More accurate Xuzhou customs

Overview of Xuzhou Folk Custom Xuzhou is so ancient that "Pengcheng has been listed in Kyushu since ancient times". Tao Zhu has experienced 6,000 years of civilization, and the rural folk customs will naturally be simple and heavy. Xuzhou, located in Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces, is known as the barrier of the south, the lock of the north and the thoroughfare of the five provinces. Businessmen, monks, vagrants from south to north, gathering or detention will inevitably leave some traces. Layers of accumulation, into the rural customs, thus forming the colorful characteristics of Xuzhou folk culture.

Marriage contract

Pick an auspicious day.

Marriage between a man and a woman is a major event in life, which is related to the prosperity of the family and the continuation of future generations ... so we can't act rashly. Three media and six certificates, winning the prize, changing posts and passing on Cambodia are essential, and "auspicious day" should also be chosen for marriage. As the saying goes: "Look at a good day", that is, "choose your luck".

In the old customs, men usually choose two auspicious days, one in half a month; One is to let the woman choose in the second half of the month. In some areas, we also pay attention to animal signs. There is a folk proverb: "greet chickens and rabbits in a positive way;" : second, eight tiger monkeys; Sanjiu snake pig; Fourth, ten dragons and ten dogs; Cattle and sheep five, eleven; Sixth, the horse and the mouse. "However, it is usually on the second day and the second day of the lunar calendar, such as the second day, the fourth day, the sixth day and the tenth day of each month, among which there are more" six ",so it is called" six or six ". In rural areas, we should avoid the busy farming season, and "gold lays the floor and the old and the young bend over", which is too much for everyone. Generally, cities like to choose holidays or two-day sundays.

According to the saying of "hometown" in the past, the delivery period must be carried out in written form, and a special person is sent to carry a red bag and wrap it in a "worship box" with wedding documents, moxa sticks, wheat bran and other mascots. The marriage certificate must clearly state: when is the "wedding day", where to greet XiShen when getting on and off the sedan chair, where to greet your god when wearing a crown, and where to greet the blessed god when sitting on a book. Write some greetings. Such as "heaven and earth", "Xianheng celebration", "long life and wealth" and "happiness from now on". Now only the two sides decide first, and the man will inform the media and the woman. When the wedding day approaches, you must inform your relatives and friends and invite them to come at that time. This is called "inviting guests". Invitations are often used in cities, but in rural areas, they are generally spoken. Close relatives usually arrive early and enjoy themselves. Second, it is only natural to be a helper and an aunt.

As a result, "make a new bed, welcome the bride and reunite the whole family", and the man opens a new house. "Making a new bed" is very important, and two or four "Mrs. Quan Fu" must shoulder the heavy responsibility. Those who are fully blessed must be the original husband and wife and both have children. Fill the pillow and quilt first. There is a song on the pillow: "No longer hungry after meals, go to bed in the red account;" Listen to more sweet words and don't learn from others. " There is also a quilt song: "a handful of chestnuts and a handful of dates, the big one leads the small one;" A handful of peanuts and a handful of money, the big ones lead the small ones to play. " When you make the bed, you should put some lotus seeds, peanuts, red dates, longan, ginkgo and so on. In the four corners, it means "seeds are born early, flowers are born early (men and women), and even children are born."

To show. Having a baby early, on the eve of the wedding, we should invite underage boys from both parents to spend the night with the groom, which is called "rolling in a new bed". He has to come to sedan chair for the wedding.

Jiazhuang

"Dowry", formerly known as "dowry", originally refers to the dressing box used by women to dress up, and after the Tang and Song Dynasties, it generally refers to all dowry items of women. There are more than ten kinds of dowry customs in Xuzhou. There are all branches, half branches, clever thirteen, big eight, middle eight, small eight, six, four, two kinds of lamp basins, soft bags and so on. The so-called whole branches and half branches in ancient Xuzhou area can only be accompanied by large families with "double thousand hectares" or "thousand hectares" brands awarded by the emperor. Dowry is equipped with land, handmaiden, chariots and horses, clothes, cabinets, tables and chairs, antiques, etc. The number of accompanying land is marked with "soil foundations" (shaped like bricks) on the table, and each soil foundation represents 100 mu. Even numbers are called "full branches" and odd numbers are called "half branches". Cui Dao, a bachelor of Xuzhou Hanlin Academy in Qing Dynasty, once lamented: "How many women can you marry after a hundred years of accumulation?" Fortunately, I saw it, and it was difficult for future generations. "This is a testimony to the extravagance and waste of dignitaries in feudal society.

