Whew, it’s so hot in here! Yes, in the Philippines, summer or the hot season starts as soon as January ends. Actually, there is a running joke among Pinoys that there are only two seasons in the country: Hot and hotter. Well, there is some truth to it.
No wonder Pinoys always carry an umbrella wherever they go because one wouldn’t know when the weather would get intensely hot. Thanks to our ancestors for discovering or inventing this implement we now have something to protect ourselves from the elements.
The umbrella first appeared in ancient times which came in definite form and function akin to the conditions and needs of that particular culture. About 3500 years ago, records have it that China first introduced or created the umbrella as a protection to block the hot rays of the sun — not against the rain. That came much later. Some investigators have supposed that the first umbrella was made by tying large leaves to bough-like ribs.
In 11th century BC, however, the Chinese developed the waterproof umbrella using silk and other materials. But at the time, not everybody could use the umbrella as it was reserved only to the imperial class or high-ranking officials. Its popularity made its way from China to Korea, Japan, Persia, and the Western World via the Silk Road, ancient trade route linking China to the West. But it was only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the use of the umbrella would gain popular use in France, Italy, and England but reserved only for the monarchs and nobles of Europe.
In the 1750s, the use of the umbrella became popular only among women. Until an Englishman named Jonas Hanway challenged conventions and started using the umbrella in public for decades. The landscape of using the umbrella had changed for the male population of England. The makeup of the umbrella also changed or improved, which, by this time, was done using sturdier materials. Then in 1928, the pocket umbrella was introduced by Hanz Haupt followed by the flexible folding mechanism in 1969 by Bradford E. Phillips.
Today, the umbrella is not only used as protection against the sun or a cover when the rain falls. It has evolved to being used in processions, dance programs and stage plays, funerals, weddings, tea ceremonies, movies, even at resorts and beaches, sporting a variety of sizes and designs fit for the occasion and place. And because of its flexibility and durability, one may use it too as protection to defend oneself against the bad elements such as pickpockets, snatchers, rude people, potential attackers, and aggressive animals. The umbrella also doubles as a cane for the physically challenged and the elderly.
Although the umbrella has become a permanent fixture in one’s life, it is said that we only remember it when it rains. Well, not in here.
