Backgrounds:

P-M was born in China and finsihed his middle school and high school in LA, California. He is currently studying at USC. P-M shared this piece of folklore with me after I asked him whether he know of any interesting folklore when we were chatting after dinner.

The Main Piece:

P-M: You know the umbrella one?

Me： What？

P-M: The umbrella. So, if you open an umbrella when you’re inside……

Me：You don’t grow tall?

P-M: Exactly.

Me: Why?

P-M: Uhhhhh…… It’s more of a rumor. Think of an umbrella, indoor. Like, this shit, is like a ridiculous misbelief.

Me: but why is it there? How did u learn of it?

P-M: Where it’s from, when it’s from, I dont know. I’ve heard of it from my grandma grandpa generation. But nowadays people don’t take it that seriously.

Analysis:

The interesting thing is that I’ve heard of this belief myself as well. I want to try and explain why there is such a folk belief. A roof sets a limit to how high one can go. An umbrella, when opened, is like a roof. With only one roof, a person can handle it, but when an umbrella is opened indoor, there comes a double roof: the roof of the umbrella and the roof of the room. The two roofs combined might limit one’s growth.