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| Red Head Covers |
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At a traditional Chinese wedding, the bride is often seen with a
red veil on her head. It covers the bride's face. Chinese people
call the veil, made of a laced silk square, red head cover.
This practice dates back to the Qi Period (479-502) of the Northern
and Southern Dynasties. The head cover was used by women farmers
to protect their heads against cold wind or hot sunshine while
working in the fields. It could be a cloth of any color and was
big enough to cover the head top. For its practical use and ornamental
function, the head cover became a widespread custom.
By the beginning of Tang Dynasty (618-907), the cover had become
a long veil down to the shoulder. And it was no longer a privilege
of working women. Later, Emperor Li Jilong made a decision. He
demanded that all maids-in-waiting in the palace add a piece of
gauze to the head covers to cover their faces. It soon became
a fashion among the commons. But the commons made a difference
of the cover's function. In those days, women's faces were thought
of as a lure to men. A husband did not want his beautiful wife
to be an attraction to men. He wanted her to behave bashfully
and look too shy to see men. A veil could realize his wish. And
the wife readily accepted the veil to show her loyalty to her
husband. Gradually the veils became popular among both married
and unmarried women who were eager to demonstrate their virtues.
Veils are not unique in China. Even today veils can still be seen
in some other places in the world.
This custom lasted about a thousand years. From Later Jin Dynasty
(936-946), a veil became a must for bride at the wedding. But
the color of the bride's veil is always red as it is the symbolic
color of happiness.
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