Fans in Spain, Spanish fans. Using a fan in Spain
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The culture of Spain - Fans and what they mean in Spain
 

Instantly recognisable as a symbol of Spain, there's more to the simple fan than meets the eye. The fan has and always will be popular in Spain and not just for the heat.

 

The history of fans in Spain
Fans have been around for a very long time. Indeed they were popular with the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, not only to keep cool but as a way of fighting off insects. The first reference to the fan being used in Spain is in the 14th century in the Chronicles of Pedro the First of Aragon.

 

A feather fan was included in the gifts from Christopher Columbus to Queen Elizabeth after his first trip to America. As time passed by, fans became not just a practical item but an object of beauty with distinctive meanings. All manner of materials have been used in the making of fans, from rich linen and lace to feathers, palm fronds, other leaves and fine silks. Nowadays there is a mass market for fans and not only can you still buy hand-made fans but mass produced, cheaper versions too. The cheaper fans are often made of cardboard or paper with a plastic framework. They make a great souvenir and you will find them all over Spain.

 

The design of Spanish fans

The design of the average fan is a complicated one yet most are made on the same principals. Most folding fans are made of lightweight materials. The material or 'slips' are fixed to a framework of 'sticks' that meet at the 'head' of the fan. The material folds in a concertina fashion when closed. There is a guardstick on each side of the fan that protects it when folded. Spanish fans can be plain in colour, mixed colours, fancy lace with cut-outs or printed/painted with fancy images.

Related pages
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Parts of a Spanish fan
Pictured left
The different parts of a Spanish fan

There are few Spanish women who do not own at least one fan and they are still widely used, mainly to keep cool. Most will have a collection of fans, each to match a different outfit or mood. The fan is also still used as a method of communication between lovers.

 

The secret language of fans in Spain

During the 19th century, when single ladies went out dancing, they were not allowed to meet boys on their own. They would be accompanied by a chaperone who would stay by their side and observe their behavior. In order to communicate with the young men, a secret language was started, using their fans.

 

Depending on how they held or moved their fans, the boys would understand what they were trying to say yet the chaperones didn't.

 

Here are a few examples of how a fan might be used and what it meant:

 

I have a boyfriend
I have a boyfriend and am not available
Moving fast and short sweeps over her chest
I like you
I like you
Opens the fan and touches her cheek
I'm watching you
Something smells bad here - She sees her boyfriend talking to another woman
She touches her nose with her fan
Sending a kiss
She sends him a kiss
Covers her mouth with her fan and looks at him seductively
I think of you every night
Touches her temple and looks upwards
I want a boyfriend
I am free and available - I don't have a boyfriend
Moving the fan slowly over her chest
Look out
Look out the chaperone is coming
Walks from side to side, hitting the palm of her hand with her fan
I belong to you
I belong to you
Giving her fan to her boyfriend
Meet me there
Meet me there
Opens and closes the fan and points with it
I like you
I like you
Hitting her left hand with her fan
I want a boyfriend
I want a boyfriend
Carrying it closed and hanging in her left hand
I'm jealous
I'm jealous
Hitting her dress with her fan
I don't like you
I don't like you
Hitting her right hand with her fan
I'm all yours
I'm all yours
Resting a closed fan on her left cheek
We have finished
We have finished
Covers part of her face with an open fan

 

More:

 
I'll be out today
Taking her fan out of her purse
I'm in a hurry
Playing with her fan
Without your love I prefer to die
Open fan, hanging upside down
I'm suffering but I love you
Dropping down the fan
I'm engaged
Carrying it closed and hanging in her right hand
Talk with my father
Closing the fan quickly

 

   
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