Umbrellas

Umbrellas are used for protection from the rain or sun. Umbrellas are also called parasols, which comes from the words "para" meaning stop and "sol" meaning sun. Parasols are not always waterproof like standard umbrellas since their primary use is to block sunlight. Umbrellas are typically held in hand, but can also be used outside in the garden and patio area.

There are umbrellas that are six feet around, and some even larger that will block the sun or rain from the patio table area. They also make smaller personalized umbrellas that will attach to a lawn chair.

Umbrellas can be purchased in department stores as well as discount stores. The outdoor models are available at home and garden centers as well as department stores.

The parasol appears repeatedly in the ancient Persian carvings of Persepolis.http://www.answers.com/topic/umbrella Some sculptures show a slave holding an umbrella over the head of a king. The parasol is also found in ancient Egypt to come in various shapes. The artists in Egyptian drawings used the umbrella to show the social class of the person in the painting. If someone had an umbrella over their head then they were nobility.

The European people were slower bringing the umbrella into vogue, one reason was due to the religious aspects in Asia and Africa.http://www.literary-liaisons.com/article056.htm It was largely due to tourists bringing them back from their travels that they gained popularity.

It was in the 1800's that the separation of the parasol and umbrella took place, with the umbrella being for the rain and the parasol being seen as a luxury and fashion statement. As they became more affordable and more attractive they became a useful item for young women to carry around as they were out and about in Europe.