How I came to recommend head covering in church for women
Russian Orthodox believers in church. photo ANP, Marco de Swart
Christian Life
How archaic! When I first attended a church service and saw women veiling, I vowed to myself never to do that. Wearing a hat has disappeared in my country. Veils are for Muslims now. But I have learned to see the covering as a shield for which to be grateful.
Sure, I attended the most traditional church I could find, but that was taking it too far. Right? Right! Something strange inside stirred, which I could not place. But to me, veils were for Muslim women only and a sign of oppression, while hats ought to become fashionable again. So, the connection between a head cover and Christianity did not feel natural; nothing I had seen.
My fellow CNE writer Joe-Lize wrote on the topic of head covering last year on the communal aspect of wearing a covering of some kind between conservative churches in the Netherlands. She describes a context in which the practice of wearing hats remained.
This stands in stark contrast to Sweden. In my previous encounters with Christianity, I had never seen a woman cover her hair—be it long, short, well-groomed, or messy—all uncovered during worship.
Pentecostal
Wearing a hat was once standard in Sweden but has disappeared over time. To get deeper insight, I asked an older relative if this was common in her youth. In her childhood, hats had become uncommon outside her Pentecostal congregation. But this (and the practice of wearing hair up) had faded in her teens during the late 1960s. The practice of wearing fabulous hats lingered longer for the musicians and choir, but even there, it disappeared.
After spending an improper amount of time worrying about my hair getting out of order halfway through the service, a change was needed! I wanted to concentrate on singing and opening my heart to the Word of God, not be distracted by the risk of provoking frizzy hair.
The solution was obvious. Are all women equally worried about their hair? Likely not, but that is how I got into the practice.
Wait, so it is all about vanity? It certainly makes me less self-conscious. A few pins and a shawl and neither I nor anyone else could get distracted – it helped me focus and reduced stress.
Ritual
Now, praying without it, especially in the church, seems deeply foreign. I am preparing to attend service and veiling before it is almost ritual-like, a way of shifting the mindset from the worries of mundane life to deeper focus.
Just one other step taken to shield me from the bombardment of distractions that threaten to sweep my attention. I turn off my phone, stand near the front and cover myself in the softness of a veil. Taking it off afterwards opens up to more casual talk.
Has that removed all distractions? No, but it does soothe the barrage of buzz buzz and pling pling of the notification-altered mind of a late millennial. Luckily, the liturgy is formed for people like myself, with constant reminders to pay attention. It seems the church fathers had compassion for worshippers with wandering minds long before the invention of the smartphone.
It is not as if He who knows all the hairs on my head doesn’t know what hides in my heart when covered. If a sudden and strong emotion strikes mid-liturgy, wrapping myself further into the fabric will keep them private and honest. Without disturbance, a smile or tear can be worked through without stirring the attention of others. But without me paying attention to hiding my reactions. A solemn celebration, as I once heard the liturgy described, and thus not the time for eccentric expression.
Veiling is simple, safe, and a physical representation of putting my worldly troubles away. It is an act of humility and submission but also gratitude. I am not at the centre, just one among others sharing the same hope to come closer to God, to give Him proper focus, and to shield my mind from chaos.
Glorious
But there is also a deep gratitude in knowing that we can rest and put our hearts in His hands without worrying over this or that. Not feeling the requirement to be constantly insightful, creative, successful, and stunning Girlboss is glorious! It is a sacrifice of the ego, but ultimately restful, to put away the uncertainties of every day. We can still reach out if we are flawed, stained with sin, and with remorse in our hearts.
One of my sisters in Christ gave her reason to veil beautifully: “Sometimes, in my personal prayer, I use my shawl as a reminder that I live under the protection of His wings. The shawl represents the physical manifestation of His wings.”
Feeling and scripture
So, why have I rambled about focus and my hair for too long?
For many Swedes, the very idea of covering my head felt deeply counter-cultural, even going against values I previously held dear. As you hear, I am only a catechumen trying to orient myself in a new world. I lack the knowledge to know why St Paul wrote what he did, only that I stumbled upon the feeling that he was right.
Since this reasoning needed improvement, I turned to my priest. Father Mikael referred to 1 Corinthians 11:10: “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
What do angels, power and veils have to do with each other? This is what he told me, much simplified:
In the verse, the word power reflects the heavenly hierarchy. It reminds Corinthian ladies not to fall victim to gnostic heresies that there were no differences between the sexes. So, in the Corinthian context, by covering her head, aka not dressing like a man, she is thanking God for being a woman and declares her belief in the righteousness of His good creation. Remember that women are also created in the image of God, not making them lesser but just different.
I cannot avoid seeing the similarity between the gnostic beliefs of St. Paul’s time and the ideological movements of our present. For one, this makes me all the more prone to veil, if only in church, as veiling outside is no longer a traditional staple of womanhood. Being created as a woman is something to be grateful for, as is being a man.
My priest continued:
Back to St Paul the Apostle and the explanation of his wording. In the liturgy, created to reflect the constant worship in heaven, we praise and sing with the heavenly creatures. So, for the sake of the angels worshipping by our side, it is only proper that women and men dress modestly in appropriate attire.
I interpret this as a variant of “dress for the occasion”, where the recipients are celestial. A potential risk I see is the creeping pride of dressing more appropriately than others in the congregation. A pharisaical call of Thank God I am not like those and hitting oneself on the chest after seeing an exposed knee or underdressed parishioner. The stench of pride has an uncanny tendency to taint all it touches.
Lastly, a potential reason to veil is to copy the Saints, among which (almost) all women are portrayed with covered hair. This would physically manifest our wish to copy the Holy women. Simply put, this is another reminder to follow the examples of the great who dedicated their devotion and life to God in many diverse ways.
My impression is that the younger converts without a Christian background favour the veil. At the same time, women who are accustomed to worship without feeling it interferes, distracts or finds it uncomfortable. This may mark a difference from the lives lived before. To once again paraphrase my priest, that with all said and done, wearing a hat or veil is subordinate to freedom. There can be no force in the church since God is love. Love and freedom walk hand in hand. It is within the framework of the freedom to choose good over evil we work towards becoming Christ-like or not.
Striving to reach some conclusion, without free will, how can we choose to follow the Lord and not the sea of temptations all around us? As in all things, the decisions we make and our active pursuit of Him are the core of our practice and our lifelong struggle. It might not be the done thing to veil in public. However, within the safe walls of the church, a veil is a helpful tool with its roots in Scripture and tradition alike. So why not try?
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