Is it possible to wear a hat to the temple? Why do Orthodox women need to wear a headscarf in church?

While visiting the church, parishioners are required to observe certain rules and rituals. Some of them are currently raising questions, for example, why is it necessary to wear a headscarf to church? Where did this custom come from, which goes against modern fashion in clothing?

Origin of tradition

The tradition that women cover their heads in the temple has deep roots. In ancient times, in the cultures of many peoples, closed hair was a sign that determined the status of a married woman, talking about her subordination to her husband. It was forbidden to appear on the streets with an uncovered head, it was considered very immodest.

woman in the temple

Similar dress code rules existed in Jewish culture, where Christianity originated, and in Roman culture, where the first churches appeared. It is connected with this that the following words are written in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul:

"five. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is the same as if she were shaved.6. For if a woman does not want to cover herself, then let her have her hair cut; but if a woman is ashamed to have her hair cut or shaved, let her cover herself.” (1 epistle to Corinth.)

Someone may wonder: if in those days the wearing of a veil by married women was a universal rule, why did the Christians of the Corinthian church break it, since the apostle Paul had to specifically write about it? There is a version that this was due to the special depravity of morals in the pagan city of Corinth (it was famous for this).

Because of what, the locals considered it optional to comply with the then widespread rules of decent clothing. And Christians, since they grew up in this city and got used to its atmosphere, could also become infected with something from the general licentiousness. That's why, the Apostle Paul urged Corinthian Christian women to be extremely modest and chaste in dress, to comply with all the rules of decency that existed in those days.

In ancient Russia, the custom of women covering their heads after marriage was also in use. According to the ideas of our ancestors, if strangers see a woman without a headscarf, it will be a shame for her and her entire family. That's where the expression "goof off" comes from.

In the church, this custom has been preserved to this day, but has changed.

If before the tradition of covering their heads concerned only married women, and the girls did not wear headscarves either in the temple or on the street, now even little girls cover their heads.

Can you go to church without a headscarf?

It should not be understood as if a woman who entered the temple with an open head commits a sin. For God, the state of our soul is important, not the form of clothing. However, there are also people in the church. For many of them, a woman without a headdress will cause irritation. Even though they are wrong, one should not take actions that deliberately lead people into the sin of condemnation and distract them from prayer.

For these reasons, it is necessary to observe the established rules of church clothing, to wear skirts and hats to the church.

Why wear a headscarf to church

What scarf to choose for the church

In Russia, there was an interesting custom to wear headscarves for services, the colors of which correspond to the days of the church calendar and repeat the color of priestly robes. Perhaps someone in our time would like to follow this. Here is a list of these colors:

The color of Easter is red or white. Women wore such scarves all 40 days of the holiday.
White was worn for Christmas.
In the days of Great Lent, a dark color was chosen. Black, dark blue, purple.
By the feast of the Life-Giving Trinity and on the Day of the Holy Spirit, they put on green. Green is the color of life.
All Mother of God holidays were blue.
On ordinary days, they wore yellow scarves, the color of a simple, everyday priestly robe.

Interesting about Orthodoxy.

Going to church is a special occasion that requires special clothing. What matters here is not fashion and not personal tastes, but the religious requirements for the clothes of parishioners, the violation of which can be considered disrespectful to other believers and clergy.

How to dress in church for a woman, but as a man - you can read on the Shtuchka.ru website.

What should be the clothes for girls, girls and women when attending church?

The purpose of clothing when visiting a place where people come for spiritual purposes is not the same as "in the world." There is no need to emphasize the attractiveness of appearance, somehow attract attention, etc. - if only because other people come to this place not at all for the sake of looking at the outfits of those present, and it is highly undesirable to distract them from prayers, reflections and listening to the service with their catchy appearance. Excessive elegance and even more sex appeal in the image is considered bad manners.

