PILLOW- THALAYANA PART1 Dear friends,
Many times when the pillow heightwas more or highly stuffed, I have feltdifficulty in getting sleep. I want a pillow of desired height and mediumstuffed- Normally Idesignate- MY PILLOW. This is in the normal course of time. When I am extremely tired, anything to raise head liketelephone directory, cardboards, wooden plank etc is sufficient to get sleep. Ihave seen my late grandmother seeing suddham using a wooden plank for her afternoon siesta. If I am relaxing by lying in the sofa in the night ,sofa cushion is sufficient for pillow .I had many occasions getting sleep while listening TV in the night and wake upafter an hour or more. While my pillow is required at home, intravel through trains that small pillow given to me gives full comfort if inthe AC coaches. In sleeper class mysmall hand bag becomes pillow. I understand at one time likegranite cot, people used to have granite pillows too attached to one end If one is worried, tensioned orin the preparation of a journey or excited in a happy or non happy mood, sleepmay not come at all. I recollect the Tamil film song- Palirukkum Pazhamirukkum,Panchanayil kattu varum, Thookkam varathu. ( Milk is there, fruits are there,nice pillow is there, but sleep is notcoming.. I thought of collecting someinformation on pillows. The following is a compilation Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 26-9-2016 Re posted on 20-4-2021 after editing and updating.R.Gopala Krishnan 1 Why do they call it a pillow? A bag or case made of cloth thatis filled with feathers and other soft material, and is used to cushion thehead during sleep or rest. Anything used to cushion the head; headrest: apillow of moss. Also called lace pillow. 2 What is a pillow stuffed with? In contemporary western culturepillows consist of a fabric envelope which contains a soft stuffing, which mayrange from downfeathers to synthetic foam. In other cultures, PILLOWS HAVE BEENMADE OF WOOD OR STONE. Bed pillows are typically covered with a clothpillowcase. 3 Origin of word Pillow The word pillow-The word pillowcomes from Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle (akin to Old High Germanpfuliwi) and from Latin pulvinus. The first known use of the word pillow wasbefore the 12th century. 4 Why do they call it a husbandpillow? Husband pillows derive their namebecause the backrest is firm and supportive and the arms mimic a human, thusearning the name husband. It is used to prop the user upright while in bed oron the floor, as for reading or watching television. Because of this common use, a husband pillow isalso called a reading pillow 5 Cushion A pillow is used to sleep on andsupport the head/neck or other parts of the body while sleeping, lying down orsitting. In addition, pillows have decorative uses and are used on beds,couches or chairs; these are ALSO REFERRED TO AS CUSHIONS. My note- A pillow used in sofa is called Cushion is a new information to me . Normally we differentiate pillow with bed andcushion with chairs, sofas. 6 Pillow making In contemporary western culturepillows consist of a plain or patterned fabric envelope (pillowcase) whichcontains a soft stuffing, which may range from down feathers to synthetic foam.In other cultures, pillows have been made of wood or stone. Bed pillows aretypically covered with a cloth pillowcase. Pillows used in a living room typically have a sturdycloth cover. 7 Throw pillows There are also throw pillows(also called toss pillows or pillow shams in different worldwide dialects ofEnglish, which are pillows that are mainly decorative and not designed forsupport or comfort. 8 Oblong pillows and squarecushions A cushion is a soft bag filledwith air or padding such as hollow fiber, feathers, foam or rubber. In theUnited Kingdom, pillows used on chairs and sofas are called cushions or throwcushions, with the word pillow used only for pillows on a bed. In the UK, cushions are usuallysquare, while bed pillows are oblong. 