Purfle - to finish with an ornamental border.
The definition said this border is usually found on an instrument (violin/guitar), but I thought of how I spent hours and hours decorating a fan when I was in Elementary school in Puerto Rico. One of the most famous dances we learned and performed was "La danza". We had to make our own fan because it was part of the costume and it was the most fun part of the whole event. I remember having to learn the dance and create my own fan for my sixth grade graduation. The most important part of creating our own unique fan was the border around the fan. We were able to pick our favorite color or ornaments.
I never knew the meaning of the fan or the "language of the fan". I was very young and maybe that's why the teachers never talked about the real meaning or how the fan was used to communicate with the man - your dance partner. When I was in graduate school, I had to write a paper about the Puerto Rican music in relation to poetry. This is how I learned about the true meaning of the fan when dancing "La danza".
Some examples:
- If the lady moved her fan very slowly over the chest it meant: "I am free and available, I don't have a boyfriend".
-Is she moved the fan in fast and short movements over her chest it meant: "I have a partner or boyfriend, so keep going".
-If she opened and closed her fan and touched her cheek with it, it told the gentleman: "I like you".
-If she placed the fan on her temple and looked upwards, it said: "I think of you day and night".
-If she saw her boyfriend talking to another girl or suspected he was being unfaithful she touched the tip of her nose with her fan, meaning: "Something doesn't smell good here".
-If she walked from side to side hitting the palm of her hand with the fan, it meant: Be careful, honey, the "Chaperona" is coming".
-If she opened and closed the fan and then pointed with it toward the garden: "wait for me there, sweetheart. Soon I will be there with you".
-If she covered her mouth with the open fan and looked at him very suggestively she was sending him a kiss, and obviously, the gentleman knew he was the chosen one!
There are lot more meanings and I have always thought this was quite interesting. I think today we would send a text instead of using a fan!
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The language of the fan! Cool. An American equivalent might be the language of flowers, where certain types (or colors) of flowers were really messages in "love code" -- i.e. yellow roses mean "I love you and want you for myself." Cut and paste the link for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_of_flowers
ReplyDeleteRe the idea of text messaging... might be quicker and more efficent, but I prefer the more romantic way any day.
How funny...and I find it so interesting that the word purfle for the spanish speakers is heading towards music while the French folks are talking more about fashion..., so it seems...fashion, classical music...but at perhaps a different socio-cultural level??
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ReplyDeleteI learned a dance with a fan when I was in grade school too (in Mexico) lol
ReplyDeleteI hate texting, I think it has been abused by men and women both and killed the art of romance! I wish we were back in the time of fans "abanicos".... that way I would know that the guy is at least making an effort to get to know me rather than just sitting on the couch watching t.v sending hopeful texts.
*sigh* If only the signals in my life were that easily defined and interpretable.:(
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming that those meanings only count if the lady behind the fan is honest. Hehe, I can see some ladies indicating that they're single and interested only to indicate the opposite at a later time. Can the guys also hold the fan up to their nose to indicate that "something doesn't smell right"?
I really like this! Dance can be thought of as a way to communicate, and the different positions and uses of the fan just add to that idea. Very cool.
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