Monday, April 1, 2013

Three Lucky Babies



This post is dedicated to Ann from These Walls of White, and to her recently-arrived beautiful baby daughter, the first of the three babies alluded to in the title. Born in Japan, her life is starting out as an adventure, and she is lucky to have Ann for a mother, who will see to it that she never misses out on the excitement.

The other two lucky babies were the original occupants of these antique Chinese baby carriers adorned with auspicious silver emblems. These are the traditional way of carrying babies around, and many people in Taiwan still use them, although modern ones tend to be much plainer.

This carrier has a red background bordered with blue, and the center is virtually filled with ornaments.


The two illustrated here are made from cotton, and are remarkable for their central panels completely covered with lucky charms. The decorations are all made from sheet silver, but a number of them are vermeil (gold-washed). The designers used the gold and silver tones to advantage in the arrangement of the ornaments.

This orange bordered with light blue carrier, while still very ornate, is more open in design.


The Chinese have always been big on all kinds of lucky charms and amulets, and there are a number that are considered especially appropriate for babies or children. Prominently featured at the top of each carrier is a row of the Eight Immortals, surrounding a god (or gods) of Luck, Longevity and Prosperity.



The dragon and phoenix are appropriate symbolic elements, and are found a number of times on these carriers. Together, they illustrate femininity (phoenix) and masculinity (dragon), and are therefore a counterpart of the Yin and Yang principles.







Lions are one of the most basic Chinese symbols for protection and luck.



The qilin, which looks somewhat like a baby dragon, is always auspicious whenever it makes an appearance.




These spouting fish will help to bring prosperity and good luck.



The sun and moon are also present, with more spouting fish. Since they can look similar when worked in silver, they are helpfully labeled with the characters for sun () and moon ().



Virtually a necessity for protecting and blessing children is the lucky phrase, Chang Ming Fu Gui 
(長命富貴), which wishes a long life and prosperity. On both of these carriers it is prominently rendered in letters of silver.




Some of the smaller emblems depict vases, flowers, butterflies and various trophies. The blue-and-red carrier also has several dangling Bells, always useful to keep away evil spirits.

One can see that the Chinese are unwilling to leave anything to chance when creating an auspicious start for their offspring. Not all babies had fancy carriers like these; more common were coin-like amulets worn around the neck, often with the ‘Chang Ming Fu Gui’ characters, and hats embellished with similar silver figures of the Eight Immortals.

One of the carriers in its entirety, showing the construction out of fabric.

Babies today don't require so many amulets, yet their safety is much better looked after. Perhaps the most auspicious start comes from the home environment; some of the decisions Ann encountered in designing her nursery were presented in her design and travel blog.

Congratulations to Ann and her husband; I wish them a wonderful and happy life with their new daughter, and all of the luck contained in these two tour-de-force baby carriers.


(Baby carriers and photos, collection of the author.)


22 comments:

  1. Dearest Jim,
    One more of your very educational posts. Love the symbolism of the Far East. It has so much meaning and it shows a people's affection towards new born babies.
    Indeed, wishing Ann and her husband all the luck in finding happiness for their baby-daughter.
    Thanks for sharing this with us.
    Enjoy your week.
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mariette, It really is fun how all these lucky decorative symbols came together in these carriers--the obvious message is "nothing is too good for out baby!"

      I'm glad you likes this post, and I'm sure that Ann appreciates your good wishes.
      You have good week too.

      Delete
  2. They are stunning--so much love and care went into them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jen, I wonder whether these were baby gifts, or whether the mothers worked them while expecting. Either way, as you mention, they represent time, attention and love.

      Delete
  3. Fascinating of course, and a reminder of how much superstition pervades life in Chinese (and many Asian) cultures. I'm not sure whether Western culture has it to quite the same extent today, but perhaps I just haven't thought about it hard enough. Here in Thai culture superstition and good luck charms, (amulets) are very prominent, and somehow the simplicity of Buddhism has been interwoven with anything else that might not be covered (under that insurance policy). Worldwide coverage so to speak. As in "other world".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Columnist, Your comment was really food for thought. Perhaps many Western motifs are so pervasive that we really don't notice them most of the time. It would make an interesting study. Also, some of these Chinese charms might have been considered more on the fun-and-decorative side, as for example four-leaf clovers in America, than actually instrumental in delivering luck.

