# What's up with religion and hats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576 "2014-02-05T15:20:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/21 "2014-02-06T14:09:09Z")
This is a swag just based on my (re) reading of the OP; Some ‘hats’ as used in religious ceremonies, ([example](http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1T4GGLL_en___US352&biw=1207&bih=879&tbm=isch&tbnid=4xD4UjT5b7JBCM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.me-me-me.tv%2Fpage%2F158%2F%3Fs%3Dthe&docid=DHs5xvAkpRNhiM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.me-me-me.tv%2Fimages%2F2012%2F03%2FCardinal-Keith-Michael-Patrick-OBrien.jpg&w=400&h=400&ei=KpfzUqzwG-_wyAG59YDAAg&zoom=1&ved=0CIQBEIQcMBA&iact=rc&dur=3997&page=1&start=0&ndsp=24)), may be more to impress by size and elaboration than anything else, like some military [headgear](http://www.google.com/imgres?start=272&sa=X&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4GGLL_en___US352&biw=1207&bih=879&tbm=isch&tbnid=ace2r_N2cxJeDM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FCollecting-Military-Headgear-Hat-Ancient-Helmet-Photo-%2F370796932588&docid=SLirFz3AsmhtBM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2FBookImages%2Fancienthelm-04.jpg&w=576&h=757&ei=wZfzUvCRLKKTyQHqh4G4DA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=1895&page=11&ndsp=30&ved=0CKgCEIQcMGE4yAE). ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/22 "2014-02-06T14:41:35Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > In Orthodox Judaism, married women wear head coverings when involved in religious ritual/prayer. Single women don’t. > > For Judaism, this is tradition rather than a specific biblical imperative. I was taught (I have no cite) that this evolved from the Middle East, where headgear is necessary protection from the sun and heat. This led to the notion of keeping the head covered as a reminder of the Divine Presence (as per **Exapno** ’s talmud quote. Actually, this is a great example of where the biblical imperative is mixed in, or not distinct from, social and cultural norms. The short version is that if weather were the only cause, I doubt there’d be a difference between men and women, and certainly not between married and single women. The Talmud derives the biblical imperative for married women to cover their hair from Numbers 5:18, which prescribes a specific ritual to be done to a wife who is suspected of cheating on her husband, and part of this ritual involves uncovering her hair. The Talmud concludes from this that the woman obviously had her hair covered before beginning the ritual, so there must be a requirement for married women to cover their hair. Say what you will about whether that’s fair or logical, but don’t say it here, because this is GQ and we deal with facts here. The ritual is prescribed there, and the Talmud does infer from it that married women are required to cover their hair. On the other hand, the lack of any explicit command (“Married women! Cover your hair!”) certainly allows for the possibility that the hair-covering was an already-existing custom that may have been around for centuries (perhaps for weather-related reasons as **C K Dexter Haven** wrote), and then it became a Biblical requirement by effect of the ritual in Numbers. And single women got exempted from covering their hair, simply because there’s no ritual for girls who cheat on their boyfriends. (And ditto for husbands who cheat on their wives.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/23 "2014-02-06T14:49:15Z")
> [@UncleFred](#): > > This is a swag just based on my (re) reading of the OP; > > Some ‘hats’ as used in religious ceremonies, ([example](http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1T4GGLL_en___US352&biw=1207&bih=879&tbm=isch&tbnid=4xD4UjT5b7JBCM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.me-me-me.tv%2Fpage%2F158%2F%3Fs%3Dthe&docid=DHs5xvAkpRNhiM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.me-me-me.tv%2Fimages%2F2012%2F03%2FCardinal-Keith-Michael-Patrick-OBrien.jpg&w=400&h=400&ei=KpfzUqzwG-_wyAG59YDAAg&zoom=1&ved=0CIQBEIQcMBA&iact=rc&dur=3997&page=1&start=0&ndsp=24)), may be more to impress by size and elaboration than anything else, like some military [headgear](http://www.google.com/imgres?start=272&sa=X&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4GGLL_en___US352&biw=1207&bih=879&tbm=isch&tbnid=ace2r_N2cxJeDM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FCollecting-Military-Headgear-Hat-Ancient-Helmet-Photo-%2F370796932588&docid=SLirFz3AsmhtBM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2FBookImages%2Fancienthelm-04.jpg&w=576&h=757&ei=wZfzUvCRLKKTyQHqh4G4DA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=1895&page=11&ndsp=30&ved=0CKgCEIQcMGE4yAE). That was certainly true of the papal tiara, which I don’t think has been used since before the days of John Paul I: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Clement_VIII_mosaic.jpg/170px-Clement_VIII_mosaic.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Clement_VIII_mosaic.jpg/170px-Clement_VIII_mosaic.jpg) [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Johnxxiii-color-tiara-sm.