When does a kallah start covering her hair?
29 March, 2006
Question:Hi, thank you for helping us (jewish women) through this website.
When does the halachic obligation for a woman having to cover her hair begin (ie- under chupah, before, after, yichud, night)? Can you please also give me the source(s) for this ruling(s).
Answer:An accepted custom in the US is to for a woman to cover her hair the morning after the wedding, and not at the wedding itself.
Sources and opinions regarding this custom are brought in Responsa Bnei Banim by Rabbi Yehuda Henkin (the halachic adviser and posek of this website), Volume III, article 23, translated in Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women’s Issues ch.18.
You can find a detailed source-based discussion of this topic on the Deracheha website.
Response updated September 2020.
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