Both "top" and "bottom" should cover the body, and not effectively open it. How long and closed a women's outfit should be depends on the denomination and on the severity of the charter of a particular monastery, cathedral, church, etc. Sometimes you can find out about the required clothing restrictions from the information signs at the entrance to the territory belonging to the church. But often this is not exactly known: for example, if you plan to inspect church architecture on a trip, in another city, then you need to dress correctly for the church in advance.

The site site offers to remember the general principles of how to dress a girl in a church:

For the wedding, the bride, of course, needs a wedding dress. It does not have to be white (which distinguishes it from the wedding), but it should be long, covering the shoulders and décolleté. Parents, relatives and friends at the wedding ceremony can be present in smart, but not outrageous clothes: for example, ladies can be in dresses with ¾ sleeves and midi lengths.

How to dress in church for a woman for christening? For the godmother at the christening, a modest light blouse and skirt, or a dress with sleeves, is suitable. But guests at christening can dress without pretense of elegance, according to the general rules of the church dress code.

The controversial question is whether it is possible to replace skirts and closed sweaters with improvised items - shawls, pareos, large scarves, etc. On the one hand, tourists often do this when they want to see some architectural object of religious purpose, and this allows them to solve the dress code problem. But on the other hand, for truly believing parishioners who purposefully gather in the temple for spiritual purposes, this is inappropriate - after all, you can immediately dress properly for church.

How should boys and men dress?

How to dress for church as a man? Preferably in discreet clothes of a classic style. It doesn't have to be a costume - after all, a costume is needed only if we are talking about very solemn ceremonies, such as christenings or weddings. And in those cases when it comes to attending church on a less important occasion, a man can wear trousers, a shirt (the length of the sleeve is according to the season and the weather), a jumper or a vest. It is even permissible to come to the temple in jeans (of course, not torn ones).

But such items of men's clothing as shorts, T-shirts, as well as shoes such as sandals and flip flops are absolutely unacceptable - all of them can even cause a visitor in a beach look not to be allowed into the territory of a church or monastery.

It would not be right to come to the temple in sports or semi-sportswear - knitted pants, "training pants", etc.

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Do you need a hat or not?

Of course, the answer is different for men and women. A man must take off any headgear (at least a hat, at least a hat) both in an Orthodox and in a Catholic cathedral, monastery or church.

For women, on the contrary, there is a need to cover the head. Ideally, there should be a scarf on the head, which is tied in such a way that the hair is covered as much as possible. However, it is not necessary to strive to hide literally the entire hairstyle under the scarf so that not a single hair is knocked out, in our time it is not necessary - a braid, tail, bun, any strand or other element of the hairstyle can be seen.

By the way, about hairstyles - it is still advisable to do styling under a scarf without an abundance of strands knocked out on the face, and braid long hair in some way, and not come with a loose “mane”.

Is it possible to replace the scarf with some other headdress? In principle, this is allowed - a woman can enter the temple in a hat, and in a hat, and even in a baseball cap, and it is unlikely that she will be reprimanded. In winter, a girl can simply put on the hood of her outerwear - and the dress code will be observed. However, in terms of style, these head accessories are still not very appropriate within the walls of a religious institution. And of course, this is not at all right if you are thinking about how to dress for a christening in a church or for a wedding.

But in Catholic and most Protestant churches, visitors can safely enter without a headdress, and even in trousers(for example, if we are talking about tourists, and not about believers who come to listen to mass).

And of course, do not forget that it is not customary to be in churches with rich make-up on your face - firstly, this is simply inappropriate, and secondly, you cannot kiss icons with painted lips, take communion, etc. If you are very unaccustomed to walking with a completely “naked” face, then you can easily make up your eyelashes and put a light tone on your face. It is also acceptable to mask problem areas - for example, pimples, bruises, etc.

But the main principle in makeup, hair, and clothing should be modesty and decency, no matter what occasion you visit church.

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I want to visit your temple. But I have never been to Orthodox churches, I don’t know how to behave there ...

To begin with, you must clearly understand for yourself why you are going to visit our temple.

