The history of umbrellas
It is a useful item that is propped up over picnic tables and dots sandy beaches. It bounces light in photography studios, and is widely used in festival décor. Mankind has used it from time immemorial for protection from the Sun’s hot rays and the rain. Then it became more decorative and ornamental, and finally, even turned into a status symbol. We are of course, talking about a common object we all own and use regularly – the ubiquitous and trusted umbrella!
The word ‘umbrella’ comes from the Latin word ‘umbra,’ meaning shadow. The umbrella was originally designed as a shield from the sun, but overtime, it evolved and came to be used during rainy weather too. The word ‘parasol’ (originally from French) is a combination of the words ‘para,’ meaning to stop or to shield, and ‘sol,’meaning sun. Hence, a parasol shields from sunlight.
Some of the earliest known umbrellas are seen in Egyptian art, dating back to the Fifth Dynasty, around 2450 BC. The ancient Egyptians used umbrellas both for practical and ornamental purposes. The Egyptians also used feathers or lotus leaves to shade members of the nobility, and these served as early versions of parasols.
Paintings from Ancient Egypt also show pharaohs enthroned beneath parasols. In the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, princesses drove chariots with fringed sunshades.
The people of Ancient Greece believed in multiple deities(polytheism), and umbrellas featured in ceremonies devoted to several different gods and goddesses. During the festival of the Skirophoria, celebrated in June, a white parasol was carried from the Acropolis to the Temple of Phalerus by the priestesses of goddess Athena.
Around 800 AD, the royal umbrella began to flourish in Southeast Asia, and was adopted by kings in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Java. The royal umbrella, carried by an attendant, not only shaded the king from the sun, but also symbolized his power in procession, battle, and the hunt. For millennia, the umbrella has been a common symbol of power and status among rulers in a large part of the world. Rulers sometimes bestowed umbrellas on high officials and generals as a visible recognition of their loyalty.
In Burma, white umbrellas were reserved for the king and his sacred white elephant. One of the Burmese king’s many titles was ‘Lord of the Great Parasol.’
A story from 12th-century Burma illustrates the umbrella’s symbolic power. An old king was unable to choose his successor from among his five sons. One night, he ordered his royal umbrella set up, and he ordered his sons to sleep in a circle around it. The king’s successor was chosen when the umbrella fell in one son’s direction. This young man later became known as Tilominlo ‘the king whom the umbrella placed on the throne.’
When the Mandarins ruled China in the 11th century B.C., the rank of any office bearer could be judged according to whether a double or triple-decked umbrella was carried over him. A fourfold sunshade was a privilege granted only to the heaven-born emperor. Rulers in ancient China had servants to carry painted silk parasols over them; to protect them from the heat of the sun.
In imperial Japan, the Mikado or Emperor never appeared in public unaccompanied by his parasol-bearer.
In Thailand, multi-tiered parasols are placed a top thrones. A royal umbrella, or chatra, consists of several tiers to denote the various ranks of royals. For example, a crown prince sits under five tiers, an unconsecrated king sits under seven, and a sovereign king’s parasol has nine tiers. It is customary for kings to not sit under nine-tiered parasols until after their formal coronation. The anniversary of the king’s coronation day is a national holiday each year in Thailand. This holiday is called ‘Wan Chantra Mongkol,’ which translates to ‘the day of the blessing of the umbrella.’
The Asante (or Ashanti) kingdom was one of the biggest and most successful in West Africa. The Britain captured part of this territory in 1874, and the British Gold Coast was established soon after.
Gigantic umbrellas were an important part of the Asante king’s royal regalia, and the king often conducted business sitting beneath an ornate umbrella. These colourful, well decorated umbrellas were large enough to provide cover to twelve to fifteen people at a time!
In 1701, Dutch imperialists presented a scarlet-fringed umbrella to the King of Asante in present-day Ghana. When opened, this splendid umbrella rose seven feet in the air, and measured nearly six feet across. A year later, the Dutch unveiled two more umbrellas;one lined with calico and another framed in gold fringe. British imperialists, determined not to be outdone, responded by presenting the king with a nine-foot-wide red umbrella, topped with a gilt elephant!
Sir Garnet Wolseley, Field Marshal of the British Army, once presented Queen Victoria with an enormous umbrella that he had captured from an African king in 1874. It had 42 ribs and a circumference of 22 feet!
The umbrella usually symbolizes the canopy of the heavens, shelter, and protection, and is often an emblem of power and dignity. It is not surprising therefore, that the umbrella finds a place in the stories and rituals of many religions of the world.
