A beautiful Cuban cooling down with her fan. Photo courtesy of 5septiembre.cu
Reliable data from the last 60 years shows that Cuba temperatures only increased 0.9 °C in the summer and 1.4 °C in the always warm "Cuban winter."
The truth is, that the combination of extreme solar radiation, high levels of humidity, the weak breezes and the crippling drought of recent months has made for a thermal perception four times more that the reigning temperatures.
That could explain the proliferation of fans of all kinds in the streets and Havana locales. Our late poet Dulce María Loynaz said that "The fan isn´t an accessory, rather perfection, a miniature work of art and such, it must be respected." We´ve used them since colonial times, both men and women, using very sophisticated and beautiful fans, from palm leaves to pieces of cardboard! In the end, we find any sufficiently strong material but light, worthy of stirring the air with relative vigor.
In these hot days, we welcome tradition and modernity; a cellphone and fans are always in the hands of young Cuban women, enriching their flirtatious femininity.
If you, dear reader, are visiting Havana now or in the immediate future, I recommend you get a fan, essential to coping with the powerful Havana heat. Many establishments sell them in the city, but I recommend you go to the institution that collects and synthesizes this national legacy product, "La Casa del Abanico," (The House of the Fan) which functions as a museum and a shop.
There, one can find all kinds of fans, some illustrated with Cuban artists´ works, others genuine gems of Cuban folk art, made from alabaster, pearl, coral and precious woods, all in a large assortment of shapes and sizes. If you can´t find what you´re looking for there, and are dreaming of one in a certain color, size, form or type of splint, you can request a personalized fan. The professional skills of Havana craftsmen can surely handle it.
Details:
# 107 Obrapía St., between Oficios and Mercaderes
Old Havana.
T: (537) 863 4452
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