Orthodox visit their temples for:

Participation in church services;

Participation in requirements;

Filing custom;

Priest's house invitations;

To light a candle and pray;

Getting holy water;

Acquisition of literature, candles and church utensils;

Spiritual conversation with a priest;

Sunday school visits;

Consultations;

Fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ;

Participation in the repair and / or tidying of the temple;

and very often for several of the above cases at the same time.

Others come to our church only for educational purposes; out of ordinary human curiosity. For what purpose are you going to visit our temple?

Well, if out of curiosity?

Curious people are not forbidden to visit our temple. They came, opened the door and entered. Let me remind you that our temple is open every day:

On weekdays - from 8.00 to 16.00, lunch from 12.00 to 13.00;

Saturdays - from 8.00 to 17.30 (usually);

Sundays - from 7.00 to 12.00 (usually).

If on any day the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, then the temple usually opens at 7.00; if - evening worship, then it usually ends at 17.30.

On some special holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, etc. we serve according to special schedules, and the temple is open both day and night.

Some rural churches: in the outback, in small settlements, with a small number of parishioners, and especially those in which a priest who comes from another locality serves, open to the public only on the days of services and only during services. So it was in our church under the priest Simeon Boyarov. Based on the principle: "the temple must be open all the time," we act differently.

Being in a state of intoxication;

In dirty clothes;

With animals (if a dog visits the temple, then it will have to be consecrated again, because the dog is considered an unclean animal).

Usually in our temple services begin:

At 15.00 - Evening Divine Service or All-Night Vigil (before the holiday and on Saturdays);

At 8.00 - confession and Divine Liturgy (on holidays and Sundays);

At 9.00 - prayers and memorial services, when there is no Liturgy (mandatory on Saturdays);

At 11.00 - baptism (on Saturdays).

You can find out about the specific schedule of services and requirements either by going to the temple or by calling 2-13-77.

In other churches, work and worship schedules may differ slightly from ours, but not by much. In any case, if you are going to visit them, then call in advance or go there. And they will tell you everything in detail.

And somehow I came to the temple at the time you indicated, and it was closed ...

There are such cases in our practice, for example, when I leave for the funeral of the deceased at home and take with me the seller of the icon shop, which helps me sing. In this case, you can come to our workshop in the basement of the former cinema hall, and the workers will tell you exactly when the seller will appear. In any case, before visiting the temple, call in advance by phone and find out when the temple will be open.

And I heard that to visit the temple you need to somehow dress in a special way, or can you go in anything?

The Temple of God is not a store, much less a cowshed. It is the place of the special and permanent presence of God Most High. Anyone who does not think about the form in which he will enter, unworthy, into this Holy place, simply does not have the Fear of God, he is an absolute atheist. What should an atheist do in an Orthodox church?

And in what form should I go to the temple?

When going to the theater, to a concert, to a circus or to visit, we always try to put on smart clothes. Few women go to these places in boots and do not take festive shoes with them.

When visiting a hospital, we usually take a bath before that and put on clean underwear so as not to look like sluts.

Those who, before entering the temple, put their bodies in order and put on the best clothes, act wisely, for what is worse than the temple of God, the theater or the hospital?

A man should stay in the temple in men's clothes, and a woman in women's;

As a sign of humility before God, men take off their hats at the entrance, and women cover their heads, usually with a headscarf.

Can a woman wear a hat or cap in church?

In the city churches of Izhevsk, this is quite common. But a scarf... This is not only a women's headdress, it is also a beautiful women's jewelry.

In Pychas, I accidentally came across a pious phenomenon: young women, before entering the temple, took off their caps and hats and put on headscarves, but they put their hats in bags. How I rejoiced for them; I am sure that their zealous grandmothers advised them. And well advised!

By the way, have you ever tried to bow or prostrate in a cap or hat? And did you succeed? The dresses don't fall off.

And I really don’t like to wear headscarves, although I have a haircut, but all the same, a handkerchief, like a bridle, gets in the way ...

That's exactly what a haircut is!

While serving at one time as a watchman at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Izhevsk, I came across an interesting pattern: I never once had to advise a woman with long hair to cover her head with a scarf, only sheared.

