According to yet another legend, the "għonnella" developed due to the strict Canonical requirement (pre-Vatican Council II) that women veil their head before entering a Catholic church. It is said that poorer country girls, who could not afford a cloak or shawl, met the veiling requirement by placing a spare skirt over their head, which gradually evolved into the "għonnella". Others speculate that it is a vernacular modification of the eastern veil; it could also be a local variation of the Spanish mantilla. Ghonnella from Italian Gonnella, diminutive for Gonna = Skirt.