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It is better to enter the temple with your head uncovered than not to enter at all. Simple questions

There is no obligation for a woman to enter an Orthodox church with her head covered.
This is not an obligation, but a historical tradition and recommendations of the Apostle Paul. Moreover, tradition can be the opposite. For example, in Greece Orthodox churches Women are required to enter without a headdress (!) This approach to a woman’s covered head was developed by the Greeks during the national liberation struggle against the Turks.
And moreover, in Ukraine there is a temple - in Akhtyrka (Sumy region) - where, according to their tradition, women enter the temple with bareheaded, since in this temple the image of the Mother of God with her head uncovered is kept.
- Priest Georgy spoke about all this today on radio "Era".
“And when asked why women are not allowed into certain churches by grandmothers if she does not have a headscarf,” Father Georgy answered with some irritation : We are aware of this problem that some ministers are trying to impose their vision of faith in God, and we are trying to fight this. And, in general, it is better to come to God with your head uncovered than to pass by, he concluded.
This is how one of the canons of the external ritual suddenly collapses: it turns out that in a number of Orthodox denominations and even in some churches, women are required to enter with their heads uncovered. And in general, adhering to such strictness can harm the Church.

Here is the development of this vision of the gender problem:

It's funny to hear: it turns out that covering a woman's head in a temple is just "recommendation of the Apostle Paul"

By the way, where there is a tradition, there are always magical or witchcraft explanations for this tradition: one of the “folk” explanations for the need for women to cover their heads in the temple:
"It has long been known that hair has great strength(something related to magic). And the longer the hair, the greater the strength. There is even such a belief that if a woman makes a wish and at this time combs her hair with the fingers of her fingers, then the wish will come true . Naturally, men don’t have this; they have short hair. It was not for nothing that in the Middle Ages a woman with long, thick and beautiful hair considered a witch and burned at the stake. And since the strength and power of our Lord is much greater than female strength, then by entering the temple in a headscarf, a woman shows God that she submits to His will and pacifies her desires and passions before Him. Since according to church laws, passion can only be known married woman Therefore, it is she who should enter the temple in a headscarf. Although, nowadays, some temples require that even little girls enter the temple with their heads covered." (from here)

Well, some advice for women (under the cut) from the website of the rural Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vavozh, Udmurtia. - very useful for understanding the equality of men and women and the vision of the place of women in the Orthodox world
But first, the surprise of the priest, the author of advice on what and why a woman should wear when she goes to church: “I was surprised myself when I looked at the recording of Easter in Epiphany Cathedral Moscow and saw that half of the women in the Patriarchal Choir they sang with their heads uncovered. This is tolerated. And it’s not for us to judge these women. But We will always warn about the sinful nature of this act.".

Sorry for quoting so much, the text itself is very interesting, so I couldn’t resist

I heard that to visit a temple you need to dress in a special way, or can you go in whatever you want?

The Temple of God is not a store, much less a cowshed. This is the place of the special and constant presence of the Most High God. Anyone who does not think about the form in which he will enter is unworthy holy place, simply does not have the Fear of God, he is an absolute atheist. What should an atheist do in an Orthodox church?

- a man should be in the temple in men's clothing, and a woman in women's clothing;

- as a sign of humility before God, men take off their hats when entering, and women cover their heads, usually with a scarf.

Is it possible for a woman to wear a hat or cap to church?

This is quite common in the city churches of Izhevsk. But the scarf... This is not only a woman's headdress, it is also a beautiful woman's decoration (...)

By the way, have you ever tried to make a bow or prostration while wearing a cap or hat? And did you succeed? The scarves do not fly off.

And I really don’t like wearing scarves, even though I have a haircut, but still the scarf, like a bridle, gets in the way...

That's exactly what a haircut is!

While serving as a watchman at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Izhevsk, I came across an interesting pattern: not once did I have to advise a woman with long hair cover your head with a scarf, only a cut one.