In the medieval Catholic Church, the umbrella became a symbol of authority, and umbrellas are still among the Pope’s accouterments. The umbraculum, also known as the pavilion, is a symbol of the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope over it. It is found in all the basilicas throughout the world, placed prominently at the right of their main altars. Whenever the Pope visits a basilica, its umbraculum is opened.
Royal umbrellas are mentioned in Buddhist literature dating back to about 300 BC. These early texts say that when Prince Siddhartha Gautama left behind his royal palace to meditate on the sufferings of the world, he was shaded by a cobra’s hood, a tree, or an umbrella. Therefore, the umbrella became a symbol of his successful search for enlightenment, and in these texts, he is referred to as the ‘Buddha of the White Umbrella.’
Early Buddhist sculpture portrays objects associated with the Buddha, and often, the bodhi tree, a cobra, or an honorific umbrella signified his presence. After the Buddha’s death, his followers sent small portions of his ashes to other groups of followers, who built mounds over the ashes.
Several umbrellas mounted on a single shaft topped these mounds, and these became known as stupas, such as those built at Sanchi in Central India, around 100 BC. The reliefs on the stupas at Sanchi also show kings, under royal umbrellas, arriving in procession, to honour the Buddha.
In Jainism, the umbrella is an auspicious symbol, and there is always a divine, three tiered parasol above the Tirthankara’s (spiritual leader or teacher) head, which is a symbol of his spiritual sovereignty.
Arjuna, Lord Krishna’s dearest friend, held a precious white umbrella over Lord Krishna’s head. It was decorated with strings of pearls and its handle was studded with diamonds. The Ramayana says that Sage Vasishta installed Lord Rama on a golden throne, while Shatrugana placed a white umbrella over his head. A white umbrella was one of the sacred items that emerged from the sea during the Samudra Manthan, or churning of the ocean.
The Samudra Manthan, one of the best-known episodes in Hindu philosophy, narrated in the Mahabharata and in the Vishnu Purana, explains the origin of Amrita, the nectar of immortality. Varuna, the ancient Hindu God of the Wind, Sea and Water, has a white umbrella that can withstand the vajra, or thunderbolt released by Indra, the King of Heaven.
Umbrellas are an important part of Hindu temple ritual in South India. The ‘Koil Kodai’ or the ritual temple umbrella, not only protects the Lord from rain and sun, but is a symbolic way of paying respect to the Lord, while acknowledging his presence. Temple umbrellas range in size from 4.5 feet to 18 feet and each umbrella is made using the specific colours meant for the deity it will serve. The umbrellas at the temples of Vishnu are only in white and brown in colour. Those used at Shiva, Ganesha and Devi temples are multi-coloured. The motifs on these umbrellas are usually those found in ancient traditional stories.
The ‘kudamattam’ or exchange of decorated umbrellas is one of the iconic events during the spectacular Thrissur Pooram held annually in Kerala. This festival was conceived by King Sakthan Thampuran, ruler of the kingdom of Cochin, as one of the iconic cultural events for his new capital city, Thrissur, in1789. Every single event of this spectacular 36-hour show was carefully thought out by the king in order to entertain and captivate the audience. He even invited members of the general public to give suggestions about how to enhance the quality of the show, and many rituals were based on such opinions.
Originally, the Thrissur Pooram had no kudamattam format – only one set of umbrellas were raised throughout the show. However, the King received a strange petition from the prisoners of the Thrissur Jail, incarcerated behind high walls in the jail grounds. From their jail cells, they could see only the umbrellas of the Thrissur Pooram being raised up and down. So, they requested the King to change the umbrellas frequently to avoid the monotony, so that they too could enjoy a part of the grand festivities.
This petition captured the compassionate King’s imagination, and he accepted their request. He ordered that the festival umbrellas be changed at the start of every new beat, and choreographed the concept of umbrella changing in accordance with the music beats. This unique event eventually became the star attraction of the Thrissur Pooram, and soon became a standard feature in all temple festivals.
An interesting French bridal custom involves a newlywed couple and close family members dancing under a giant decorated umbrella or parasol, as guests throw paper ribbons over the top. This event shows the uniting of two families under a single roof, and good wishes being showered on them. Similarly, the ‘umbrella dance’ is the first dance for a newlywed German couple. At the entrance to the reception, guests sign a white umbrella with colorful markers. When it’s time for the dance, the umbrella is presented, and the newlyweds hold it over their heads as they dance, while guests throw confetti at them.
