The Common Misconception

Although there are some who, in the ceremony of marriage, use the veil to symbolize a bride’s virginity, this is not the historical basis of its use.

The History

The origins of veiling dates itself to antiquity – having been used predominately to shroud objects and spaces that are of importance. Examples include: areas where religious rituals are observed, holy ground, areas where formalities are observed (such as weddings), areas where governance is observed, or general areas that would be defined as “important areas” of a dwelling or building. With regarding the shrouding of objects, only the most important or significant objects were covered in veils.

The Use of a Veil on Women

Since the veiling of anything denotes that which is veiled as important, you can reasonably conclude that if a woman is veiled, it means that her being veiled is of significant value. In religious practice under many theologies, the veiling of a woman is used to underline her sanctity or importance. It is used to show that she exists in a realm that is not the same that is outside of the veil – giving her a special, sacred boundary to her environment. In some cultures, the veil (when used as part of one’s daily dress), is used to show public modesty and honor the purity and beauty of a woman.

My Personal Interpretation

With regard to marriage, it is of my opinion that the veil represents the notion that a groom does not know his bride until she is “unveiled”. If you take it from a metaphorical standpoint – a marriage brings out the unveiling of emotions and thoughts that may have not unearthed before marriage. A second interpretation is that the bride’s world and the groom’s world are separate until the bride is unveiled (going back to the point of the bride being in her own sacred enclosure). Once she is unveiled, her sacred boundary is unmasked and is presented to the groom, in which he conjoins to the most sacred aspects of her inner self. It is at this point that they become “one”.

Closing Comments

Regardless of custom, the use of a veil is always to show the importance of the bride – and this importance is attached to the preservation of her purity and to give respect and importance to her divinity under the sanctity of marriage.

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