(...) Let it be known to you, my dears, that in most cases, haircuts are done by those women who have two clearly expressed passions: Pride and Gluttony (beautifying oneself is a type of gluttony, i.e. pleasing one’s body). (...) Try not to notice in such a woman new hairstyle- you will make a mortal enemy; praise - you will be the best best friend. And in the temple they need to cover their beauty with a scarf! What are you talking about!?

What kind of humility is there? And Pride is the most terrible sin!

The scarf is precisely intended to humble Pride. Please, humble yourself before God.

Can you just throw a transparent scarf over your head?

And how inconvenient it is when a nylon scarf constantly slides through your hair and keeps trying to fly off your head, especially if it’s not tied. Don't create problems for yourself. Why did you come to the temple? To God or to show off? Choose one of the two. In the second case, you did not have to go to the temple, but to another place.

I somehow urgently needed to go to the temple in the summer, but I didn’t have a scarf with me, so I didn’t go. Aren't you creating unnecessary obstacles for people who don't go to churches often anyway?

Where is it written, in what document, that women are strictly forbidden to enter the temple with their heads uncovered?

Every rule has its exceptions. If we had to come in, we would have come in. And if someone didn’t let you into the temple because of this, then great sin would have done it. And at services in city churches, many women stand with their heads uncovered. I myself was surprised when I watched the recording of Easter in the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow and saw that half of the women in the Patriarchal Choir sang with their heads uncovered. This is tolerated. And it’s not for us to judge these women. But we will always warn about the sinful nature of this act.

In addition, I must warn those who are especially proud and do not want to cover their beautiful heads on principle, that any Orthodox priest such people will not be confessed, given communion, anointed, allowed to kiss the cross or other shrines, and admitted to other sacraments. That’s what I, a sinner, do too.

Well, in order not to create inconvenience for yourself due to the lack of a scarf, do not forget to always have one, along with any cosmetics, in your purse. It won't take up much space and won't make the bag too heavy. What if you find yourself next to a temple and want to go there? And you have a scarf with you. Very practical.

Recently I came to church with makeup on my face, and my grandmothers scolded me for it. Why do you prohibit the use of cosmetics?

Before visiting a temple, it is not recommended to use cosmetics, since you will not be allowed to kiss icons, the Gospel, the cross, take communion and take a blessing from the priest, because:

- on all these shrines there will definitely remain traces of your lipstick, even the most non-smearing one;

- modern lipsticks contain active chemicals, which destroy the thinnest layers of gilding and silvering on shrines and varnish on icons, and irrevocably;

- and it can also be quite difficult for a priest to wash off the lipstick from his right hand, but it is almost impossible to wash it off the handrails.

(...)
About those and for those who make comments in the temple. Very often, regular parishioners come up to me and ask what they should do when they see someone entering the temple wearing inappropriate clothing and/or makeup on their face. To tell them about this can lead to condemnation; not to say it would seem to allow that someone in the church is sinning.

The answer is quite simple:

- during the service, try not to pay attention to this, because your prayer is what you came here for, and everything else is vanity of vanities and temptation;

- outside the service, if you are completely unbearable, you can come up and politely advise the dunno not to do this next time and immediately leave without engaging in conversation, while you should be guided by a feeling of compassionate love with the sinner, but not anger;

- if a person tries to sin, for example, take communion with lipstick on his lips, politely stop him in time and warn him about a possible sin, and then let him do as he wants;

- most best way admonitions are a joke: do not offend, and give edification.

And I heard that using cosmetics in general is big sin, is this so?

It depends on what purpose you use it for:

- if for therapeutic or preventive purposes, for example, with hygienic lipstick to prevent lips from cracking, then this is not a sin;

- if for decoration, then this is of course a sin:

- pride, or rather its variety - lies, since you are trying to look better than you really are, and this is deception;

- pride, since you are very proud when people pay attention to you thanks to cosmetics;

- vanity, when you are praised for your appearance;

- gluttony, or rather decoration itself, since you please your body;

- fornication, since most women, consciously, and more often subconsciously, use this product in order to please men (isn’t that why you put on makeup to please your friends? Although, in our time I would not be surprised by this either.) and thereby deceiving them.

