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A mantilla is a traditional female liturgical lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high hair ornament called a peineta, particularly popular with women in Spain and Latin America. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language; 4th edition. 2000 Within Christendom, it is worn by Catholic and Plymouth Brethren women around the world, Mennonite women in Argentina, and without the peineta by Eastern Orthodox women in Russia. When worn by Eastern Orthodox women the mantilla is often white, and is worn with the ends crossed over the neck and draped over the opposite shoulder. The mantilla is worn as a Christian headcovering by women during , as well as during special occasions. (1999). 9781579102111, Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 9781579102111 A smaller version of the mantilla is called a toquilla.
As Christian missionaries from Spain entered the Americas, the wearing of the mantilla as a Christian headcovering was brought to the New World. Fray Nicolás García Jerez, who in the 19th century served as the Bishop of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as well as the Governor of Nicaragua, mandated that mantillas be opaque and not made of transparent lace; women who continued to wear thin mantillas were excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
In the 19th century, Queen Isabella II actively encouraged the use of the mantilla. The practice diminished after her abdication in 1870, and by 1900 the use of the mantilla became largely limited to , as well as formal occasions such as bullfighting, Holy Week and weddings.
In Spain, women still wear mantillas during Holy Week (the week leading to Easter), bullfights and weddings. Also a black mantilla is traditionally worn when a woman has an audience with the Pope and a white mantilla is appropriate for a church wedding, but can be worn at other ceremony occasions as well. In accordance with what is known as the privilège du blanc, only the queen of Spain and selected other Catholic wives of Catholic sovereigns can wear a white mantilla during an audience with the Pope.
In Argentina, many women who are Mennonite Christians wear the mantilla as a Christian headcovering. Traditional Catholic women and Plymouth Brethren women in various parts of the globe use it for the same purpose.
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