      Delete
  4. Dear Jim - the symbolic messages contained in the amulets are all very interesting to learn about.
    Would the baby carriers have been worn on the front or the back?
    You are fortunate to own two such lovely antiquities from Taiwan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Rosemary, Most of the time, these are worn on the back. I have seen some at the side or front, but I am not sure whether these are the same carriers adjusted differently, or whether they are different models.

      Delete
  5. I am delighted that the gods of luck, longevity and prosperity were included, as well as the dragon and phoenix. Infant mortality must have been a nightmare in the first year of life, and if a baby was greatly loved, the parents clearly wanted every bit of help they could get.

    But babies poo, pee and regurgitate milk regularly, so I hope the sheet silver and gold-washed decorative emblems were covered with a sheet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Hels, In addition to amulets such as these, a few parents went even further, and some babies were given unpleasant-sounding, inauspicious names in the hope that they would avoid the notice of evil spirits.

      The decorated panels would have been on the outside, and at the baby's back, although I know that babies can wield their destructive powers within a large radius. The metal parts would actually have been easily washable--it was the cloth parts that were more at risk.

      Delete
  6. Hello Jim! What an honor that our baby girl gets a dedicated posting, thank you!

    So how do I register for one of these?! Actually I think the form is similar to what I've seen although the decoration certainly isn't quite so fancy. I see a lot of the locals using something simliar. I think they're called Mei Tai carriers. The thing "to do" among the posh Japanese mommies is to have them custom hand painted. I've even seen some with silk cranes elaborately paints/embroidered/cut and sewn onto the carriers. Some things don't change!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Ann, It was a pleasure to write this for you.

      The Japanese carriers sound very elegant. Here as well, many of the carriers (both old and new) are embroidered, many of them quite beautifully, although quite a few are just plain cloth. If I were going to use a carrier, I would want one with every modern safety strap and buckle made!

      However you carry her, have fun with your new baby.
      Jim

      Delete
  7. You are such a great teacher with your knowledge of the world's most interesting artifacts! Fascinating and best wishes to the new baby!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Cindy, I collect these objects so that I can study them and teach myself; I am glad that you find them interesting also.

      Delete
  8. Hello, Jim,

    These are very handsome pieces of art, and I wonder if you've ever considered framing them? (Or perhaps you're runniing out of wall space.) Your comment to Hels makes me think that perhaps the good luck charms were designed to "cover baby's back" in both the figurative and literal way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mark, I agree that these would be spectacular framed, especially because together they virtually make a set. Perhaps some sort of shadow box would be nice, with most of the extra material folded beneath. Surprisingly, I have almost nothing on my walls, although in the future I would like to display more of my items.

      That's funny about "covering the baby's back", and right on. I'll have to ask around to see if there is any equivalent Chinese expression.

      Delete
  9. Oh, wow! I didn't know Ann and her husband had their baby. Will head over to congratulate them. Thanks for this very interesting post on Chinese baby carriers. And for explaining so well all the symbols, characters, saints, gods, etc. Spot on, Jim! I agree with Cindy: you are a great teacher. I'll have to ask my parents about our carriers. As I have 11 older brothers and sisters, mine was no doubt very well used and a hand me down!
    Loi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Loi, Wow, so many kids; you must have been a handful. It sounds like your parents needed charms to bring luck and prosperity to the parents instead of to the children. If your mother is the traditional type she might have used something like these--let us know if you find out.

      Delete
  10. The items you post about are always so interesting! The spouting fish was a new good luck symbol for me (and I think my favorite one).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Merry Wife, Fish have an unbelievable number of associations in Chinese art, depending on what type they are, how many, what they are doing, and what other symbols they are associated with. Looking closer, those might be barbs and not sprays; I do have a really great definitely-spouting fish that I'll try to post soon for you.

      Delete
  11. Dear Jim,
    What a fascinating post! The notion of decorating one's baby carrier with auspicious symbols is a beautiful one, and the Chinese symbols are some of the most interesting. I can imagine a lifetime's scholarship spent on the history and meaning of these--wonderful. You're so lucky to have these-- I think the idea of displaying them on the wall is a good one, and, who knows, maybe all of that good luck may spill over onto you!

    Warm regards,
    Erika

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Erika, Thank you for your kind wish. If I really had the accumulated luck of every lucky object I have, I should probably start buying lottery tickets.

      It seems that in Chinese art, everything decorative is also highly symbolic. Although these are baby items, I think that they would display well anywhere, and would look well together with the beaded Chinese headbands I wrote about before.

      Delete

I would love to know what you think. Please feel free to comment--no tricky security words required! Any difficulties or questions, email at: clavicytherium@yahoo.com