Teenage girls who strive to become adults as soon as possible so that boys like them are very susceptible to the last sin. At the same time, it is the mother’s duty to very tactfully explain to her daughter what passion she is developing in herself, and how it all can end, and not to indulge her whims.

I can still understand those adult women who try to hide the signs of their decline with carefully applied makeup. I can’t understand grandmothers who use bright cosmetics, which against the backdrop of old and loose skin face and neck looks like a clown mask. Very sad and not funny at all.

Any makeup specialist will tell you: the one who uses cosmetics correctly is the one who has no visible traces of its use.

By the way, women who constantly use cosmetics have sagging skin much faster.

My advice to you: the best cosmetic product- this is washing in the morning and evening ice water. Tested - your skin will be as soft as a baby's.

And finally: the most beautiful women's faces in Vavozh - among our regular, devoutly believing parishioners - grandmothers, since they glow with the unfading light of God's grace, relentlessly abiding in their hearts. And no cosmetics will give such an effect.

I heard that women should not come to church in trousers, but there are women’s, very beautiful and elegant trouser suits that are very popular now...

This question is probably the most difficult in discussing clothing for visiting the temple. The world is changing, and what was considered blasphemous yesterday, for example, for a woman to wear men's clothing, today is the norm and the most common thing. Looking around, you notice that more than half of the young women and girls on the street are dressed in jeans or trousers. Those. nowadays, trousers are a common element of women's clothing. This is very practical, especially in the mud, when women wear massive boots that don’t go well with a skirt, and splashes of dirt on trousers are not as noticeable as on stockings. In winter, trousers are much warmer than any gaiters. All this is true. But!

There is a tradition. The tradition of women visiting Orthodox churches. And it provides for a ban on women wearing trousers visiting churches. And no one has yet canceled this tradition. And for now we must try, as far as possible, to follow this tradition, because it is not for us to change these rules and laws.

There is no great sin in the fact that a woman in trousers came into the temple for 5 minutes to light a candle or find out something.

But, when going to church for a religious service or service, try to find in your wardrobe a skirt, sundress or dress of sufficiently chaste length, i.e. no higher than the knees, no cuts or odors, not very tight, i.e. practical and comfortable, and go in it.

No one will kick you out of church, even if you come there in jeans, but be prepared for the fact that the priest will refuse to confess you, give you communion, give you a cross to kiss, etc.

in the photo: Akhtyrskaya Mother of God (from here)
Conclusion: the capital’s priests are trying to modernize the church, but in the outback all communications are held back as if by cement by traditions, which are very strongly reinforced in the popular consciousness by pagan ideas

This tradition dates back to deep Christian antiquity, namely to apostolic times. At that time, every married, respectable woman covered her head when leaving the house. Head veil, which, for example, we see on icons Mother of God, indicated the woman’s marital status. This head covering meant that she was not free, that she belonged to her husband. To “bar” a woman’s crown or loosen her hair meant to humiliate or punish her (see: Isa. 3:17; cf. Num. 5:18).

Harlots and vicious women demonstrated their belonging to their special kind activities without covering their heads.

The husband had the right to divorce his wife without returning her dowry if she appeared on the street bare-haired, this was considered an insult to her husband.

Girls and young women did not cover their heads because the veil 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 veil)

So, at home, a married woman took off her veil and always put it on when leaving the house.

Men did not have to cover their heads when leaving the house. In any case, if they covered it outside, it was because of 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. For example, they covered their heads during fasting or mourning. Those excommunicated from the synagogue and lepers were also required to cover their heads.

