Veils essays

Veils essays When someone mentions the word Veil many people think of Bridal veils. But there are other types of veils around; Islamic veils, Spanish mantillas and historical headwear. The tradition of women wearing veils dates back centuries and it crosses many cultures. In Islamic cultures where women have been subordinate to men, the veil may be worn even today to shield womens faces. Veils were popular in European fashions back in Gothic times, around 1400, and before. Women covered their hair with veils for church or to show they were married. Fifteenth century fashion included peaked hats for women with veils attached at the peak. A Wimple is a headdress worn by women over the head and around the neck, cheeks, and chin. From the late 12th until the beginning of the 14th century, it was worn extensively throughout medieval Europe, and it survived until recently as a head covering for women in religious orders.The wimple originally was adopted as a chin veil by Western women after the crusaders brought back from the Near East such fashions as the veil of the Muslim woman. The wimple, usually made of fine white linen or silk, framed the face and covered the neck and sometimes part of the bosom. Purdah, Hindi Parda (screen, or veil), a practice that was inaugurated by Muslims and later adopted by various Hindus, especially in India, and that involves the seclusion of women from public observation by means of concealing clothing (including the veil) and by the use of high-walled enclosures, screens, and curtains within the home.The practice of purdah is said to have originated in the Persian culture and to be acquired by the Muslims during the Arab conquest of what is now Iraq in the 7th century Ad.Muslim domination of northern India in turn influenced the practice of Hinduism, and purdah became usual among the Hindu upper classes of northern India. During the British hegemony in India, pur...