3 April: Fans

Sally Rand (Harriet Helen Gould Beck), burlesque dancer and actress, known for the fan dance, was born on this date in 1904. To celebrate her birth anniversary, here are 10 facts about fans:

1. There is pictorial evidence that fans have been used to cool people down since about 3000 BC by the Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.
2. How does a fan work to cool a person down? The movement of a fan increases air flow on the skin which not only aids the evaporation of sweat but displaces the warmer air from around the skin.
3. Keeping cool was rarely the primary use of a fan throughout most of history. In Japan, fans were status symbols. They were often made of cypress wood and the number of strips of wood on the fan was an indication of the social status of its owner. There were even laws banning the plebs from using them. A fan was considered a suitable gift for the emperor of China in 988. Fans became important export items by the 18th century and found their way into the hands of high class Europeans.
4. Fans were used as means of communication. Some examples of the language of fans: carried open in the left hand was an invitation to talk; drawing a folded fan through the hand meant "I hate you", but drawing it across the cheek meant "I love you". If a woman fanned herself as a man approached her, it was a signal to him that she was engaged or married and to back off. Letting it rest on the right cheek meant Yes; letting it rest on the left cheek meant No. Putting the handle to the lips meant "Kiss me". It could even be used to indicate the time for an assignation by showing a particular number of sticks.
5. As well as in love, fans were used in Japan to communicate during war. Commanders would use war fans to signal their orders to their troops. Some war fans would also contain hidden weapons.
6. They had their uses in religion, too, as liturgical objects. In the 6th century, they had a practical use – keeping insects away from the consecrated Bread and Wine. While the use of fans died out in Western Europe, the Eastern Orthodox and Ethiopian Churches still use them as part of the communion service.
7. Another use, which continues to this day, is in performance art. Fans as props for dances are used in Asia and are an integral part of the Cariñosa, a national dance of the Philippines. Today, they are common accessories for drag artists. Their fans are as large and ostentatious as possible and used for comic effect to punctuate speech. There's even a word for the slapping open of a folding fan – a "thworp". There's also a form of Japanese comedy called The harisen, meaning "slapping fan", in which a performer gets whacked with a giant fan made from Paper.
8. Another early use for fans was displaying artwork. Artists would paint masterpieces on them and Fabergé fans, made by the ornamental egg makers, were a thing, too. As cheaper materials and ways to make fans came along, they became accessible to everyone. Art on fans began to include Biblical scenes and later more contemporary designs. Now, they're often used in advertising, decorated by company logos.
9. The skeleton of a fan is called a monture.
10. The hand fan is a symbol of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, an Islamic political party in Bangladesh.

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