An umbrella is defined as a covering carried it the hand to ward off the rain. The original purpose. of the umbrella was that of a sunshade and as such it is the Need back to ancient Egypt and Nineveh where it early became a symbol of honor and authority. Ancient Egyptian art depicts the pharach enthroned beneath an umbrella

In the Far East, its use was permitted only to the royalty and those of high office. The Greeks are credited with introducing the umbrella as a sunshade into Europe. Paintings on Greek vases suggest that it was in common use. Roman sunshades were similar to those used by the Greeks. It is believed, however, that Romans were the first to use the umbrella as a protection against rain

The use of the umbrella almost disappeared during the Middle Ages but it appeared again in Italy in the latter half of the 16^th century when it was regarded as a symbol of distinction and power by the pope and the clergy. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England. The use of the umbrella was general in Italy, France, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands by the 1886 century, by which time it was generally employed as protection against the rain. The general construction of umbrellas has changed little through the centuries; however, with the introduction of the steel frame in 1850, the weight was reduced considerably.

Though the umbrella, especially the handle, varied in style with the changes of fashion, it was generally. black in color. In the 20^th century Woman’s umbrellas were produced in a variety of colors, though Men’s umbrellas continued to be black.

In Ethiopia, it is difficult to trace the origin this kind of umbrella. But Ethiopians used umbrellas glade of local material such as hard grass, the leaves of palm tree, etc. such umbrellas have been in use since long time ago and are still used by country people in many parts of Ethiopia. These home-made umbrellas serve as sunshade as well as to ward off the rain.