The 13th Duchess of Alba wearing a mantilla, portrait by Goya

A mantilla is "a lightweight lace or silk scarf worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high comb, by women in Spain and Latin America" (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000). The Dukes of Alba ( es: Duque de Alba) are Spanish nobility and Grandees of Spain.

Etymology: Spanish, diminutive of manta, cape.

History

The lightweight ornamental mantilla came into use in the warmer regions of Spain towards the end of the sixteenth century, and ones made of lace became popular with women in the 17th and 18th centuries being depicted most notably in the portraits of Diego Velázquez and Goya. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading In the nineteenth century, Queen Isabel II (1833-1868) actively encouraged its use. "Isabella II" redirects here For the Queen of Jerusalem also known as Isabella II see Yolande of Jerusalem. [1]. The practice diminished after her death, and by 1900 the use of the mantilla became largely limited to special ceremonies, such as bullfights, Holy Week and weddings. Bullfighting or Tauromachy (from Greek ταυρομαχία - tauromachia, "bull-fight" is a traditional spectacle of Spain Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter.

Peineta

A Peineta [2] similar in appearance to a large comb is used to hold up a mantilla. This ornamental comb, usually in tortoiseshell color, originated in the XIX century. It consists of a convex body and a set of prongs and is often used in conjunction with the mantilla. It adds the illusion of extra height [3] to the wearer and also holds the hair in place when worn during weddings, processions and dance. It is a consistent element of some regional costumes [4] of Valencia and Andalusia and it is also often found in costumes [5] used in the Moorish and Gypsy influenced music and dance called Flamenco. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Gypsy (sometimes spelled Gipsy, Gipsey) is a word used to name as a Blanket term, various unrelated ethnic groups or persons fitting the Gypsy Stereotypes Flamenco is a Spanish term that refers both to a musical genre known for its intricate rapid passages and a dance genre characterized by its audible footwork

Usage in the Vatican

Queen Sofia of Spain meets Pope John Paul II without wearing a mantilla. Pope

Perhaps due to the promotion of the mantilla by Queen Isabel II, it became traditional for ladies to wear a mantilla when received in audience by the Pope, though other head coverings for women prevailed before it and for a time after it. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and In the second half of the twentieth century its use declined markedly, though it is not completely out of use.

Irish presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, Soviet Union First Lady Raisa Gorbachev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all met popes without wearing mantillas. Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (Máire Mhic Róibín born 21 May 1944 was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997 and the United Nations WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> Mary Patricia McAleese (Máire Pádraigín The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 First Lady is a term used in the United States to describe the wife of an elected male Head of state. Raisa Maksimovna Gorbachyova (Раи́са Макси́мовна Горбачёва born Titarenko (Титаре́нко ( 5 January, 1932 – Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. (ˈaŋɡela doʁoˈteːa ˈmɛɐ̯kəl (born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany) is the Chancellor of Germany.

Queen Sofía of Spain, as a Catholic Queen, exercised a royal privilege known as Privilège du blanc, an entitlement to wear white instead of black. Sofía Queen of Spain (Su Majestad la Reina Sofía de España born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938) is the Queen The titles Catholic King and Catholic Queen are awarded by the Pope as head of the Roman Catholic Church to monarchs who in the eyes of the papacy embody Privilège du blanc is a privilege held by female Catholic Monarchs, also by female Catholic Consorts of Monarchs wherein they are allowed to wear white when At the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI and the Requiem Mass for John Paul II, she and Queen Paola of Belgium wore a white and a black mantilla respectively. Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin: Benedictus PP XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest or Requiem Mass (informally a funeral Mass also known formally (in Latin as the Pope Titles Donna Paola Princess Ruffo di Calabria ( 1937 - 1959) Her Royal Highness The Princess of Liège ( 1959

In 1997 Mary Robinson's decision not to wear a mantilla and to wear dark green rather than black, was condemned by a controversial Irish Catholic priest then studying in Rome, the Holy See indicated that no offence whatsoever was caused by her decision. Father David O'Hanlon (Irish Dáibhéad Ua hAnluain) (born in 1969 is a controversial Irish Roman Catholic Priest and Theologian The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic

In more recent times Laura Bush while visiting the Holy See in 2006 [6] and the members of Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg during inauguration festivities wore mantillas. Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg ( House of Nassau-Weilburg, agnatically a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon) consists of the extended

See also

• Christian Headcovering

External links

• Historia y uso de la mantilla
• History, Use, and Different Kinds of Mantillas Spanish-type mantillas
• Historia de la mantilla y forma de uso