Now imagine the situation: the Apostles herald the coming of new times. The old has passed, the world has approached the line beyond which everything new will begin! People who have accepted Christ truly experience revolutionary mood. It is no wonder 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 decorum must be abolished. About this 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 people outside 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 quite often, unfolds a whole theological proof that there is no need to violate accepted standards of behavior.

Here is a passage in which Paul speaks on this topic:

1. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
2. I praise you, brothers, because you remember everything I have and keep the traditions as I handed them down to you.
3. I also want you to know that the head of every husband is Christ, the head of every wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
4. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his head.
5. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaved.
6. For if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; and if a wife is ashamed to have her hair cut or shaved, let her cover herself.
7. So 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 man is not from woman, but woman is from man;
9. And man was not created for wife, but woman for man.
10. Therefore, a wife should have on her head a sign of power over her, for the Angels.
11. Yet neither is man without wife, nor wife without 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 yourself whether it is proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14. Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a husband grows his hair, then it is a dishonor for him,
15. But if a wife grows her hair, it is an honor for her, since the hair was given to her instead of a veil?
16. And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches of God.
17. But in offering this, I do not praise you because you are planning not for the best, but for the worst.
18. For, firstly, I hear that when you gather for church, there are divisions among you, which I partly believe.
19. For there must also be differences of opinion among you, so that the wise may be revealed among you.
1 Corinthians 11, 1-19

In Rus', the pious custom of a woman praying in a temple with her head covered was preserved. By this, the woman pays respect and respect to the early Christian church tradition, to the opinion of the Apostle Paul. However, let's not forget that we're talking about not generally about a female representative, but specifically about a married woman. For her, a scarf can be a “status” thing, a sign of her marriage. Or, say, a sign of widowhood or simply venerable age. Young girls should not be required to cover their heads.

Father Konstantin Parkhomenko

Before touching upon the research question covering or not covering the head of women, you need to pay attention to general principles interpretations of messages that will help us understand this and many other issues.

First of all, it is important to note that the epistle is a letter from an apostle to a specific local Christian community (as opposed to the Council Epistles of Peter, John and James, which are addressed to all Christians). The Apostle Paul received messages through letters or messengers about what was happening in a particular church, about situations and problems in it, and in response to this he sent there a letter in which he wanted to express his instructions for solving and correctly understanding the problems that arose.

Specifically, in 1 Corinthians, Paul wanted to help the church resolve a number of problems that arose in the Corinthian community. There were quite a few of them: divisions in the community into groups, the center of which was the veneration of a certain authority (Chapter 1-4); the sin of incest that arose in the community (chapter 5); litigation between community members and fornication with temple prostitutes (chap. 6); questions family life (intimate relationships, divorce, celibacy) (7 chapters); participation in pagan feasts (8 chapters); the authority of Paul's apostleship (chap. 9); order in the community of Corinth: women's headdresses, holding the Lord's Supper, various gifts in the church, speaking in tongues during worship (chap. 11-14); The main hope of Christians is not prosperity on earth, but the resurrection at the Second Coming of the Lord (chap. 15).

Each letter addressed unique issues that arose in the local community. The epistle is not simply the reflection of the apostle. Based on the topics and questions that he raises, we can understand what problems were relevant for a particular community. Some of these problems have general character, and some belonged to local peculiarities specific community, and it would be a mistake to apply them to all Christians in all cities and countries.

FEATURES OF CORINTH

Corinth was a special city in the ancient world. He was one of the largest shopping centers, through which significant trade routes passed. It was the capital of the province and even for a time competed with Athens for control of colonies and trade. Every two years, an alternative to the Olympic Games, the Isthmian Games, was held there, which included gymnastic, equestrian, poetic and musical competitions.

The city had two ports, its own colonies and was very expensive to live in. It was filled with people of different nations and peoples.

