A kapp (,

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate region of Germany ...

from

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ger ...

''Kappe'' meaning cap, cover, hood) is a

Christian headcovering Christian head covering, also known as Christian veiling, is the traditional practice of women covering their head in a variety of Christian denominations. Some Christian women wear the head covering in public worship and during private prayer ...

worn by many women of certain

Anabaptist Christian Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tran ...

denominations (especially among

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

Schwarzenau Brethren The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkard Brethren, Tunkers, or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches ...

and

River Brethren The River Brethren are a group of historically related Anabaptist Christian denominations originating in 1770, during the Radical Pietist movement among German colonists in Pennsylvania. In the 17th century, Mennonite refugees from Switzerl ...

of the Old Order Anabaptist and

Conservative Anabaptist Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and assimilated mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist b ...

traditions), as well as certain

Conservative Friends Conservative Friends are members of the Wilburite branch of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). In the United States, Conservative Friends belong to three Yearly Meetings: the Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative), the North Carolina Yearl ...

and Plain Catholics, in obedience to

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

's command in . Primitive forms of the kapp are seen in the depictions of early Christian women as portrayed in the "etchings in the Catacomb of Domitila in Rome—dating as far back as A.D. 95". The 12th century

Waldensians The Waldensians, also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi, or Vaudois, are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the Poor of Lyon in the l ...

wore the kapp in France and Italy, as did the early Anabaptists of the 16th century—a practice continued down to the present-day by Old Order Anabaptists and

s. Manuals of

early Christianity Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...

, including the

Didascalia Apostolorum ''Didascalia Apostolorum'', or just ''Didascalia'', is an early Christian legal treatise which belongs to the genre of the Church Orders. It presents itself as being written by the Twelve Apostles at the time of the Council of Jerusalem; however ...

and

Pædagogus ''Paedagogus'' (, "Pedagogue") is the second in the great trilogy of Clement of Alexandria. Having laid a foundation in the knowledge of divine truth in the first book, he goes on in the ''Paedagogus'' to develop a Christian ethic. His design ...

instructed that a headcovering must be worn by Christian women both during prayer and worship, as well as in public. Reflecting the practice of the primitive Church, the kapp is worn by certain Anabaptist Christian (especially among Mennonites, Amish, Schwarzenau Brethren and River Brethren) and Conservative Quaker women throughout the day based on

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

's dictum that Christians are to "pray without ceasing", Saint Paul's teaching that women being unveiled is dishonourable, and as a reflection of the created order. Kapps are designed "to be of ample size to cover most of the hair." Women from certain Anabaptist communities, such as the Beachy Amish Mennonites, may wear for their headcovering either a kapp or an opaque hanging veil. The front part of the kapp is known as the fedderdale, while the back part is known as the hinnerdale. The kapp is worn pinned to a woman's hair. During the wintertime, a

bonnet A bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap. Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Native American *War bonnet, feathered headgear worn as an earned military decoration by high-ranking Plains Indians United King ...

is worn over the kapp to keep one warm, with certain Anabaptist Christian communities requiring the bonnet to be worn over the kapp when women leave the home.

Gallery

File:Mennonite choir in Dupont Circle -04- (50565772303).png, A

Conservative Mennonite Conservative Mennonites include numerous Conservative Anabaptist groups that identify with the theologically conservative element among Mennonite Anabaptist Christian fellowships, but who are not Old Order groups or mainline denominations. Con ...

choir, with women choristers wearing kapps File:Amish mother on shopping trip, Holmes County OH.jpg, A

New Order Amish The New Order Amish are a subgroup of Amish that split away from the Old Order Amish in the 1960s for a variety of reasons, which included a desire for "clean" youth courting standards, meaning they do not condone the practice of bundling (non-se ...

mother wearing a kapp, going on a shopping trip File:Amish youth groups at Behalt 12.jpg, Old Order Amish women at the

Behalt ''Behalt'' is a cyclorama painted by Heinz Gaugel in the late 20th century. The name comes from the German word ''behalten'': to hold onto or to remember. The work illustrates the heritage of the Amish and Mennonite people from the beginnings of ...

painting File:Old Order River Brethren women.jpg,

Old Order River Brethren The Old Order River Brethren, formerly sometimes known as York Brethren or Yorkers, are a River Brethren denomination of Anabaptist Christianity with roots in the Radical Pietist movement. As their name indicates, they are Old Order Anabaptis ...

women wearing kapps

References

External links

Comparing Amish Women's Head Coverings - Amish AmericaWhy do Amish and Mennonite women wear head coverings? - Abner Showalter (Anabaptist Doctrine)What is the white cap that your ladies wear? - Pilgrim Mennonite ConferenceTraditional Plain Dress Women's Caps - Quaker Jane (Conservative Friends)
Anabaptism

Headcovering Headgear, headwear, or headdress is any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, decoration, or for ...

Religious headgear

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links