Thanks for this. Amusing that the first man in Britain to use one - in London - was laughed at. I was born in the north of England and you were regarded as a bit of a ;sissy' if you used on. I still never use one, not because of that, but I just don't like carrying one around. If its bad weather I prefer to wear a hat or a jacket with a hood. The one period I did use one quite regularly was when I was in the Royal Marines and served in Singapore and Malaysia. The bamboo umbrellas came in useful in monsoon season! :-)
The funny thing is that, although umbrellas were originally invented to provide shade from the sun, hardly anyone in Italy uses them for that anymore. Basically, sun or rain, they’re just not very practical.
Thanks for the suggestions! The next time I visit, I’ll keep an eye out for them. I wonder whether they were used for protection from the sun or the rain. Maybe both
Each year in Hyde Park a wreath is laid on ‘Cavalry Sunday’ at the Cavalry War Memorial to commemorate those killed in action serving in the mounted regiments of Britain and its empire.
The dress code is always ‘lounge suit and furled umbrella’.
The umbrellas are carried not in case of rain but carried in place of a sword or pace stick.
When the late Queen Mother took the Salute on a particularly wet parade she insisted the umbrellas remained firmly furled ‘as a reminder to all that these were soldiers marching’.
Wow, that’s a super-interesting detail! Thanks for sharing it. Do you know any more about the origins of this tradition or how the furled umbrella became part of the ceremony?
Now that I leave in the Netherlands, I don't use it anymore, because it's quite pointless: it often rains with strong winds, so you end up either losing the grip and chasing your umbrella, or trying to keep it over your head, exhausting!
Really enjoyed this post, especially in the midst of a heatwave.🥵
To be honest, I hate umbrellas too. The big ones are bulky, the small ones break almost immediately, and I end up leaving them behind everywhere anyway. Luckily, it doesn’t rain much here.
Thanks for this. Amusing that the first man in Britain to use one - in London - was laughed at. I was born in the north of England and you were regarded as a bit of a ;sissy' if you used on. I still never use one, not because of that, but I just don't like carrying one around. If its bad weather I prefer to wear a hat or a jacket with a hood. The one period I did use one quite regularly was when I was in the Royal Marines and served in Singapore and Malaysia. The bamboo umbrellas came in useful in monsoon season! :-)
The funny thing is that, although umbrellas were originally invented to provide shade from the sun, hardly anyone in Italy uses them for that anymore. Basically, sun or rain, they’re just not very practical.
Also in Tarquinia's beautiful Etruscan museum..the .ribs are made of bone...
Thanks for the suggestions! The next time I visit, I’ll keep an eye out for them. I wonder whether they were used for protection from the sun or the rain. Maybe both
You will find early umbrellas made by Etruscans in several museums here in Italy : Villa Giulia, Rome, Rocca Albornoz, Viterbo ---
Each year in Hyde Park a wreath is laid on ‘Cavalry Sunday’ at the Cavalry War Memorial to commemorate those killed in action serving in the mounted regiments of Britain and its empire.
The dress code is always ‘lounge suit and furled umbrella’.
The umbrellas are carried not in case of rain but carried in place of a sword or pace stick.
When the late Queen Mother took the Salute on a particularly wet parade she insisted the umbrellas remained firmly furled ‘as a reminder to all that these were soldiers marching’.
Wow, that’s a super-interesting detail! Thanks for sharing it. Do you know any more about the origins of this tradition or how the furled umbrella became part of the ceremony?
Now that I leave in the Netherlands, I don't use it anymore, because it's quite pointless: it often rains with strong winds, so you end up either losing the grip and chasing your umbrella, or trying to keep it over your head, exhausting!
Really enjoyed this post, especially in the midst of a heatwave.🥵
To be honest, I hate umbrellas too. The big ones are bulky, the small ones break almost immediately, and I end up leaving them behind everywhere anyway. Luckily, it doesn’t rain much here.