The meaning and Beauty of the Veil

February 11, 2014

The lady shadowed in veil

Consider the white veiling of the bride or the black veil in mourning, a nun who takes on the veil or a woman disguising her identity for secret purposes, or even that of a religious woman concealed in veils of various designs and colors.

Throughout history, the veil has held reverent symbolism and status. It seems as though the tradition of veils stems from the ancient European cultures (Hittites, Greeks, Romans and Persians) and was associated with circumstance and position. The earliest recorded instance of women wearing veils is found in the 13th century BC. There are references in various literature describing women in high status as being adorned with sheer veils covering the hair and at times, the face. Looking for the best Melasma Treatment in Melbourne, do visit us.

200s Rome

300’s Rome

As some of these traditions loosened and women in lower classes began adopting the practice of wearing veils, the clothing became more associated with modesty and gender. If a married woman did not cover her hair with a veil, she was open to ridicule as being indecent and loose. Learn how to wear veils on davidthompson200 .

1500’s France

1400’s Germany

1500’s veils

medieval era

American Duchess

The tradition of veiled women in religion came into play later in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These various religions interpreted their own scriptures that a woman should be veiled to show respect and reverence for their Lord. In the Christian world, the veil is often used in prayer and when attending church. For the Muslim religion, it is not only worn as a symbolic gesture, but is also part of the Islamic culture, and in some places, required by law to this day.

Mary with Christ child

Catholic Virgin Mary statue

1600s Young Puritan reading bible

Veiling of the nuns

Islamic women in medieval times

The veiling of the bride has been a tradition for centuries and is rooted in the idea that the bride is vulnerable to enchantment, and as such, must be hidden from evil spirits. Romans veiled brides in flame-colored veils to scare off those spirits. The wedding veil was changed to white at a later point and symbolizes a woman’s purity (virginity).

Ancient roman wedding attire

Red wedding veil

Princess Diana wedding veil

The veiling of the widow has different rules of etiquette based on culture and time period. It seems the custom of wearing black and having black veils stems from Europe. It is quite interesting that every social culture at some point had a set of “rules” for a person to mourn including days to mourn, when it is OK to re-enter society, when normal clothes may be worn again and so forth. I thought it interesting that some cultures wear different colors, for example, in India it is traditional for attendees of a funeral to wear all white where-as in some parts of Asia, they wear bright colors such as indigo and ruby red.

India mourning in white attire

Scarves and veils of different colors and styles have been customary in countless cultures throughout the world’s history.

What does all of this talk about veils have to do with Colleen Houck or about Tiger’s Curse you might ask? Well as you know, Ren and Kishan are Indian princes and their traditions and values are rooted in the heart of India. Many of the customs hinted at in the Tiger’s Curse series include the beautiful clothing of the women in India and of their rich fabrics and colors. Let’s learn just a little about the various types of veils worn in these Indian cultures.

Clothing is never without meaning and even to this day, head coverings play a significant role.

First, there is the hijab. It is the most popular veil worn in the West. These veils consist of one or two scarves covering both the head and neck. Outside the West, this traditional veil is worn by many Muslim women in the Arab world and beyond.

HijabThe niqab is another style that covers the entire body, head and face with an opening for the eyes. There are two main styles, the niqab and the half-niqab which consists of a headscarf and facial veil that leaves eyes and part of the forehead visible. These are most common in the Gulf States. There is some political debate of the wearing of this veil within Europe.

NiqabThe chador is a full body length shawl held closed at the neck by hand or a pin. It covers the head and body but leaves the face completely visible. Most often, these are worn in the Middle East, specifically in Iran and are black in color.

chador The burqa is a full body veil and covers the entire face and body. There is a mesh screen over the eyes and is most commonly worn in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan (1996-2001), its use was mandated by law.

burqa

Whether wearing the veil for cultural or religious reasons, or required by law, they have been seen as many things; reverent symbolism of humility and honor, modesty, beauty, mystery, or that of control, punishment, repressing women, etc. Despite these symbolic meanings to the world, we can see many numerous styles of dress throughout the world today which reflects local traditions and makes a statement of personal values (whether one thinks it does or not).

There is an undeniable beauty in the rich colors and fabrics worn by these women in veils. And… I’ll let you in on a little secret. Veils will play a big role in Houck’s soon to be “unveiled” secret project,