‘Long-life Lock’ Wards Off Evil Spirits, Extends Wishes of Good Luck

For hundreds of years, people in many regions of China have held to the tradition of giving a “long-life lock” to a newborn. Why? The gift — placed around the baby’s neck — is generally given on the 100th day of the child’s life, or on its first birthday, because it is widely believed that it will ward off evil spirits and calamities. The exquisite ornaments (used to make the locks) embody not only the consummate skills used to make traditional Chinese paintings and carvings, but also Chinese people’s profound love for their children.

A “long-life lock” expresses a person’s best wishes for the child’s good health and good luck. Records indicate the “long-life thread,” during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), preceded the lock. Back then, each household hung five-colored (red, yellow, black, white and blue) silk threads on the lintel, to ward off evil spirits, during the Dragon Boat Festival (on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month). During that era, people desired peace, as there were frequent natural calamities and man-made misfortunes, including chaos that resulted from wars, pestilence and famines. So, ancient Chinese placed the colorful threads around the wrists of women and children (who were supposed to be vulnerable) to ward off evil spirits and calamities.

Source: Women of China