When I was a girl, my mother and I would rise early on a Saturday morning and wait for a bus to take us to the urban shopping district of Kansas City. She would use this opportunity to teach about etiquette and the fine points of being a lady!
The most memorable lesson was to duck into a doorway before you arrived at your destination and blow your nose with a handkerchief. You would then arrive at the restaurant or store with a dry nose. No sniffles or runny noses!
Handkerchiefs first appeared in history in approx. 300 AD as a reference to a “cloth to clean one’s nose”. During this same period of time is was customary to wave a handkerchief to greet the appearance of high ranking persons in the theatre or in place of applause!
During the 19th century when young people were carefully chaperoned, a system of signals was developed that enabled them to communicate across the room. For instance, if a young lady drew the hankie across her lips, while looking at a young man, it meant that she was ready to make his acquaintance. If she already knew the young man, signals could get personal, such as:
Drawing a hankie across her cheek meant “I love you”
A hankie held to the right cheek meant “yes”
If held on the left cheek it meant “no”
A hankie drawn across the forehead signaled “we are being watched.”
If thrown over the shoulder, the message meant “follow me”
Today, there is debate on cloth handkerchiefs being unhygienic pieces of cloth bearing germs, or used as a way to conserve natural resources.
Whether used as “a cloth to clean one’s nose” or to dry your eyes when they needlessly water, the cloth handkerchief is a beautiful and elegant nod to our grandmothers and a simpler way of life.
The most memorable lesson was to duck into a doorway before you arrived at your destination and blow your nose with a handkerchief. You would then arrive at the restaurant or store with a dry nose. No sniffles or runny noses!
Handkerchiefs first appeared in history in approx. 300 AD as a reference to a “cloth to clean one’s nose”. During this same period of time is was customary to wave a handkerchief to greet the appearance of high ranking persons in the theatre or in place of applause!
During the 19th century when young people were carefully chaperoned, a system of signals was developed that enabled them to communicate across the room. For instance, if a young lady drew the hankie across her lips, while looking at a young man, it meant that she was ready to make his acquaintance. If she already knew the young man, signals could get personal, such as:
Drawing a hankie across her cheek meant “I love you”
A hankie held to the right cheek meant “yes”
If held on the left cheek it meant “no”
A hankie drawn across the forehead signaled “we are being watched.”
If thrown over the shoulder, the message meant “follow me”
Today, there is debate on cloth handkerchiefs being unhygienic pieces of cloth bearing germs, or used as a way to conserve natural resources.
Whether used as “a cloth to clean one’s nose” or to dry your eyes when they needlessly water, the cloth handkerchief is a beautiful and elegant nod to our grandmothers and a simpler way of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment