Everyone is familiar with the sight of an umbrella, they’re present whether you live in the hottest of climates or the coldest. They’re there to keep the rain off on a blustery day, and there to protect you from sunburn on a warm and sunny one, there’s simply no day that isn’t a perfect Umbrella Day!
So, of course, there’s a holiday to honor this ever useful, ever fashionable and essential piece of travel gear.
Umbrella Day celebrates this useful device that has been with us for quite a long time and has served every purpose from practical to fanciful since its creation. Just how long has the umbrella been with us? Long enough that it’s permeated every culture across the globe, and originated from more than one.
The oldest recorded umbrella appeared in 21 AD, in Ancient China. Though to be fair, this really was just the first recorded collapsible umbrella, Qin Shihuang’s tomb revealed a terracotta army carriage that had a permanently open umbrella attached to it dating from 210 BC.
They were also found in Nineveh, Persepolis, Ancient Egypt, and Greece, just to name a few. Needless to say, the umbrella has a long and noble history.
The popularity of the umbrella extended beyond its usefulness for protecting us from sun and rain, special efforts were made to turn these simple devices into exquisite works of art, some of them even being made of lace or lavishly decorated paper, and were carried by the most influential and beautiful people in the world.
Today has revealed even more styles that are available in the world, including an innovation on the already innovative collapsible umbrella. Now they have telescoping ones that don’t just collapse the shade, but then collapse the handle so it can fit in your purse or car door!
Isn’t that amazing?
First, learn this word “scath fearthainne” (you may have to do a little looking to find the pronunciation, it’s Gaelic), it is by far one of the most beautiful words the world over for an umbrella. It means, appropriately enough, rain shadow.
If there has ever been a perfect name for an umbrella, we don’t know what it is.
After that, go out on Umbrella Day and find yourself an umbrella or three that suits your tastes and styles, and make sure one of them is strictly for use in the sun!
