The practice of widows covering their faces has been around for centuries in many cultures around the world. There are various reasons why this tradition started and continues today. At its core, the purpose is related to the grieving process and signaling a major life transition.
Cultural Significance
In many cultures, the passing of a husband is seen as extremely disrupting to the wife’s life. Covering her face signifies her loss and that she is in a state of mourning. It is a visible marker of the widow’s grief. Culturally, it also serves as a signal to others that she is not available for remarriage or romantic relationships at that time.
Some specific cultural reasons include:
Modesty
In certain conservative cultures, women in general are expected to be modest and cover their faces around men who are not their husbands. A widow continuing to cover her face upholds cultural norms of female modesty.
Self-Restraint
A widow covering her face symbolizes restraint, as she is expected to limit her social interactions while in mourning. It acts as a barrier between her and the outside world.
Reclusiveness
Covering the face reinforces the seclusion of the mourning period. Widows are often encouraged or expected to spend significant time alone to fully process their grief. The veil enhances that sense of solitude.
Engendering Sympathy
The visible grieving signals of a covered face and somber clothes are meant to encourage compassion and sympathy from the community toward the widow.
Religious Significance
Religious traditions have also encouraged widows to cover their faces, though the meanings can vary across faiths.
Hinduism
In traditional Hindu communities, married women cover their heads with saris as a sign of respect to their husbands. A widow continuing to conceal her face demonstrates her devotion to her late husband and his family.
Islam
Islamic norms dictate modest dress for women, which involves covering everything but the face and hands. After her husband dies, a widow will take on additional covering like an opaque veil over her face. This signals humility.
Orthodox Christianity
Some conservative Orthodox Christian sects have traditions of widows wearing black veils during mourning periods, though this practice has faded over time. The veil and black clothing historically aligned with their solemn rituals.
Judaism
In Orthodox Jewish culture, married women cover their hair, and widows will sometimes take on full face and body coverings after their husbands pass away. This strict modesty dress and concealing of beauty is thought to deter attention from men during mourning.
Psychological Explanations
In addition to cultural and religious meanings, there are several psychological reasons why widows veil their faces:
Grief
Covering her face helps a widow convey the depths of her sadness during bereavement. It is an outward projection of the inner anguish she is feeling after the death of her husband.
Identity Loss
Since a woman’s identity is often tied to her husband in patriarchal cultures, his death can feel like losing part of her self. Covering up may relate to the feeling of absence the widow is experiencing.
Self-Isolation
A widow may voluntarily cover her face as a way to isolate herself from others during her time of raw mourning. The veil keeps the outside world at a distance.
Autonomy
For some widows, donning a veil or scarf over their face can actually give them an increased sense of autonomy and control. Choosing to conceal one’s appearance can be an assertion of will and independence.
Security
In areas where widows are especially vulnerable, face coverings may offer a sense of protection, privacy, and security from those who would prey on mourning women. The veil creates a barrier and deflects unwanted advances.
Practical Reasons
Beyond the symbolic intentions, there are some practical purposes for widows’ face coverings:
Avoiding Harassment
Unfortunately, in some societies widows suffer harassment and sexual advances from men. Covering their faces helps minimize this unwanted attention. The veil signals unavailability.
Financial Necessity
A widow may take up the veil if she has to travel or work outside the home to earn income. Face coverings maintain modesty while allowing mobility.
Employment Limitations
Historically, veiled widows were restricted from certain types of work or public positions, as concealing their faces prevented full participation. Face covering aligned with cultural workforce norms.
Overtaken Identity
Especially decades or centuries ago, a widow would be expected to remain veiled for the rest of her life once her husband died. Her covered face became a fixed part of her public identity and presentation.
Evolution Over Time
While widows covering their faces has been a longstanding tradition, the practice has evolved in many societies:
Rejection of Stigma
Some women reject the expectation to veil their faces, seeing it as stigmatizing or sexist rather than empowering. Younger generations increasingly push back.
Temporary Mourning
Rather than a permanent change, many widows only cover their faces during set mourning periods of a few months up to a year. They resume unveiled life afterward.
Selective Practice
In cultures where veiling is common practice for women in general, widows may be more likely to continue covering just in public or around male family members, rather than concealing within the home.
Outdated Norm
Over time, the tradition has been discarded altogether in many communities as cultural norms shifted. Younger widows rarely take up the practice, seeing it as antiquated.
Personal Preference
Rather than compulsory expectation, some widows decide for themselves if they want to cover their faces after a husband’s death. More individualized choice empowers women.
Conclusion
The reasons widows cover their faces are multifaceted and have evolved across cultures and generations. Historically, face veiling communicated a woman’s grief, signaled major life transitions, and upheld social values around modesty and propriety. With shifting cultural norms and attitudes toward gender equality, expectations around veiling have eased in many, though not all, communities. When a tradition so powerfully symbolizes female identity and society’s treatment of women, its persistence continues to provoke discussion around each widow’s motivations and right to choose.