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To: kosta50

Do Eastern Orthodox women wear head coverings to the Divine Liturgy?


3,751 posted on 03/19/2006 5:12:52 AM PST by Pyro7480 (Sancte Joseph, terror daemonum, ora pro nobis!)
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To: Pyro7480; kosta50; Kolokotronis; Forest Keeper

"Do Eastern Orthodox women wear head coverings to the Divine Liturgy?"

It varies, as does the tradition of men being on the right and women on the left. It is more common in the "old countries", and in the West, varies between various jurisdictions and traditions.

I've been to a Serbian parish where the men on right and women on left was adhered to, but no women covered their heads. I've been to OCA parishes where nearly all women cover their heads, but where men and women stand mixed together.

In more traditional parishes, all women have their heads covered. In more modern parishes, especially in America, often none do. Kolokotronis can correct me, but in the Greek churches, head covering is considered to be an old country peasant thing -- there, one generally finds only non-Greeks covering their heads, since they don't have those same concerns and associations. In our parish, I would estimate that perhaps 30-40% of the women who regularly attend cover their heads. The ones who do are our native Alaskan women and converts, with the exception of one younger Greek woman.

It has been pointed out that St. Paul said "ought," not "must" in this regard. My wife says that it has a significant and powerful spiritual effect on her to cover her head in church. I have to take her word for it. I stay out of it.


3,756 posted on 03/19/2006 11:10:49 AM PST by Agrarian
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To: Pyro7480
Do Eastern Orthodox women wear head coverings to the Divine Liturgy?

No they don't. If they do, they are Russian; and they won't be doing it for too long for sure. The Russian Church is probably the only Orthodox Church that has not thrown out a part of the NT because it is not "suitable" or "fashionable" or "equitable" or some other nonsense that has come from the West and has infected the East.

3,762 posted on 03/19/2006 12:09:21 PM PST by kosta50 (Eastern Orthodoxy is pure Christianity)
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