March 13 - National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day

Happy National Open An Umbrella Indoors Day! On March 13th, today an annual national science experiment of sorts. Open an umbrella indoors and pay attention to whether or not you suffer any bad luck.  

  

One often wonders how superstitions pass from one generation to the next.  One such old superstition says that opening your umbrella indoors will bring you bad luck.  

The day encourages you to test the superstition and note if any bad luck comes your way. While your at it, document the kinds of bad luck. Perhaps it isn’t bad luck. It may just be happenstance – things that would have happened whether you had opened an umbrella or not. 

While umbrellas have been around for over three thousand years, the origin of the superstition is strangely obscure. There is some suggestion that ancient Egyptians thought it offended the gods to open an umbrella where there was already shade.   

However, the more modern version of the superstition would suggest bad things happening as a result of poor timing or inconvenience. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Test the theory that opening an umbrella inside brings bad luck by doing so and noting any bad luck that comes your way.  You might reduce your risk of bad luck by opening the umbrella in a wide space versus a tight hallway to avoid knocking pictures off the wall.   

And may we suggest giving those around you a sign of warning as well. We wouldn’t want any eyes being poked out. Use #OpenAnUmbrellaIndoorsDay to post on social media. 

HISTORY 

Thomas Edward Knibb of Frederick, Maryland created this day to encourage people to find out if they had any bad luck when they opened the umbrella indoors. 

#OpenAnUmbrellaIndoorsDay 

@nichecinema