A capirote is a Spanish type of pointed hood with eyeholes that fully conceals the face.

Traditionally Christian clothing, capirotes are used in the Catholic Church (namely denominations in Italy, Spain, and Hispanic countries) in ceremonies during Lent. An instrument of repentance, it is worn by penitents to prevent onlookers from drawing attention to their face, with the understanding that their masked appearance diverts focus towards God through the capirote's religious purpose.

Since the latter half of the 19th century, the capirote's reputation has been tainted in in North America. Following the American Civil War, the capirote was appropriated by the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group formed in the Restoration era that is ironically pro-Protestant and anti-Catholic. The capirote was incorporated into the Klansmen's disguise — a ghost costume meant to depict vengeful spirits of Confederate soldiers killed in the civil war.

External links

• Wikipedia — Capirote