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Johnxxiii-color-tiara-sm.jpg) [http://biblelight.net/pius12tiara-sm.jpg](http://biblelight.net/pius12tiara-sm.jpg) Mitres are often worn by Catholic brass. Archbishops and bishops in the Anglican tradition also wear mitres on important occasions; the designs and colors vary widely: [![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u9JLfSM5dUc/SxROPicUXDI/AAAAAAAAHsU/zaEAgLePhL4/s1600/Katharine+Jefferts+Schori.jpg) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u9JLfSM5dUc/SxROPicUXDI/AAAAAAAAHsU/zaEAgLePhL4/s1600/Katharine+Jefferts+Schori.jpg) [http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/wp-content/uploads/archbishop%20of%20canterbury(6).jpg](http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/wp-content/uploads/archbishop%20of%20canterbury(6).jpg) [![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2qfTf0FSl3w/THBlQIaMTXI/AAAAAAAAAQw/y0OF9PbJL7Y/s1600/Iker+2.jpg) ](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2qfTf0FSl3w/THBlQIaMTXI/AAAAAAAAAQw/y0OF9PbJL7Y/s1600/Iker+2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/24 "2014-02-06T19:11:50Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I’ve researched this, and cannot find ANY codes which say this; only one cover is ever needed. (If you know of such a code, please point it out to me.) What I have found is that some consider a large formal hat to be preferable to a small informal kippa, especially during formal situations such as prayer. Wearing both at the same time is done, but mostly for practical reasons: If the wind blows the hat off, the kippa is probably still secure; and it makes the transition from a more formal to less formal situation easier (since one need merely place or remove the hat, and keep the kippa on all at times). I believe it’s in the Mishna Berura, but I don’t have it in front of me so I can’t give you the exact reference. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/25 "2014-02-06T20:00:08Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I’d be interested if someone knows Catholic pope/bishop tradition, since they tend to either wear yarmulkes (implying to me that it came from Jewish tradition brought into Christianity Zucchetti. You ever watch some medieval fiction and see how the clergy have the top of their head shaved (tonsure)? It covers that. Wikipedia says it’s descended from the pileus. So maybe more of a case of convergent evolution? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/26 "2014-02-07T00:55:28Z")
It is said that one of the great targeted marketing moments of the 20th century was the realization that Jewish women buy more wigs than any other ethnic group. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/27 "2014-02-07T02:03:23Z")
A question and a comment: > [@Exapno (and Corinthians)](#): > > . . . the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. I must have a block. I’ve read the above section umpteen times and still don’t understand what is being said (and rationalized) regarding women’s head covering. With respect to the various hats worn by Orthodox Jews, different sects will have different standard ‘hats’ with the specifics of each depending on which _shtetl_, town, or district the sect originated. For example, we have [various](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPEbGh3Vm4288I_kx-v9hYWH9w1AM_bUwW-IjoohzCYdv6NdsT) [bagel](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs2v00dEBm_Z3KRTTeg0xl-fImyNjyDbbXNOOreGlnPovIsDzZ) hats (_shtreimel_) worn especially by Jews from what was [Galicia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Central_Europe)). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/28 "2014-02-07T03:05:07Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I must have a block. I’ve read the above section umpteen times and still don’t understand what is being said (and rationalized) regarding women’s head covering. The argument is, covering your head is a sign of subordination. Men are superior to women, because women were made from men for men. Men pray with their head uncovered, because they were made in the image of God, so when they pray, they’re raised up on a one to one level with God. But women weren’t made in the image of God. They were made in the image of men. So, they should cover their heads to show their subordination. That’s basically what that passage argues. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/29 "2014-02-07T03:11:14Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > It is said that one of the great targeted marketing moments of the 20th century was the realization that Jewish women buy more wigs than any other ethnic group. Not just marketing, but a healthcare niche too: They’re not an ethnic group, but cancer patients are buying a lot of wigs too. In other words, the ones who are losing their hair to chemo treatments. My wife has brought at least a couple of her acquaintances to her wig lady. And they’ve mentioned that they’re heard (from their cancer patient support groups) that the Orthodox neighborhoods are the places to go. Many of the wig ladies have already increased their business, and at the same time developed special tact to deal with the unfortunate trauma that these women are suddenly going through. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/30 "2014-02-07T06:17:07Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > A question and a comment: > > For example, we have [various](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPEbGh3Vm4288I_kx-v9hYWH9w1AM_bUwW-IjoohzCYdv6NdsT) [bagel](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs2v00dEBm_Z3KRTTeg0xl-fImyNjyDbbXNOOreGlnPovIsDzZ) hats (_shtreimel_) worn especially by Jews from what was [Galicia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Central_Europe)). FYI, the link you have on the word **hats** does not work. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576/31 "2014-02-07T22:23:28Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > For example, we have [various](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPEbGh3Vm4288I_kx-v9hYWH9w1AM_bUwW-IjoohzCYdv6NdsT) [bagel](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs2v00dEBm_Z3KRTTeg0xl-fImyNjyDbbXNOOreGlnPovIsDzZ) hats (_shtreimel_) worn especially by Jews from what was [Galicia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Central_Europe)). That’s it! So, my brother had to stay in intensive care at NYU Medical Center so we spent a lot of time in the waiting room. And a number of gentlemen hung out wearing that first kind of hat. (There was a Sabbath elevator too.) My parents and I had to look at each other, smile and whisper “It’s the hats” after George’s line about the Latvian Orthodox. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-religion-and-hats/680576.md?page=1)