Oooh boy, have I got a touchy question. I’ve seen some relilgious head covering (at least I am assuming that’s what they are) and am curious as to what exactly they are but do not know any way of simply asking about them without sounding bad.
Some I’ve seen on hispanic women (I think mostly from Central America, if that makes any difference) that … well, to be frank, they look like the antimacasscar linen tatted cloths that people used to put on the arms and backs of chairs. It’s lacy, a bit like a mantilla but looks more like an armchair arm covering. If that makes any sense.
Then there is a lady I see on the bus nearly every morning; she wears what looks like a lacy covering that has a beaded fringe on it. This too looked more like some sore of tablecloth but could possibly be a muslim/middleeastern style head covering.
I am merely curious but will admit that the style is disarming to me personally. And of course I don’t have anywhere else to turn to to try to find out (what would I google, emm? LOL). So … help me Obi wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope!
WAG: A lot of Latin-Americans are traditionally Catholic, and may therefore cover their head to be decent (there’s a part in one of the Pauline letters about women being decent in church, meaning "not being dressed up with jewels or make-up). Up till the 50s and 60s, it was tradtional here, too, for decent women to wear kerchiefs on their head when leaving the house, just as the men wore hats.
In a hot climate, these kerchiefs wouldn’t be woolen like our winter ones, but lacy and thin, so the women wouldn’t be bothered too much.
I’ve seen it in Seville, Spain, but it was Good Friday and everyone was dressed in traditional mourning for Church. I haven’t see it worn as an everyday garment.
Thanks for the answers. Huh, there probably isn’t a “true” answer to these questions; it’s possibly more an opinion but it was worth asking about, at least to me.
I think the guess about it being like a mantilla is probably part of it. These women wear it every day, though, not just to church. Years ago, I did ask a co-worker about her head scarf; according to her, there wasn’t any particular kind of fabric or style of scarf (I had commented on hers, which was very stylish and pretty) and in fact, she told me that she’d gotten the one she was wearing from Neiman-Marcus (or another posh store whose name escapes me right now). And it seems natural that someone from a warm climate would wear a lighter-weight scarf.
Very interesting, at least to me! I’m sorry that I can’t explain my fascination with this, other than to just admit it must be one of my quirky quirks.
A slight hijack - because I think this is a very good idea and should be supported: for people who want to cover their head not for religious or traditional reasons, but climate (it’s cold) there’s Capsters. Their philosophy is
So if you want to cover your head, ears and neck while jogging, surfing (Lycra) or skiing (warm fleece), you can wear a headscarf that’s modern and fashionable. And help young Muslimas face less discrimantion by blurring the line of “women who wear headscarves are terrorists”.
