Oct. 13, 2009
El Abanico
Posted in Cultural notes
 What is a more quintessential image of Spanish culture in many minds than the graceful hand fan? Called el abanico in Spanish, it brings to mind images of flamenco dancers, ladies of decades long past, and unrelenting heat. Despite the fact that its days of practicality and fashion are long past, you will likely find fans like this in the homes of many people of Spanish heritage.
This fan was a gift from Sandra, who has contributed ideas to this blog, and has begun an amazing blog of her own. She had her in-laws bring one from Spain just for me! ¡Muchas gracias Sandra! ¡Qué lindo es! I have since learned that folding fans have been used in Spain going back to the 1500s, and that for years most hand fans in Spain were imported from France and Italy. King Carlos II tried to regulate and limit the importation of fans in the 1600s, but met with little success. In 1832 a royal factory of fans was established in Valencia, and the importation of fans from France was prohibited. Spain's domestic fan industry grew, and there are said to be some 40 factories that still produce fans today. (my source). Much has been said about the way that women communicated with fans. According to one site, if a woman covers her eyes briefly with her fan in the site of an onlooker, it is to signal that she loves him. Touching the fan to the left cheek is a non-verbal no, while touching it to the right cheek is a non-verbal sí. The speed with which she fanned herself was also taken to be an indicator of her marital status or availability. Someone got the idea in the late 1800s to attach several hand fans to a motor and rotate them on the ceiling... and the rest is history. |
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Oct. 14, 2009 - Abanicos
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Posted by Anonymous
Oct. 14, 2009 - Untitled Comment
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