National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day – March 13, 2025

History of National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day

The creation of National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day is credited to Thomas Edward Knibb to encourage people to investigate if opening an umbrella indoors could bring a person bad luck.

An umbrella is also called parasol, brolly, bumbershoot, rainshade, sunshade, gamp, or canopy. It is an apparatus made of cloth on a metal frame, used to protect a person from rain, sunshine, and the elements. Umbrellas have been around since 1000 B.C. and were first designed by the Egyptians. They were mainly used by the nobility and were made from lotus leaves or feathers over a stick frame.

The invention made its way to China, also used by Chinese royalty. Servants were made to carry these leather, silk, or cloth contraptions over their masters during outings. However, the rest of the population was confined to using umbrellas made out of stout paper. Eventually, umbrellas spread to other parts of the world, such as Korea, Greece, Japan, Rome, India, and North America.

The superstition about opening umbrellas indoors can also be traced back to the ancient Egyptian era when Egypt worshipped the sun god. It was believed that the act of opening an umbrella indoors would displease their god, and so this was avoided at all costs. The superstition also has roots in the circumstances surrounding the umbrella in England during the 18th century. At the time, umbrellas were not as light and easy to operate. They were rigged with hard metal spokes and were much heavier than they are today. Thus, opening an umbrella inside, where others were likely to come to harm, was actually dangerous. The idea of opening an umbrella indoors progressed from a mere warning to a superstitious belief.

Another superstition is that merely opening an umbrella indoors can’t cause bad luck unless the umbrella is black.