Taboos Associated with Umbrellas

When my roommate first asked if I minded them drying their umbrella indoors, I was a bit confused because I hadn't heard of any such taboos. I only learned about this superstition when my roommate mentioned that some people avoid it, but I never knew the reason why. Today, I suddenly thought of it and asked an AI, and I'd like to share some folk beliefs and taboos related to umbrellas with you all: 1. Don't open an umbrella indoors This is the most widely known taboo. • Inviting Yin energy: Folklore suggests that umbrellas are used outdoors to shield from the sun. Opening one indoors is thought to become a space for masterless ghosts or yin energy to reside or hide, potentially inviting unclean things into the home. • Affecting growth: Older generations often warned children that opening an umbrella indoors would 'prevent them from growing taller' or make them timid. • Western culture: Interestingly, Western cultures have a similar taboo, believing that opening an umbrella indoors is disrespectful to the 'Sun God' and brings bad luck. 2. Don't give umbrellas as gifts casually • Homophone for 'scatter': In Chinese, the word for umbrella (傘, sǎn) sounds similar to the word for scatter (散, sàn). Therefore, it's generally not recommended to give umbrellas as gifts to lovers, friends, or newlyweds, as it implies the relationship will scatter or break apart. • How to resolve: If you really want to gift an umbrella (e.g., a high-quality functional umbrella), the recipient can symbolically give the giver 1 or 5 cents, indicating that the umbrella was 'bought,' which can break the taboo. • Exception: In some Hakka traditions, when a daughter gets married, her maternal family gifting an umbrella actually carries a positive meaning of 'the maternal family will always support and protect the family union.' Ran out of space! I'll put the third and fourth taboos in the comments.