There was a case: at the beginning of the service, a middle-aged woman with a haircut entered the temple, and a large scarf was tied around her neck. I quietly held her by the sleeve and whispered: "Put on a scarf." The woman jerked away from me, quickly approached the line for confession, stood for a while, but didn’t put on her scarf, then ran up to me and shouted: “Here, because of you I didn’t go to confession, you are to blame for everything!” and flew out of the temple like a cork. Who is to blame here? The other watchman and I shrugged our shoulders and came to a simple conclusion: the demon of pride attacked this woman and did not allow her to confess.

Let it be known to you, my good ones, that in most cases the haircut is done by those women who have two distinct passions: Pride and Gluttony (beautifying oneself is a kind of gluttony, i.e. pleasing one's body). Such women always pay special attention to their appearance, they constantly change hairstyles, hair color, use bright and plentiful cosmetics on their faces. For them, it is always not indifferent how they look, what others think about their appearance: something is wrong, they immediately become discouraged; everything is fine, they are given compliments, they are in seventh heaven with happiness. Try not to notice such a woman has a new hairstyle - you will make a mortal enemy; praise - you will be the best friend. And in the temple they need to cover their beauty with a scarf! What are you!?

What is the humility? And Pride is the worst sin!

The handkerchief, just, is intended for the humility of Pride. Be kind, humble yourself before God.

Or just throw a transparent scarf over your head?

It seems to be like the saying: "And the wolves are full, and the sheep are safe," and they covered their heads, and did not hide the beauty? Oh, what a slyness! Is that how they humble pride? But God sees everything...

And how uncomfortable it is when a nylon scarf constantly slides through the hair and tries to fly off the head, all the more so when not tied. Don't create problems for yourself. Why did you come to the temple? To God or to show off? Choose one of the two. In the second case, you did not have to go to the temple, but to another place.

Somehow I had to urgently go to the temple in the summer, but I didn’t have a scarf with me, and I didn’t go. Are you creating unnecessary obstacles for people who do not often go to temples anyway?

And where is it written, in what kind of document, that women are strictly forbidden to enter the temple with their heads uncovered?

Every rule has its exceptions. If you had to go in, then you would. And if someone didn’t let you into the temple because of this, then he would have committed a great sin. And at services in city churches, many women stand with their heads uncovered. I myself was surprised when I looked at Easter in the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow and saw that half of the women in the Patriarchal Choir sang with their heads uncovered. This is allowed. And it is not for us to judge these women. But we will always warn about the sinful nature of this act.

In addition, I must warn those who are especially proud and who do not want to cover their beautiful heads on principle that any Orthodox priest will not confess such people, give communion, anoint, kiss the cross or other shrines and admit them to other sacraments. What I, a sinner, do.

Well, in order not to create inconvenience for yourself due to the lack of a scarf, do not forget to always have one, along with any cosmetics, in your purse. Doesn't take up a lot of space and won't make your bag too heavy. What if you find yourself near the temple and want to go there? And you have a handkerchief with you. Very practical.

Should a girl wear a headscarf? After all, in Russia it has always been an accessory of women's attire?

As far as I know, belonging to a woman's outfit, i.e. married women, in Russia there were not scarves, but special, very elegantly decorated headdresses, over which scarves were usually thrown over. But it was a festive or weekend wear. In everyday life, scarves were worn every day, by the way, not only in Russia, but also by women all over the world, in order to protect the head and hair, and sometimes the face from heat, cold, bad weather, and dust. Girls did the same, and among some peoples, men did the same. A scarf is historically an element of women's clothing, regardless of age, not only in Russia, but also in Udmurtia. I see no reason to make exceptions for girls in the recommendation to cover their heads in the temple. And it’s very beautiful, and girls from childhood develop the skill of humility before God.

Do boys need to take off their hats in the temple?

If the boy is still a baby, and you are afraid of catching a cold because of the drafts in the temple, then a cap on his head will not hurt. In all other cases, the headgear is removed.