The main temple of the city in the acropolis was the temple of the goddess of love and fertility Aphrodite, which housed more than a thousand temple prostitutes who served merchants and travelers. It is worth noting that women of the corresponding lifestyle walked with bare heads, moreover, with loose hair. In the culture of the ancient world, Corinth was famous for its riotous lifestyle, as a city of the cult of fertility with its numerous feasts and debauchery. In connection with this, a new word even appeared in the Greek language - “Corinthate,” which meant an unbridled lifestyle. When a character from Corinth appeared on stage in Greek theaters, he was virtually always drunk, which clearly illustrates the image of this city in ancient Greek culture.

One can imagine the problems faced by the Christian community in such a context, consisting of inhabitants of this city who were accustomed to a certain way of life in Corinth. Therefore, it becomes clear why such problems as relationships with prostitutes (6 chapters), debauchery that does not cause any reaction from the community (5 chapters), drunkenness at the Supper (11 chapters), and participation in pagan fertility feasts (8 chapters) are relevant for Christians accustomed to living in such a city.

Related to this context is the question of head covering women in church.

HEAD COVERING

Covering the head in public places was considered a common custom in many ancient cultures. For a decent woman to appear in public without a headdress was considered shameful and indecent. It was a similar disgrace for a woman to cut her hair. A woman had to grow her hair all her life and no haircuts were allowed.

This is quite understandable to the residents of Russia. In Rus' this custom also took place. Appearing in public or allowing yourself to be seen by a stranger without a covered head was shame and disgrace for a woman. This is well reflected in the well-known word expressing shame and disgrace - “to be a fool”, i.e. allow yourself to be seen without a covered head, with “bare hair.” Generally accepted standards of decency required a woman to have her hair uncut and to cover her hair whenever she went outside the home.

The Apostle, touching on this issue, also refers not to the texts of Scripture, but to the realities of culture and standards of decency. Pavel writes: “Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is as if she had been shaved.”(1 Cor. 11:5)

Today, women in most countries, including Russia, can walk down the street and visit public places without headdress. This is not perceived as indecent behavior, since modern culture does not have such a criterion of decency.

Moreover, the apostle states that “If the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; and if a wife is ashamed to have her hair cut or shaved, let her cover herself.”(1 Cor. 11:6)

Cutting your hair and walking bareheaded were equivalent indecent acts, so Paul conflates them together. If a woman cuts her hair, then it is as much a shame for her as walking around with her head uncovered. Today we cut our hair and this applies to both men and women. However, if we want to literally observe the texts of this message, then we must also accept that it is indecent and shameful for a woman to cut her hair. Despite this, churches are full of Christian women with haircuts and no one thinks of condemning them for immorality. I want to emphasize once again that both of these actions (bare head and haircut), in equally are immoral and shameful from the point of view of ancient culture.

Therefore, Paul again and again makes “cultural” rather than divine arguments for this practice: “Judge for yourself, is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Doesn’t nature itself teach you ... if a wife grows hair, it is an honor for her, since hair was given to her instead of a veil?”(1 Cor. 11:13-15)

He refers to “decency”, “nature”, calls on the Christians of Corinth to “judge for themselves” and not oppose generally accepted practice.

To conclude his argument, he relies on the tradition of covering the head as his final argument: “And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches of God.”(1 Cor. 1 1:16). Custom, decency, nature - these are the grounds for observing this practice, from the point of view of the Apostle Paul.

Reading his reasoning, we can come to the conclusion that in the community of Corinth, some women, as “free in Christ” from the customs of the world, decided to abandon the accepted standards of decency and not cover their heads. The Apostle is trying to convince them that Christians should not abandon all cultural norms and should be decent people in their society.

This Christian principle still applies today. Obviously, if from the point of view of the culture of the 21st century Christian women look indecent and immoral, then this is unlikely to correspond Christian principles. In those eastern countries, where the generally accepted standard of decency for a woman is to cover the entire body and head, Christian women must also comply with this, so that the name of Christ is not reproached and so that they and their faith are not perceived as immoral. That is, in all countries of the world, we, as Christians, must be decent people and not violate the moral norms of society, if this does not contradict the Word of God.

