Playing the Pipes for Easter Sunrise Service

[Jack Daw]

Is this "sunrise" service inside the church or outside? When I've piped during a service, I'm uncomfortable about wearing a hat inside a church because some of the believers may not like it. So, I don't do it no matter whatever else I am wearing. You may want to consider this.

[Prester John]

I'm uncomfortable about wearing a hat inside a church because some of the believers may not like it...

I hear you. Funny how offended folks can get if a man wears a hat in church.

I visited the big catholic Cathedral in St. Louis and saw a sign requesting that men remove their hats in Church, but not one requesting that women cover their heads in Church.

Fair is fair after all.

[McClef]

Keeping this purely to custom and tradition rather than religion as such...

It's based upon something that St Paul wrote in I Corinthians and at the time culturally it must have been considered a distraction. Head covering didn't require a hat, which were a later development in any case, but today a hat is considered as a head covering.

For some reason the wearing of male headgear in a church became limited to the clergy - mitres, birettas etc. in both eastern and western traditions and therefore the male laity were expected to remove any headgear upon entering.

There were some groupings that allowed male hats - the Puritans and the Quakers wore them for example but that declined with time also. It's only fairly recently when headgear for ladies was seen as optional in many traditions.

When it comes to highland wear it would still be the tradition to remove head coverings, even if piping, before entry and that is certainly the practice in the UK armed forces for all uniformed personnel to remove hats even when a Church Parade is held in the open air.

It's less an issue of fairness than respect.

[macwilkin]

Keeping this purely to custom and tradition rather than religion as such...

It's based upon something that St Paul wrote in I Corinthians and at the time culturally it must have been considered a distraction. Head covering didn't require a hat, which were a later development in any case, but today a hat is considered as a head covering.

For some reason the wearing of male headgear in a church became limited to the clergy - mitres, birettas etc. in both eastern and western traditions and therefore the male laity were expected to remove any headgear upon entering.

There were some groupings that allowed male hats - the Puritans and the Quakers wore them for example but that declined with time also. It's only fairly recently when headgear for ladies was seen as optional in many traditions.

When it comes to highland wear it would still be the tradition to remove head coverings, even if piping, before entry and that is certainly the practice in the UK armed forces for all uniformed personnel to remove hats even when a Church Parade is held in the open air.

It's less an issue of fairness than respect.

I suppose it depeneds on your definition of a "church parade", but in 1968, when the Cameronians chose to disband, one last conventicle was held at Douglas, where the regiment was raised in 1689. I have seen pictures and even films from this event, and in it, the Cameronians are wearing their hats on parade:

http://www.community-council.org.uk/...onventicle.jpg

It's always been my understanding that bonnets/headgear are worn on parade to the church, then removed. Several photos on google images seem to confirm this -- perhaps our own Nervous Jock could weigh on this subject, since he is a serving TA officer?

T.

[McClef]

I apologise for not expressing myself better.

Of course hats are worn on the parade part but they are removed at the start of any service and replaced when the service ends.

I am not sure what is usual for females in the armed services though but I expect it would follow conventions as in a church.

I must take a closer look at the next televised one to check that out! Such services are not compulsory to attend but those who go will then observe the conventions.

[macwilkin]

There are some laity, btw, who do wear headgear in church -- in the Anglican tradition, a Verger may wear a bonnet or cap as part of their attire, although not all do -- I usually do not wear one when I am on duty.

Trefor: No need to apologise.

T.

[Galician]

Since I'm not familiar with the post I am assuming, but if the Verger is the one who keeps order in the congregation, that would be a vestige of the minor order of porter, hence he would have orginally been counted among the clergy.

[macwilkin]

Since I'm not familiar with the post I am assuming, but if the Verger is the one who keeps order in the congregation, that would be a vestige of the minor order of porter, hence he would have orginally been counted among the clergy.

From the Verger's Guild of the Episcopal Church:

A verger is a committed lay minister within the Church who assists the clergy in the conduct of public worship, especially in the marshalling of processions. Vergers can be full-time or part-time, paid or volunteer. Their duties can be purely ceremonial or include other responsibilities, such as parish administration, leadership of the worship committee or sexton.

A brief history of Vergers

The office of verger has its roots in the earliest days of the Church's history. It shares certain similarities with the former minor orders of porter and acolyte. Generally speaking, vergers were responsible for the order and upkeep of the house of worship, including preparations for the liturgy, the conduct of the laity, and grave-digging. Although there is no definitive historical survey of the office of verger, evidence from Rochester, Lincoln, Exeter, and Salisbury Cathedrals indicates the existence of vergers as far back as the 16th century. A familiar sight in English cathedrals, vergers have maintained the buildings and furnishings of the Church for many centuries.

--www.vergers.org

When I explain what a verger is to the general public, I make the comparison to a mace-bearer at a graduation ceremony.

T.

[Galician]

For some reason the wearing of male headgear in a church became limited to the clergy - mitres, birettas etc. in both eastern and western traditions and therefore the male laity were expected to remove any headgear upon entering.

Birettas and skull caps were accepted headwear by the clergy since they would have been tonsured. This originally was a true shaving of the head, except for the corona(crown) of hair, which didn't go all the way around for most men.

When spending long periods of time in an unheated church, a totally bare head can lead to frequent illness.

Mitres are another matter. They are the equivalent of a royal crown, thus appropriate to being worn throughout the service at which a bishop presides.

[Frank McGrath]

[QUOTE=Prester John;514531]I hear you. Funny how offended folks can get if a man wears a hat in church.

QUOTE]I don't even wear a baseball cap in the building on work days. Something I got from my father, I guess. His ruld was NEVER wear a hat inside a building. I wore a hat to dinner (at home) one day. I have never partaken of food since, indoors or outdoors wearing a hat since then.