Recently, I came to the temple with makeup on my face, and my grandmothers scolded me for it. Why do you ban the use of cosmetics?

Before visiting the temple, it is not recommended to use cosmetics, as you will not be allowed to kiss the icons, the Gospel, the cross, take communion and take a blessing from the priest, because:

On all these shrines there will definitely be traces of your lipstick, even the most non-staining one;

Modern lipsticks contain active chemicals that destroy the thinnest layers of gilding and silvering on shrines and varnish on icons, and irrevocably;

And it is also quite difficult for a priest to wash off lipstick from his right hand, but it is almost impossible to remove it from handrails.

I saw the expression on the face of one deacon who, for half an hour, tried to wash off the slaps of lipstick from the altar cross with cologne. It was very curious to know what he thought of their mistresses!

And the mascara will first of all start to eat your eyes, when you suddenly begin to cry at confession, and at the same time you will look, let's say, not very attractive.

About those and for those who make comments in the temple. Very often regular parishioners come up to me and ask what they should do when they see someone entering the temple in inappropriate clothing and / or with makeup on their face. To tell them about it - you can fall into condemnation, not to say - it seems to allow that someone in the temple sins.

The answer is quite simple:

During the service, try not to pay attention to this, for your prayer is what you came here for, and everything else is vanity and temptation;

Outside of the service, if you are completely unbearable, you can come up and politely advise the stranger next time not to do this and immediately leave without entering into a conversation, while you should be guided by a feeling of compassionate love for the sinner, but not anger;

If a person tries to sin, for example, to take communion with lipstick on his lips, politely stop him in time and warn him of a possible sin, and then let him do as he wants;

The best way to exhort is a joke: do not offend, and give edification.

And I heard that wearing cosmetics in general is a big sin, is that so?

For what purpose are you using it:

If for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes, for example, hygienic lipstick so that the lips do not crack, then this not a sin;

If for decoration, then it is of course sin:

- pride, more precisely, its varieties are lies, since you are trying to look better than you really are, and this is a deception;
- pride because you are very proud when, thanks to cosmetics, they pay attention to you;
- vanity when you are praised for your appearance;
- gluttony, more precisely, the actual embellishments, since you please your body;
- fornication, since the majority of women, where consciously, and more often subconsciously, use this remedy in order to please men (isn't it for the same that you put on makeup to please your girlfriends? Although, in our time, I won’t be surprised at this either.) and thus seduce them.

Teenage girls are very susceptible to the last sin, striving to become adults as soon as possible in order to please boys. At the same time, it is the duty of the mother to very tactfully explain to her daughter what kind of passion she develops in herself, and how it all can end, and not to indulge her whims.

I can still understand those adult women who try to hide the traces of their withering with the help of carefully made makeup. I cannot understand grandmothers who use bright cosmetics, which look like a clown mask against the background of old and flabby skin of the face and neck. Very sad and not funny at all.

Any make-up specialist will tell you: the one who has no visible traces of its use uses cosmetics correctly.

By the way, in women who constantly use cosmetics, the skin sags much faster.

My advice to you: the best cosmetic product is washing in the morning and evening with ice water. Checked - the skin will be tender like a baby's.

And finally: the most beautiful female faces in Vavozha are those of our permanent, devoutly believing parishioners - grandmothers, as they shine with the unfading light of the grace of God, relentlessly abiding in their hearts. And no cosmetics will give such an effect.

I heard that women are not allowed to come to the temple in trousers, but there are women's, very beautiful and elegant trouser suits that are very popular now ...

This question is probably the most difficult in the discussion of clothing for visiting the temple. The world is changing, and what was considered blasphemous yesterday, for example, for a woman to wear men's clothes, today is the norm and the most common thing. Looking around, you notice that more than half of the young women and girls on the street are wearing jeans or trousers. Those. Trousers are now a common element of women's clothing. This is very practical, especially in slush, when women wear massive boots that don’t match with a skirt, and dirt splashes on trousers are not as noticeable as on stockings. In winter - trousers are much warmer than any leggings. All this is so. But!

