Customs and Traditions: Romance of the Fan

It is said that Kan-Si, daughter of a Mandarin lord, was present at a party where all the women wore masks as part of a cultural tradition. Kan-Si could no longer stand the suffocating heat and took off her mask and started to fan herself with it so fast that no one could see her face. Many women saw her and did likewise and the sound of makeshift fans could be heard in the night.

This Asian legend is one of many explaining the origins of the fan. Historians also include Mayans and Aztecans among the early civilizations that were known to have used basic versions of the fan. Six fans, each with two thousand quetzal feathers, were among the presents delivered to conquistador Hernan Cortes.

Centuries later, literature bears witness to the presence of this accessory among the ladies of the European aristocracy. The fan proved to be a useful item, not only to keep the user cool but for ladies in love who could hide their amorous gestures. This behavior in the large dance halls gave the fan such playful names as the "Screen of Modesty," the "Tool of Seduction," and an "Accomplice of Feelings." Finally, our Cuban grandmothers knew