9 History The first people to use pillowswere those who lived in early civilizations of Mesopotamia around 7,000 BC. During this time, only the wealthy used pillows. The number of pillows symbolized status so the more pillows one owned themore affluence he or she held. Pillows have long been producedaround the world in order to help solve the reoccurring problem of neck, back,and shoulder pain while sleeping. The pillow was also used to keep bugs andinsects out of people's hair, mouth, nose, and ears while sleeping. My note- At one time people used to have pillows for leg also. Now somehowuse is less for feet even with elders.Side pillows are provided in the cot for kids- for not falling down. 10. In ancient Egypt Pillow use has been associated with the mummies and tombs of ancientEgypt dating back to 2055–1985 B.C. Ancient Egyptian pillows werewooden or stone headrests. These pillows were mostly used by placing them underthe heads of the deceased because the head of a human was considered to be theessence of life and sacred. The ancient Egyptians used these wooden or stone pillows in order toprovide support to a corpse’s head, uphold body vigour, keepblood circulating, AND KEEP DEMONS AWAY. My note- Hitherto I was notknowing the purpose of keeping straw inthe head of dead body among iyers. 10.1-In ancient Europe The Romans and Greeks of ancientEurope mastered the creation of the softer pillow. These pillows were stuffedwith reeds, feathers, and straw in order to make them softer and morecomfortable. Only upper-class people typicallyowned these softer pillows, however all classes of peoplewere allowed to use some type of pillow while sleeping in order to give themsupport. People in ancient Europe started to use pillows when going to church inorder to kneel on while praying and to place holy books on. This is a traditionthat still lives on today. Additionally, the Romans and Greeks usedtheir pillows by placing them under the head of those deceased just like theancient Egyptians did. 10.2 In ancient China Chinese pillows were traditionally solid, though sometimes used with asofter fabric over them. Over many Chinese dynasties, pillows were madefrom a wide range of materials including bamboo, jade, porcelain, wood, andbronze. Ceramic pillows became the most popular. The use of the ceramic pillow first appeared in the SuiDynasty between 581 and 618 while mass production appeared in the Tang Dynastybetween 618 and 907. The Chinese decorated their pillows by making themdifferent shapes and by painting pictures of animals, humans, and plants onthem. One common type of pottery used was Cizhou ware. Chinese ceramic pillowsreached their peak in terms of production and use during the Song, Jin, andYuan dynasties between the 10th and 14th century, but slowly phased out duringthe Ming and Qing dynasties between 1368 and 1911 with the emergence of betterpillow making materials. 10.3 In ancient India In India, traditional pillows usually made with plant-borne materials,such as the fluffy, glossy fruit-fibres of Silk-cotton tree 11 Construction of pillow Internally, a pillow consists ofa filler, often made from foam, synthetic plastic fibers, feathers, or down andviscoelastic foam and latex. Traditionally straw was a filler, but this is uncomfortableand rarely used today. Feathers and down are the most expensive and usually themost comfortable; they offer the advantage of softness and their ability toconform to shapes desired by the user, more so than foam or fiber pillows. One of the disadvantages of adown-filled pillow is allergic reaction of the user. There arecurrently hypoallergenic varieties of down pillows to allow people sensitive todown to enjoy the comfort of feather or down pillows. In Asia, buckwheat is acommon filler, as are plastic imitations. Such pillows tend to be smaller thana standard pillow. In India,cotton is also a common filler and is considered to be healthier than synthetic fills. The fill is surrounded with acover or shell made of cloth, such as silk, known as the pillow case or pillowslip. Some pillows have a fancier cover called a sham which is closed on allsides and usually has a slit in the back through which the pillow is placed.Rectangular standard bed pillow cases usually do not have zippers, but insteadhave one side open all the time, however, a zippered pillow protector is oftenplaced around standard pillows with the case in turn covering the protector. It is recommended that all types of pillowcovers be laundered periodically since they are the part that is in contactwith a person's body. But even with regular washing, pillows tend to accumulatedust AND MICROBES AMONG THE FILL AND IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THEY BE REPLACEDEVERY FEW YEARS, especially for those with allergies.My note- Many place atowel above the pillow cover so that head sweat will not enter pillow. Thosewho use hair dye must make it a point to use towel so that black/brown dye will not touch the pillow cover. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thatha_patty+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1928169639.3157109.1618981796310%40mail.yahoo.com.