In conclusion, I would like to note that covering the head in ancient world there wasn't religious rule, and concerned everyday life in society. In all public places, a woman must have her head covered, and accordingly, the same in church. If today's standards of decency in our country required that a woman always cover her head and never cut her hair, then Christian women would need to adhere to this, since it would be decent.

Today, Christian women of all continents and countries should be a model of decency and morality for the entire society. But the thing is that in different countries These standards of decency are different. Therefore, Christians in different countries are different - faithful to God and faithful to the norms of decency of their society, if they do not contradict the first.

Should women cover their heads in church today? According to Paul, in a culture where this is a mandatory custom for all women, this must be done. In other cultures this is not necessary. There are women around you cutting hair and walking with bare heads and this is not considered immoral and indecent? If so, then you do not need to cover your head, either on the street or in church.

The same question, but from a slightly different angle, is discussed in another material on our site -->

Konstantin Chumakov

Here => others

Girls and young women did not cover their heads, because the veil was a sign of the special status of a married woman (which is why, according to tradition, an unmarried...

Going to the temple of God with a woman's head covered is an ancient Christian custom, based on the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: “... a wife should have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the Angels.” The Apostle Paul argues in his letter that a woman who prays with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is also as if it were shaved. The idea that only a married woman should cover her head is clearly expressed by the apostle in the words: “So, a husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; and the wife is the glory of the husband; and man was not created for the wife, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 7-9). The covering on the head of a married woman, says the apostle, is a sign for the Angels, that is, that she is married. Therefore, on all ancient icons only virgins are depicted with uncovered heads, which speaks of the custom of the Church to cover a woman’s head only after marriage.

HEAD COVERING

Covering the head in public was considered a common custom in many ancient cultures. For a decent woman to appear in public without a headdress was considered shameful and indecent. It was a similar disgrace for a woman to cut her hair. A woman had to grow her hair all her life and no haircuts were allowed.

The Apostle, touching on this issue, also refers not to the texts of Scripture, but to the realities of culture and standards of decency. Paul writes: “Every woman who prays or...

There is no obligation for a woman to enter an Orthodox church with her head covered.
This is not an obligation, but a historical tradition and recommendations of the Apostle Paul. Moreover, tradition can be the opposite. For example, in Greece women are required to enter Orthodox churches without a headdress (!) This approach to a woman’s covered head was developed by the Greeks during the national liberation struggle against the Turks.
And moreover, in Ukraine there is a temple - in Akhtyrka (Sumy region) - where, according to their tradition, women enter the temple with their heads uncovered, since in this temple the image of the Mother of God with her head uncovered is kept.
— Priest Georgy spoke about all this today on radio “Era.”
— And when asked why women are not allowed into certain churches by grandmothers if she does not have a headscarf, Father George answered with some irritation: we know about this problem, that some ministers are trying to impose their vision of faith in God, and we are trying to fight it. And, in general, it is better to come to God uncovered...

The tradition of covering one's head in church is not a law, but a persistent recommendation of the Holy Apostle Paul. According to his Epistle to the Corinthians, a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman with her head covered. Since ancient times women's 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, hetaeras in Greece walked with uncovered hair, and married women had to express their belonging to their husband by covering their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husband.

Where did the tradition of covering women's heads in church come from?

According to the instructions of the apostle appearance a believer, regardless of gender, must be restrained and modest, and cannot be a source of temptation or embarrassment. A believer in a temple should be in the mood for prayer, express with his appearance respect and reverence for the holiness of the temple and what is happening in it...

11.09.2014

Since ancient times, a woman goes to the temple with her head covered - this is ancient custom, which originated from the words of the Apostle Paul. The apostle said that a wife should have a symbol on her head that signifies authority over her. This is necessary, first of all, for Angels.