A red umbrella is used as a powerful symbol in Japanese weddings. Red signifies life and wards off evil, so the red umbrella not only keeps the bride dry, but safe as well. A similar tradition is popular in China as well, where a bridal umbrella shields the bride, so birds do not see her, or let droppings fall on her. Rice is scattered on the umbrella to distract the birds, so they will not harm the bride as the wedding party progresses to the groom’s home.
In weddings in North India, the groom rides to his wedding on a white horse while an attendant holds a large, ornate umbrella over him. This umbrella signifies that, at least for this one day, the groom is a king!
In England, women had been carrying parasols since 1705 to protect their delicate complexions, but in the 1750’s, Jonas Hanway became the first Englishman to carry an umbrella in public. He was initially hooted and ridiculed, but he determinedly carried around what would eventually become the modern version of the umbrella, for over 30 years.
Early European umbrellas were made of wood or whalebone,and covered with alpaca or oiled canvas. Artisans fashioned the curved handles for these umbrellas out of hardwoods like ebony. Hanway made it socially acceptable for men to carry umbrellas in public in Europe, and English gentleman often referred to their umbrellas as a ‘Hanway.’
In 1830, a businessman called James Smith founded an umbrella shop called James Smith & Sons. The store is still in business today, offering handcrafted umbrellas to the people of London. In 1852, Samuel Fox of the English Steels Company changed the basic design of the umbrella by adding the same steel-ribbed frame used in women’s corsets. This is the style of umbrella we still use to this day!
Mohendra Dutt, a pakhwaj (a barrel shaped double headed drum) player at the Bardhaman Raj Durbar in Bengal, accidentally emerged as the pioneer of umbrella manufacturing in India. The story goes that the umbrella adorning the throne needed repairs, but the noblemen at the durbar were reluctant to send it to England to get it fixed. Mohendra Dutt then took up the challenge of repairing the royal umbrella, and was successful. In 1882, Mohendra Dutt came up with the idea of starting as mall umbrella workshop. He soon started manufacturing and marketing umbrellas indigenously, and even went onto receive a prestigious gold medal from the then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin. MohendraDutt & Sons soon emerged as an iconic household brand, especially in Bengal, and the company still exists to this very day. Hans Haupt invented pocket umbrellas in 1928, but in 1969, Bradford E. Phillips an American inventor, got a patent for the first working folding umbrella. This allowed people to store their umbrellas easily, and carry them in their bags. The foldable umbrella soon ousted the unwieldy stick umbrella, and became universally popular.
Umbrellas continue to be actively developed. In the United States, so many umbrella-related patents are being filed, that the U.S. Patent Office employs four full-time examiners to assess them. In 2008, the US Patent Office registered 3000 active patents on umbrella-related inventions!
* A photography umbrella is a key tool in a photographer’s kit, and is used to soften and diffuse the light produced by an off camera light source such as a flash unit.
* Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain used only transparent umbrellas, so that members of the general public can always see her.
* The umbrella was used as a political statement in Hong Kong. In 2014, protesters used theirs as a shield from pepper spray as they demanded a more democratic nation.
* The iconic fictional character iconic Mary Poppins has a magical umbrella (with a handle with a parrot head) that she used as a kind of parachute to fly through the sky! This umbrella immortalized in the Disney movie ‘Mary Poppins’ has become one of the most recognised umbrellas in cinematic history.
* The Frankford was considered the best umbrella for the beach, since it had a sturdy design and wouldn’t blow away easily. Today, it is the official umbrella for beaches in South Carolina, Virginia, and Chicago in the USA.
* William C. Carter of Cincinnati patented the very first umbrella stand. His invention could hold more than one umbrella, and was a useful item for a household where several umbrellas were used.
* The superstition about opening umbrellas indoors goes back to the 18th century. Early umbrella designs often required force to be applied to them to get them to function, which made opening them indoors extremely dangerous!
* National Umbrella Day is held on 10th February each year around the world.
* When Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince of Wales, toured India in 1877, he rode on an elephant beneath a fabulous golden umbrella. As a mark of respect to their monarch’s son, Indian princes presented him with umbrellas made of blue silk looped with pearls!
* Early in the 19th century, the first Duke of Wellington was seldom seen without an umbrella, although he forbade his officers from carrying them onto the battlefield.
* ‘Brolly’ is a slang word for umbrella, used often in Australia, Ireland, Kenya,New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
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