There is a tradition. The tradition of visiting Orthodox churches by women. And it provides for a ban on visiting temples by women in trousers. And this tradition has not yet been canceled. And while we should try, as far as possible, to follow this tradition, because it is not for us to change these rules and laws.

There is no great sin in the fact that a woman in trousers went into the temple for 5 minutes to light a candle or learn something.

But, when going to the temple for a request or service, try to find in your wardrobe a skirt, sundress or dress of a sufficiently chaste length, i.e. not above the knees, without cuts and smells, not very tight, i.e. practical and comfortable, and walk in it.

No one will kick you out of the church, even if you come there in jeans, but be prepared for the fact that the priest will refuse to confess you, take communion, give you a cross for kissing, etc.

Very often, young girls complain that all their skirts are short, and therefore, there is nothing to go to the temple. If you had any celebration, wouldn't you be able to convince your parents to buy you a new dress? Convince them also that you, as an Orthodox Christian, should have a skirt or dress of sufficient length.

There was one young singer in my choir who thought that jeans really suit her. And what excuses did she not find for coming to the temple to serve in them! The time will come when she will understand her naivete, but at this time we have come to an amicable agreement: she came to the temple in jeans, but usually changed into a skirt for the service. Even so, and then - thank God!

Probably, there is no other such detail of the wardrobe, around which so many copies would be broken, like an ordinary skirt, in which, according to tradition, a believing woman should visit the temple.

All priests and the believing public are divided into two groups on the issue of skirts: some believe that a woman can come to the temple of God in trousers, as long as they are women's trousers, the latter argue that this is against the will of the Lord and are ready to wrap the weak half of humanity in a veil from head to toe, like the apostle Paul.

Women's clothing

Indeed, in Deuteronomy, where Moses gives the Israelites the laws by which they should continue to live, it is written: “A woman should not wear men's clothes, and a man should not put on a woman's dress, for everyone who does this is abominable before the Lord your God” (Deut. 22:5).

The well-known interpreter of the Old Testament texts, theologian and writer Alexander Lopukhin points out: the goal of Moses and God, who speaks through his mouth, is to save the Jewish people from unnatural corruption, that is, from homosexuality, which was in use among many pagan peoples of the world. The Bible points out that this is unacceptable: "Do not lie with a man as with a woman: it is an abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). There is a version that dressing up was also associated with various pagan rites, when, when praising demons, the priests changed into clothes of the opposite sex.

On the other hand, neither in the times of the Old Testament nor in the times of the New Testament did they know about trousers, and even more so about women's trousers: both sexes wore chlamys of various lengths. Women's chlamys, most likely, were longer and were made of soft and thin materials.

The decision of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was convened in Constantinople (Constantinople) in the 7th century, is in full agreement with the Old Testament. On it, the exarchs of the church determined that: "no husband should dress in women's clothes, nor a wife in clothes peculiar to her husband ... ... nor wear comical masks ... ... do not proclaim the vile name of Dionysus ...". Here, too, we are talking, first of all, about same-sex relationships and rituals of worship of pagan gods.

Nothing about pants

In general, trousers, as an element of men's clothing, became known in the Middle East only during the time of the Crusades, when the local peoples saw medieval knights, and in Europe itself, trousers became popular after the invasions of German barbarian tribes on Rome.

Therefore, we will not find any special statements about trousers either from the early Christian saints or from the Christian holy fathers of the Middle Ages, who considered the instructions of the Old Testament and the Council sufficient for women.

Our days

Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, rector of the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk, says that those who want to dress all women in long skirts are mistaken, believing that this is the main thing, but those who consider long skirts to be something unworthy, ugly and look at " skirts” with contempt, “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

Archpriest Igor Fomin believes that it is better to enter the temple in jeans and bareheaded than to pass by, but emphasizes that it is much more natural and beautiful when a girl or woman comes to the temple in traditional clothes.

