Umbrellas, Parasols

An umbrella is a device used for temporary shade or shelter from precipitation. They can be made by stretching a fabric or other material over a wire frame. more...

Umbrellas carried by hand are now usually used as rain shields, although their first use was for shielding from the sun; however, as tans became more sociably acceptable, this usage declined.

An umbrella made for protection from the sun, is called a parasol. These are often meant to be fixed to one point and often used with patio tables or other outdoor furniture, or on the beach for shelter from the sun.

The word "umbrella" is from the Latin word "umbra" for shade or shadow.

"Brolly" is a slang word for umbrella, used often in Britain; "bumbershoot" is another.

History

Ancient umbrella history

The term umbrella is derived from the parasol, which was first used as a protection against the scorching heat of the sun, "para" meaing stop and "sol" meaning sun. The parasol or umbrella dates from the earliest ages, some commentators on the Bible fancying they can discover it in places where a shade protecting from the sun is mentioned.

The collapsible and internally supported umbrella is commonly credited as being invented during the Wei Dynasty in ancient China, roughly 1,700 years ago. The Chinese character for umbrella is 傘 san and is a pictograph resembling the modern umbrella in design. Some investigators have supposed that its invention was suggested by large leaves tied to the branching extremities of a bough; others assert that the idea was probably derived from the tent, which remains in form unaltered to the present day. However, the tradition existing in China is that it originated in standards and banners waving in the air, hence the use of the umbrella was often linked to high ranking (though not necessarily royalty in China). On one occasion at least, we hear of twenty-four umbrellas being carried before the Emperor when he went out hunting. In this case the umbrella served as a defence against rain rather than sun. The Chinese design was later bought to Japan via Korea and also introduced to Persia and the West via the Silk Road. The Chinese and Japanese traditional parosol, often used near temples, to this day remains similar to the original Wei Dynasty design.

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