The Spanish hand fan, or abanico (ah-bah-neé-coh), has a long history that can be traced back to China. However, it didn’t make its way into Spanish culture in Spain until the early 1800s. Developed for the practical purpose of cooling oneself from the heat, the fan later became a reflection of a person’s social status, as well. How? As the fan gained in popularity, it became more decorative and elaborate in its appearance. Its beauty and the materials out of which it was made, such as silk, wood, ivory and elaborately painted paper, reflected a person’s wealth and prosperity.
Eventually, abanicos were incorporated into the art and culture. Spanish dances, such as the Flamenco, incorporated the use of large, brightly colored fans to add expression to the dance.
The Spanish fan can also be seen in a well-known Spanish ballet called Don Quixote:
Kitri variation from Act 1. OR another variation from Don Quixote..
As a learning tool, let’s make our own abanico!
Although Spanish fans are often painted with elaborate floral patterns, our project is decorated with a geometric pattern.
Materials:
- Template
- Crayons, colored pencils or markers
- Tape
Instructions:
Print out Template; one per student
Instruct students to color template with crayons, colored pencils or markers; bright colors make the biggest impact!
Fold paper about 1 cm up from the bottom, flip paper over and fold 1 cm of paper again, making sure edges line up with the bottom. Repeat until paper runs out.
Fold one end of fan and secure with tape.
God provides his creation with the instinct and ingenuity to solve problems. Hot? Create a fan! Even a simple, inexpensive, hand-held fan made out of paper can solve a big problem. But as society evolves and becomes more sophisticated, technology and art are often applied to the simple solution to improve both the FORM and FUNCTION of the original product.
Can you think of ways that fans have evolved over the decades… and even centuries to continue to provide a solution to the heat problems? Talk about ways their form (appearance) has changed and ways their function (hand held >> electric) has changed over the years.