This is where the tradition of covering one's head when entering a church arose. According to the apostle, if a woman prays with her head uncovered, it is shameful. An uncovered head is equivalent to a shaved head. With these words, the apostle emphasized the shamefulness of the clothing of modern women who show their bodies. A man has the right to go to church with his head open.

By the way, in ancient culture the head was covered as a sign of modesty. Hair at that time was considered the most striking attribute of female attractiveness and beauty. Family women they were not able to walk around with their hair down, and were required to wear a headdress such as a scarf. The headscarf was an indicator that the woman was busy and belonged...

From time immemorial, women wear headscarves to church. Even skirts are now considered not as important an attribute as a scarf on the head - they say that it is better to go to the temple in jeans, but with a headdress, than in a skirt and without it. Why do women cover their heads in church, and what is the tradition of wearing a headscarf in church connected with?

The legend of scarves and skirts in the church

There is a legend about scarves and long skirts in church. They say that in the ancient world people came to the temple in whatever they had to wear. And God was not too pleased with this.

Therefore, God sent a vision to one of the young girls and said: “If you go to the temple with your head covered and long skirt, your prayers will be heard, because an Angel will be assigned to you to help. But how else will he recognize you if you are not different from other girls?”

As was to be expected, the next day the girl came to the temple in a long skirt and a headscarf, and when her friends asked why she dressed up so strangely,...

Why is it forbidden for a woman to enter temples and monasteries in trousers and with her head uncovered?

There is appropriate clothing for every task: evening dress you will not go to the stadium, and in a tracksuit to the theater. There is also a tradition of appropriate attire when visiting temples, and especially monasteries.

The purpose of visiting church is prayer. And according to the Holy Scriptures, a woman should pray with her head covered. It is very good that now in many churches and monasteries you can get a scarf at the entrance.

Regarding trousers, Scripture requires women to wear women's clothing, and men - into men's. Therefore, it is better for a woman who is specifically going to go to the temple to wear a skirt of the appropriate length.

In all cases, we must try to respect the pious traditions of our people and our Church, because, as they say, you don’t go to someone else’s monastery with your own rules.

But if a person came to the temple for the first time or suddenly had a...

This tradition dates back to deep Christian antiquity, namely to apostolic times. At that time, every married, respectable woman covered her head when leaving the house. The head veil, which, for example, we see on the icons of the Mother of God, testified to the woman’s marital status. This head covering meant that she was not free, that she belonged to her husband. To “bar” a woman’s crown or loosen her hair meant to humiliate or punish her (see: Isa. 3:17; cf. Num. 5:18).

Harlots and vicious women demonstrated 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 bare-haired, this was considered an insult to her husband.

Girls and young women did not cover their heads, because the veil 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...

Apparently, here we are talking about the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. In chapter 11, Paul spoke about the need for women to cover their heads when praying:

“Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her own head” (1 Cor. 11.5).

The answer to a similar question has already been given earlier in the material “Can a woman pray with her head uncovered?” However, now we will approach this topic from a slightly different direction.

Today in many Christian churches they literally understand the words of the apostle and strictly follow his instructions. In a number of faiths, women do not wear headscarves, which raises questions among some believers: what is the right thing to do?

Let's look at the words of the Apostle Paul together.

First of all, let us remember that Bible verses often cannot be understood as separate independent phrases, that is, taken out of the context of the narrative. All messages are holistic sermons of the apostles and prophets and consist of complete passages - parts...

According to various surveys, in Russia from 60 to 80 percent of the population consider themselves Orthodox. Of these, only 6-7 percent are churchgoers. Many Russians, unfortunately, do not even know how to behave in an Orthodox church.

1. Men are not allowed to enter church wearing a hat.
Apostle Paul 1 Corinthians 11:4-5: “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his own head.”

