A
honggaitou (
Chinese: 红盖头;
pinyin:
hónggàitou), also shortened to
gaitou (
Chinese: 盖头;
pinyin:
gàitou;
lit. 'head cover')
[1] and referred to as
red veil in English,
[2]: 37 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.
[2]: 37
The honggaitou is worn along with a red wedding dress.[a][3]: 560 Veils have been used in China since the Han dynasty.[4]: 202 The custom of wearing the honggaitou for wedding ceremonies can be traced back to the Song dynasty period.[4]: 202 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,
[5] instead of the red wedding dresses and
honggaitou.
[6]