A recently canonized saint of the Georgian Orthodox Church, our contemporary, Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze), pointed out that a person’s clothing “reveals the state of his soul.” It turns out that jeans on a girl in a church in this context act as a symbol of rebellion, feminism, which is not pleasing to God, while traditional clothing becomes a sign of the humility of the soul, its obedience to the will of God and striving for perfection.

Surprisingly, for two thousand years, Christianity has not developed a common tradition: how exactly a woman should dress when going to church. In some churches, even baby girls (ROC) cover their heads, in others only married women wear a headscarf, in the East Christian women remain bare-haired in order to differ from Muslim women, and in Greece they calmly go to temples without headscarves and in trousers.

Tradition

The tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church is based on the fact that any believer should look modest, not attract the eyes of parishioners, not violate other people's prayers and not arouse lust. Therefore, it is better to go to the temple in women's clothes below the knees, with a scarf or stole on your head.

Surprisingly, many yesterday's lovers of jeans or trousers assure that frequent visits to the temple change the preferences of women - they become more conservative. One of the abbots of the city of Kazan said very true words: "A woman herself should feel the need to walk in a skirt, and there is no need to force her to do this."

There is no obligation for a woman to enter an Orthodox church with her head covered.
This is not a duty, but a historical tradition and the recommendations of the apostle Paul. Moreover, the tradition can be the opposite. For example, in Greece, women without a headdress are required to enter Orthodox churches (!). Such an approach to a covered female head developed among the Greeks during the national liberation struggle against the Turks.
Moreover, in Ukraine there is a temple - in Akhtyrka (Sumy region) - where, according to their tradition, women enter the temple with their heads uncovered, since in this temple the image of the Mother of God with her head uncovered is kept.
- Priest Georgiy told about all this today on radio "Era".
- And when asked why grandmothers don’t let women into certain churches if she doesn’t have a headscarf, Father George answered with some irritation : we know about this problem, that some servants are trying to impose their vision of faith in God, and we are trying to fight it. And, in general, it is better to come to God with an uncovered head than to pass by - he concluded.
This is how one of the canons of the external rite suddenly collapses: it turns out that in a number of Orthodox denominations and even in some churches, women are required to enter with their heads uncovered. And in general, adherence to such strictness can harm the Church.

Here is the development of this vision of the gender problem:

It's funny to hear: it turns out that covering the woman's head in the temple is just "Recommended by the Apostle Paul"

By the way, where there is a tradition, there are always magical or witchcraft explanations for this tradition: one of the "folk" explanations for the need for women to cover their heads in the temple:
"It has long been known that hair has great power (something from relatives of magic). And the longer the hair, the greater the power. There is even such a belief that if a woman makes a wish and at that time combs her hair with five of her fingers, then the wish will come true. . Naturally, men do not have this, they are short-haired. Not for nothing in the Middle Ages, a woman with long, thick and beautiful hair was considered a witch and burned at the stake. And since the strength and power of our Lord is much greater than female strength, then entering the temple in a headscarf, a woman shows God that she obeys His will and pacifies her desires and passions before Him. Since, according to church laws, only a married woman can know passion, therefore, it is she who must enter the temple in a headscarf. Although, at present, some temples require that even little girls enter the temple with their heads covered." (from here)

Well, some advice to women (under the cut) of the site of the rural Orthodox church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vavozh, Udmurtia. - very useful for understanding the equality of men and women and seeing the place of women in the Orthodox world
But first, the surprise of the priest, the author of advice on what and why a woman should wear when she goes to church: “I myself was surprised when I looked at Easter in the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow and saw that half of the women in the Patriarchal choir they sang with their heads uncovered. This is allowed. And it is not for us to judge these women. But we will always warn about the sinful nature of this act".

Sorry for such an abundant citation, the text itself is very interesting, so I could not resist

And I heard that to visit the temple you need to somehow dress in a special way, or can you go in anything?

- a man should stay in the temple in men's clothes, and a woman in women's;

- as a sign of humility before God, men take off their hats at the entrance, and women cover their heads, usually with a scarf.

Can a woman wear a hat or cap in church?

