What are Church Hats
Believe it or not, church hats are much more than just simple accessories that complement the Sunday look. For the longest possible time now, they’ve been an essential part of the lives of churchgoers. Whether you’ve been wearing it without a miss or you haven’t considered buying one yet, one thing that you must know is that these church hats hold great significance of culture and spirituality. So, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the church hat history, this post is all about shedding light on its deep roots.
History
In the early 1910s, women started using chapel veils to cover their heads. With the development of the 20th century, this custom became so prominent that it was considered a principal in church culture. By the 1950s, older women were expected to wear hats while going to church. At this particular time, fancy hats were garnering more popularity in African American churches.
Spiritual significance
According to the Bible, it’s a norm for women to cover their heads while visiting the church. It’s considered a sort of a symbol to respect God, their husbands and themselves as well. Not just that, but wearing hats also encourages women to adorn their femininity with pride. Over the decades women have further developed this culture so much that today, elaborative and gorgeous designs can be found seamlessly.
Cultural Significance
For the African American society, the concept of Sunday church symbolizes gratitude, love, change and hope. For as long as time, every Sunday was dedicated to worshiping their God. Today, the practice hasn’t gone unnoticed. Instead, women have discovered the best dresses for Sunday visit to the church. By wearing elaborative outfits, they feel honored. These hats were made of varied material, like feathers, flowers, ribbons, straws, and more. Therefore, wearing them seems like a symbol of identity that stimulates joy and pride.
A Symbol of Success
With the evolvement in time, the hats for church developed into success and class. People belonging to the growing middle class started wearing more elaborative and colorful hats with unconventional designs, with an objective to display their economic progress. This evolution was also followed by hoses, gloves, and other similar accessories.
Beautification
For African American women, Mother’s Day and Easter are considered to be the primary hat days. To celebrate these two specific occasions, women take extra time to buy unique and gorgeous church hats. Irrespective of the age, the diversity of designs can be seen easily on every Sunday. Women aren’t lagging when it comes to hat collection. They own each and every color to match their shoe or outfit. In their closets, hats with different colors, designs, and sizes can be found.
Catching God’s Eye
African American women used to wear flamboyant hats made from bright colored materials. Although they wanted to admire God, obey the rules and complement their outfits, they also wanted to catch God’s eye through exquisite and beautiful designs. In the hope of reaching heaven somehow, they wore hats as a gesture of silent prayers.