National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day

Everybody knows that opening an umbrella indoors is supposed to be bad luck. But is there any truth behind this age-old superstition? Fortunately for those spending sleepless nights pondering this question, there is actually a wacky holiday dedicated to finding out the truth!

History of National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day

Whether it’s called by a nickname such as brolly, canopy, or parasol, an umbrella offers protection from the elements of nature. Most traditionally, it protects people from getting wet in the rain, but it’s also useful for protection from the sun as well as a light snowfall.

The idea of using a piece of fabric, a canopy, or even large leaves to protect oneself from the weather dates back many centuries. It is thought that the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Chinese, Greeks and other cultures made use of some variation of the umbrella. In fact, the concept that opening an umbrella inside might bring bad luck might be traced to the Ancient Egyptians who believed that this action would offend their sun god.

On the other hand, it’s quite possible that some mother somewhere came up with the idea simply to keep her child from poking his sister’s eye out!

The aptly-named National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day was introduced in 2003 by a man called Thomas Knibb. Knibb allegedly hoped to defy silly superstitions by encouraging people to open their umbrellas indoors and observe the (non-existent) consequences.

So now is the time to put superstitions aside, engage in some more logical thinking and celebrate National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day just for the fun of it!

How to Celebrate National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day

The best thing about this bizarre day is that anybody can take part! Consider some of these fun ways of engaging with the National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day:

Open An Umbrella Indoors

The most blatantly obvious way to enjoy this day is unbelievably easy! Just follow these four simple steps:

1. Find an umbrella and check that you are, indeed, located indoors.
2. Position yourself in a place that is clear of breakable objects and/or people who value their eyesight.
3. Take a deep breath, grasp the umbrella handle firmly with one hand and open the umbrella with the other hand.
4. Observe any bad luck that occurs in the following days or weeks.

Note: People who take part in this holiday do so at their own risk. While in the process of discovering the results of this situation, some extremely brave people might also want to follow up the experiment with breaking a mirror or letting a black cat cross their paths.

Buy a New Umbrella

More than just purely functional anymore, umbrellas can also function as a fun accessory that reveals just a bit of personality. Choose an umbrella in a color or design that is fitting to a particular style. Buy one that matches a raincoat, trenchcoat or other outerwear. Or just get one with fun patterns and prints because it’s trendy and brings a smile.

Not in need of an umbrella at the moment? That’s okay. Perhaps it would be appropriate to give the gift of an umbrella to a friend or family member in celebration of National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day!

Listen to Some Umbrella-Related Songs

Put a little spring in that step when celebrating National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day at work or at home. Create a little playlist and enjoy some song titles that are easy to sing along to and make a perfect soundtrack for the day. Perhaps it would be fun to do a little dancing with an umbrella – opened indoors, of course.

Get started on a playlist on Spotify or Apple Music with some of these delightful song titles:

• Umbrella by Rhianna (2007)
• Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head by B.J. Thomas (1969)
• Singin’ in the Rain by Gene Kelly (1952)
• Blue Umbrella by John Prine (1973)