Fan
February 16, 2008 – 9:16 pm
The fan induces airflow and refreshes it. Generally the surfaces of the fans are broad and flat so as to whip up large quantities of air. Fans are primarily for the comfort of human beings. It is an indispensable item in tropical countries. The fan has other uses as well. It is used for purposes of ventilation or gaseous transport in industry. A thick wad of folded newspaper can be turned into a fan at a blink by being vigorously waved to and fro. Fans are used for winnowing and for sucking up the dust in vacuum cleaners. It also helps in igniting fire.
In archaic English the ‘fann’ meant a basket/shovel used for winnowing. The word was an adaptation of the Latin word ‘vannus’ that in turn is taken from ‘ventus’ meaning wind. The word ‘fan’ popped up for the first time in 1390 and the first hand-held-model is recorded in 1555.
The use of fans dates back to ancient times – to thousands of years ago. Fans had a dual purpose. It was a status symbol as well as an ornament. Fans have been made from myriad materials on which man found enough scope to decorate and express his art and craft. The simplest ones are made from leaves. These are still very much in use especially in India and the East.
Screen fans or fixed leaf fans are the first ones of its kind. These cooled and warded of insects. Palm leaves fans were the most common then as today. Some have been unearthed in Egyptian tombs – golden fans with ostrich feathers. Those sculpted on relief were of the rigid variety. In Assyria and Egypt slaves were employed to wave the fan before their masters. In later ages the British in their Indian colony employed natives to operate overhead fans known as the punkhah by pulling a rope. This went on all round the clock.
North American native Indians, Aztecs, Mayans and other ethnic groups in South American used the feathers of birds as fans. The type of fan denoted the station of the person. The Greeks, Etruscans and Romans also used fans for the double purpose of cooling and ritual practices. Roman ladies used circular fans. Chinese culture links the fan with mythology, legend and history.
Screen fans were used in China. The earliest fans in China are made from bamboo and dates back to the 2nd century BC. The Chinese pictorial word depiction of a fan shows feathers under a rood. The word pien-mien means to ‘agitate air’. Here too fans and social standing were linked together. Each class and gender had special fans. The folded fan made its debut in Japan in about the 6th century. Akomeogi is the Japanese name for the folding fan. During the Heian period the nobility held these fans when they were in formal attire. Tiny strips of hinoki (cypress trees of Japan) were tied together by a thread. The person’s rank determined the number of wood strips that were to be stringed. Shinto priests use it even today wearing formal costume when they attend the coronation of the Emperor or marriage ceremonies. The fans are brightly painted with long tassels.
The Chinese variety consists of a row of feathers fixed on a handle. It came into vogue during the Ming dynasty. The centre of production of folding fans was Hangzhou. The Chinese dancing fan is the Mai Ogi. It has ten sticks mounted on thick paper depicting the family crest. The slats were made of various materials – bone, ivory, mother of pearl, mica, sandalwood or tortoise shell. These were carved and then covered with paper of some fabric. Fanning the fan became a highly sophisticated art courts and women were the most adept at it.
Fans were also weapons. The iron fan of tie shan (Chinese) and tessen (Japanese. Simple Japanese fans are called harisens. In recent Japanese pop culture these harisens are shown was weapons.
Fans have entered Europe relatively late. In the 6th century there was a ceremonial fan known as the flabellum. Hand fans appeared during the 13th and 14th centuries. Mostly probably the Crusaders as well as traders brought it back with them from the East. In 1600 the folding variety became popular and can be seen in portraits of the Elizabethan era. The Queen herself is seen carrying both folding and rigid models with pom poms, feathers and jewels.
In 1685 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes cause widespread exodus of fan craftsmen among others to the Protestant countries like England from France. Fan making got a boost in the non-French regions. Folded fans were made from lace, silk and parchment with exquisite decorations and paintings. It is said that in European courts the fans had a secret language of their own which only fan fans knew!
1700 saw the arrival of mechanical fans of the wind up variety similar to that of wound-up clocks. In 1800 the industrial revolution introduced the belt that was powered by water-wheels. Fans became alive with the magic touch of electricity. Diehl made the first electric ceiling fan. Mass production of steel brought down the price and fans became a common household essential commodity. It is central air conditioning that has checked the peerless popularity of fans.
Fans are indispensable in industries. It removes large volumes of air and thus suited for cooling, ventilation, heating as well as drying. Fans can be found inside computers to cool circuits and also in tools like hair-dryers and space-heaters. In automobiles fans drive belts. Fans bring about a cooling effect but do not directly reduce the temperature. The latest in fan technology are fans powered by solar energy. Once the initial cost of installation has been covered there is no extra recurring energy cost because the Sun is free for all. Sun’s energy is converted into electrical energy and has started off a revolution of sorts, which must be followed up by traditional fuel hungry world.
Tags: Ceiling Fan, Fan, Technology