I had the idea for handheld fans as a monthly theme for collectors a long time ago, but other objects always took precedence. Also, after moving last year, I couldn't even find the few (very few indeed, like three of them) handheld fans I have at home; that is, I stored them somewhere so well that I don't even remember where. 😂
Then it happened that we had guests visiting Spain in June, and we were walking around a lot, showing them some tourist destinations. Of course, we went into a few souvenir shops. Our guests wanted to buy a few little things to take home as gifts, and that is when I noticed the hand fans.
Among the wide selection of souvenirs you can take home, handheld fans, beautifully decorated like this, have found their place too. I saw these from the photos above in Valencia. The origin of the next one would be very easy to guess! It was spotted in the souvenir shop while visiting Santa Bàrbara Castle.
Since hand fans are easy to carry in our light luggage while travelling, I bought my mother and mother-in-law a hand fan each as a small detail. These fans have two sides, both painted and decorated with different details, in this case, flowers. This is my mother-in-law's fan.
I chose a similar one for my mom, but instead of flowers, we also see scenes where people are resting and socialising, maybe telling stories or simply having a siesta. These are some of the good chilling habits Spaniards have - siesta and handheld fans on a lazy summer afternoon.
The last handheld fan that is coming here in this post is one that my son got. Surprisingly, he uses it a lot. It is already a little damaged from use, but it still serves its purpose. I took this photo still in Spain before we went on our holidays (I am still away from home as I write this post, but since it is the first of the month, a new monthly theme for the Hive Collectors community is not to be missed 😉). The phrase on this hand fan is written in Valencian and means:
The one who loves you the most will open your wings and make you fly.
Well, dear Hive Collectors, open the wings of your loved ones and let them fly, as well as spread your wings and fly freely. Open your inspirations and open your handheld fans to cool off on a hot day. I would also be happy if you enjoyed the new topic for August... and maybe you will open your drafts to write your contributions on this topic? I hope so. 😉
