Honggaitou

A honggaitou (Chinese: 紅蓋頭; pinyin: hónggàitou), also shortened to gaitou (Chinese: 蓋頭; pinyin: gàitou; lit. 'head cover') and referred to as red veil in English, is a traditional red-coloured bridal veil worn by the Han Chinese brides to cover their faces on their wedding ceremony before their wedding night. The honggaitou is worn along with a red wedding dress. Veils have been used in China since the Han dynasty. The custom of wearing the honggaitou for wedding ceremonies can be traced back to the Song dynasty period. The custom of wearing the honggaitou, along with the traditional red wedding dress, continues to be practiced in modern-day China. However, under the influence of Western culture and globalization, most Chinese brides nowadays wear white wedding dresses and a white veil, an imitation of Western Christian weddings, instead of the red wedding dresses and honggaitou.