2. A woman, on the contrary, should not enter the temple with her head uncovered, and the headscarf should completely cover her hair and cover her ears. Apostle Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians,
11:4-5: “And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is as if she had been shaven.”

3. A woman should not come to the temple with bright makeup. It is better not to use cosmetics at all before visiting the temple. The church should maintain attention to service and prayer. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote: “Like a body...

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Somehow the day before Palm Sunday, getting ready for church, my wife and a friend argued: is it possible to wear a light jacket?

“Ladies,” I intervened in the conversation, “you’ll be late for service!”
You, Marina, have a beige autumn jacket, but you won’t wear a white winter jacket... What’s there to discuss?
In fact, in his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul ordered you to dress “with modesty and chastity, not to adorn yourself with braided hair, gold, pearls, or costly clothing” (1 Tim. 2:9-10). He didn't talk about the color of the jacket. The main thing is “to come to church with a heart open to the Lord and prayer.”

- Who would speak? Godless! He started lecturing again... they didn’t ask you what to wear! It’s about God, you see... we’ll figure it out without any hints!

- So help them, believers! You quote the Gospel, and they...,” I muttered under my breath, “how can one not remember Theodor Behr: “The one who doesn’t even listen to anything has an especially strong ear...

Different nationalities living in Estonia adhere to their traditional religion. Among Estonians, the most popular is Lutheranism, which is accepted by 14% of people aged 15 years and older. 27% of Finns living in Estonia, 15% of Germans and 14% of Latvians consider themselves Lutherans. 47% of Poles and 33% of Lithuanians living in Estonia consider themselves Catholics. Islam is most widespread among the Tatars. 51% of Belarusians, 50% of Ukrainians, 47% of Russians and 41% of Armenians consider Orthodoxy their religion. Thus, the most widespread religion in Estonia is Orthodoxy. By the way, among Estonians aged 15 years and older, 19% consider themselves adherents of any religion, among non-Estonians - 50%.

Three times more religious people live in urban areas in Estonia than in rural areas. This is explained, first of all, by the national composition of the population. The largest number of adherents of a particular religion live in Ida-Viru County - 49%, less...

Each of existing religions carries a set of certain rules and foundations. Some of them are radically different. But there are also general canons that are observed in many world religions. For example, Christianity, Judaism and Islam prohibit a woman from walking with her head uncovered. Naturally, there are certain nuances in observing these traditions.

Christianity

According to biblical laws, by covering her head, a woman recognizes the headship of a man. The Apostle Paul said that submission to a man was ordained by God. And every Christian woman should gratefully accept the masculine principle. A woman's covered head symbolizes humility and is considered important principle Christian faith. IN holy scripture It is said that every woman should grow her hair and cover it with a scarf. Nowadays on the street you rarely see a woman tied with a scarf. Mostly modern women Christianity wears a headscarf only in church, which cannot be said about Muslim women who religiously observe the laws of the Koran.

Islam

The principles of the Muslim religion are more radical. In Islam, awrah (concealment of nudity) is strictly observed. According to the Koran, a Muslim woman must sacredly honor God's advice and be pure. In Islam, it is prescribed for a woman to cover her entire body, including her feet and hands, while part of her face may remain uncovered. There is no specific clause about covering the head in the Holy Scriptures, but the clause “hiding the whole body” also includes the head. There is a tradition that in Islam came from the Prophet Muhammad. All his children were girls. And he asked them and their wives to wear headscarves so that everyone around them would know that these women were from his family. In modern Islam this tradition is sacredly revered.

Judaism

In Judaism, every married woman must cover her head. Modern Jewish women can wear any headdress, including scarves, hats and even wigs. For unmarried girl This rule does not have to be followed. The Holy Talmud strictly emphasizes female role and teaches that a woman can only show her virtues to her husband: before marriage she must be completely subordinate to her father, after marriage the man becomes the head of the family. In principle, these principles can be traced in each of the religions discussed - the head is always a man.