husband.
10. Therefore, a woman must have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the angels.
11. But neither a husband without a wife, nor a wife without a husband, in the Lord.
12. For as the wife is from the husband, so is the husband through the wife; yet it is from God.
13. Judge for yourselves, is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14. Does not nature itself teach you that if a husband grows his hair, then this is a dishonor for him,
15. But if a woman grows her hair, is it an honor for her, since hair is given to her as a covering?
16. And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor the church of God.
17. But, offering this, I do not praise you that you are going not for the best, but for the worst.
18. For, firstly, I hear that when you are going to church, there are divisions among you, which I partly believe.
19. For there must be differences of opinion among you, so that skillful ones may be revealed among you.
1 Corinthians 11:1-19
In Russia, a pious custom was preserved for a woman to pray in church with her head covered. By this, the woman pays respect and reverence to the early Christian church tradition to the opinion of the Apostle Paul. However, let's not forget that we are talking not about a female representative in general, but about married woman. For her, a scarf can be a "status" thing, a sign of her marriage. Or, say, a sign of widowhood or just advanced age. Girls should not be required to cover their heads.
Father Konstantin Parkhomenko
Christian traditions require women to enter the temple with their heads covered. However, now this applies only to the Russian Orthodox Church. For example, believing women enter Greek cathedrals without headdresses.
Bible
The fact that women who converted to Christianity should cover their heads with a scarf during prayer is said in the Gospel of the Apostle Paul: “... Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head open shames her head, for this is the same as if she would be shaved, for if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her have her hair cut, and if the wife is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself ... (...) Judge for yourself, is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
In this epistle, the apostle Paul explained this rule to the Corinthians in an accessible way: “... The husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, and the wife is the glory of the husband. For the husband is not from the wife, but the wife is from the husband; and not a husband was created for a wife, but a wife for a husband...” Accordingly, covering her head with a scarf, a Christian woman recognizes the primacy of her husband and adheres to the established order - she receives the Lord through her man, and honors him as created in the image and likeness of God.
Apostolic message
As you know, the teaching of the Apostle Paul that women should cover their heads during prayer belongs to the section “messages to the inhabitants of the city of Corinth”. In the middle of the first century, the apostle arrived in this coastal city from Athens and found the first Christian community there. Otherwise, however, it was still a pagan city of the Roman Empire.
"Biblical Encyclopedic Dictionary Erika Nystrema" reports that in the first centuries of our era in Corinth there was one of the largest temples of Aphrodite at that time. The servants of the cult of this pagan goddess were ritual harlots, entering into intimate relationship, any person performed an act of worship of Aphrodite. A distinctive sign of all these priestesses - harlots was a shaved head on a bald head.
Meanwhile, historians who study the Bible suggest that the girls who were transferred to the ministry pagan goddess Even in childhood, in the future they could hear the sermons of the Apostle Paul and accept them. But turning to christian religion and the community, it is clear that these women still remained physically hairless for a long time.
And now the parting words of St. Paul "... if a woman is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself ..." speaks somewhat about something else. To turn in prayers to Christ when you have the mark of a harlot on you is shameful both before people and before God. That is why the apostle recommended to cover the head of all women, without exception, and "... if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair ...". After all, all women, including those who repented of their sins, are equal before God and are equally loved by him.
Greek tradition
In Greek Orthodox churches it can be observed that women always pray with their heads uncovered. When entering the church, everyone, regardless of gender and age, even if they have hats on their heads, take them off. True, this tradition is not so ancient, it has existed for no more than two centuries and is related to the national liberation struggle of the Greeks against Turkish rule.
In the first quarter of the 19th century, Greece came under the rule of Ottoman Empire and all women were ordered to appear on the streets and in in public places wearing hijabs, even if they were not Muslim.
Greek women, like men, protested against forced Islamization and attended Christian services at night. At the same time, the Greek women took off the Turkish headscarves they hated as a sign of freedom in Christ.
Since that time, it has become an important religious-national tradition. As for the message of the Apostle Paul regarding the covering of a woman's head, the Greek priests point to the fact that nowhere in the Gospel is it indicated that women are forbidden to enter the temple without a headdress. This means that Greek women do not violate religious rules in any way.
Russian woman and her headdress
In Russia, since the distribution of "Domostroy" - a collection of advice and instructions from a Russian person on social, family and religious issues of the 15th century, the tradition has been preserved when "... not a husband was created for a wife, but a wife for a husband ..." Orthodox Christian , even if she is not married, enters the temple with her head covered. Thus, she demonstrates her modesty and humility.
However, the Russians Orthodox priests in Lately more and more often they say that the presence of a headdress in a woman in the temple is her personal business and legal right demonstrate their attitude to the centuries-old religious traditions. Let it go better woman will enter the temple without a headscarf and with sincere love will turn to God than not cross the threshold of the temple at all.