In the city churches of Izhevsk, this is quite common. But a scarf... This is not only a women's headdress, it is also a beautiful women's jewelry (...)

By the way, have you ever tried to bow or prostrate in a cap or hat? And did you succeed? The dresses don't fall off.

And I really don’t like to wear headscarves, although I have a haircut, but all the same, a handkerchief, like a bridle, gets in the way ...

That's exactly what a haircut is!

(...) Let it be known to you, my good ones, that in most cases the haircut is done by those women who have two distinct passions: Pride and Gluttony (decorating oneself is a kind of gluttony, i.e. pleasing one's body). (...) Try not to notice a new hairstyle in such a woman - you will make a mortal enemy; praise - you will be the best friend. And in the temple they need to cover their beauty with a scarf! What are you!?

What is the humility? And Pride is the worst sin!

The handkerchief, just, is intended for the humility of Pride. Be kind, humble yourself before God.

Or just throw a transparent scarf over your head?

And where is it written, in what kind of document, that women are strictly forbidden to enter the temple with their heads uncovered?

Recently, I came to the temple with makeup on my face, and my grandmothers scolded me for it. Why do you ban the use of cosmetics?

Before visiting the temple, it is not recommended to use cosmetics, as you will not be allowed to kiss the icons, the Gospel, the cross, take communion and take a blessing from the priest, because:

- on all these shrines there will definitely be traces of your lipstick, even the most non-staining one;

- modern lipsticks contain active chemicals that destroy the thinnest layers of gilding and silvering on shrines and lacquer on icons, and irrevocably;

- and it is also quite difficult for a priest to wash off lipstick from his right hand, but it is almost impossible to remove it from handrails.

(...)
About those and for those who make comments in the temple. Very often regular parishioners come up to me and ask what they should do when they see someone entering the temple in inappropriate clothing and / or with makeup on their face. To tell them about it - you can fall into condemnation, not to say - it seems to allow that someone in the temple sins.

The answer is quite simple:

- during the service, try not to pay attention to this, because your prayer is what you came here for, and everything else is vanity and temptation;

- outside the service, if you are completely unbearable, you can come up and politely advise the stranger next time not to do this and immediately leave without entering into a conversation, while you should be guided by a feeling of compassionate love for the sinner, but not anger;

- if a person tries to sin, for example, with lipstick on his lips to take communion, politely stop him in time and warn him of a possible sin, and then let him do as he wants;

- The best way to exhort is a joke: do not offend, and give edification.

And I heard that wearing cosmetics in general is a big sin, is that so?

For what purpose are you using it:

- if for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes, for example, hygienic lipstick so that the lips do not crack, then this is not a sin;

- if for decoration, then this is of course a sin:

- pride, or rather its varieties - lies, since you are trying to look better than you really are, and this is a deception;

- pride, because you are very proud when, thanks to cosmetics, they pay attention to you;

- vanity, when you are praised for your appearance;

- gluttony, or rather the actual embellishment, since you please your body;

- fornication, since most women, where consciously, and more often subconsciously, use this tool in order to please men (isn't it for the same that you put on make-up to please your girlfriends? Although, in our time, I won't be surprised at this either.) and thereby seduce them.

Any make-up specialist will tell you: the one who has no visible traces of its use uses cosmetics correctly.

By the way, in women who constantly use cosmetics, the skin sags much faster.

My advice to you: the best cosmetic product is washing in the morning and evening with ice water. Checked - the skin will be tender like a baby's.

I heard that women are not allowed to come to the temple in trousers, but there are women's, very beautiful and elegant trouser suits that are very popular now ...

There is no great sin in the fact that a woman in trousers went into the temple for 5 minutes to light a candle or learn something.

No one will kick you out of the church, even if you come there in jeans, but be prepared for the fact that the priest will refuse to confess you, take communion, give you a cross for kissing, etc.

in the photo: Mother of God of Akhtyrskaya (from here)
Conclusion: the metropolitan priests are trying to modernize the church, and in the outback all communications are held back like cement by traditions, which are very strongly supported in the minds of the people by pagan ideas.