"Six-piece" in its original state refers to a wardrobe, a double-door cabinet, a square table, a long table, a dressing table, a plush chair and a spring stool. The meeting of large and medium-sized enterprises lies in the grade of furniture. The small eight pieces are big cabinets, small cupboards, eight immortals (short eight immortals table), polo, wooden cases, coffee tables, tables and chairs, etc. More than eight big pieces are collectively called "Joe Thirteen", which is the top grade among the people. Furniture styles are different from generation to generation and have local characteristics. For example, there are urinals, needle baskets, washbasins and lamps in the rural areas of Pixian County from time to time, even if the family is poor, it is indispensable. The people who accompanied them to the southeast were wrapped in yellow cloth (please ask someone to accompany them), and there were a pair of red painted chopsticks inside, called "Bai Zidou", which symbolized "the birth of a baby". These are all given by parents to their daughters, and daughters generally can't ask them. It's different now. Not only do they have to ask questions, but some even don't go into their in-laws' homes without achieving their goals. Not only will the woman marry him, but the man will also prepare several big pieces. In the sixties and seventies, "three turns and one ring" were watches, bicycles, sewing machines and radios; In the 1980s, color TV sets, refrigerators and washing machines were needed. In the 1990s, telephones, air conditioners and cameras were needed. Some people ask for money directly and buy whatever they want.

The prepared dowry should be escorted by the woman to the man's house one to three days before the wedding, usually in the morning. The dowry must be marked with double happiness characters cut from red paper and patterns such as mandarin ducks and butterflies. There are "Happy Fruit" and vermicelli wrapped in red paper in the cupboard to show good luck. No matter who brings it in the car, all bride price should be made public, widely publicized and expanded. Among the attendants, there must be a "new foster mother" to guide the wedding ceremony. This woman must be a "complete person", with in-laws and children. When approaching the man's house, you should sound a whip to announce it. When the man hears the news, he will greet him and give a banquet. When the bride enters the house, the new foster mother will ask her mother-in-law how to put it, and then give her the key. His aunt and uncle searched the closet and commented on it. This is called "no turning, no sending". Welcome to get married

The day before the old wedding, the man should prepare a sedan chair. There are three kinds of sedan chairs: the highest is the "eight-person sedan chair", commonly known as the "official sedan chair"; Followed by the "four-person sedan chair", the sedan chair is colored on all sides, with Kirin on the top and folk opera figures around it; "Two people carrying" is called a small sedan chair. At the same time, we should also hire "deacons" and drum music teams. Xuzhou called deacon Quanfu the "Big Five Hall", with two sets of drum music; Choose one of them and call it Xiao Wu. In addition, the ancient makeup, house ostentation and extravagance, sedan chair can not exceed the original. Only the original lady is proud of "the bride gets married and the sedan chair is carried eight times" to show her correct position.

Then you have to "pay the dowry", which is also the first day (there are also days when the dowry goes into the head and the car follows). The groom will go to worship the ancestors and tell them that the family incense will last forever as a comfort to the ancestors. At the same time, the bride began to "starve to death and marry". Due to the complicated etiquette at the wedding, the bride's movements are extremely inconvenient. Eat less and drink less for the first two days, and only eat some food such as eggs and chestnuts. Don't eat or drink on the first day of the wedding, lest "convenience" make people laugh. This custom now exists in a few rural areas, but it has been exempted in cities.

On the morning of the wedding day, the sedan chair was issued early, and the groom "wore red" and took the sedan chair to the woman's house to get married. If the sedan chair is not empty, there must be a boy "pressing the sedan chair" and holding red rooster. When the "sedan chair girl" returns, she must also bring the flower hen prepared by the woman. This pair of chickens, also called "long-lived chickens", are regarded as "lucky people" of the newlyweds, so they can't be slaughtered until they are old. The bride's sedan chair can't go back the same way. It is said that the bride can't go back.

During the wedding, the bride should dress up and wring her face as soon as possible. Folks call girls "hairy faces" and daughters-in-law "smooth faces". The bride's face is "all about people", which is called "the first side" and is borne by her sister-in-law. Generally, it is twisted three times, commonly known as "three sides". After twisting, he rolled two red eggs under his face and sang, "Red eggs, with strings all over their faces, will sing a wedding banquet this year and see you next year." The formal "face opening" ceremony will wait until the mother-in-law's house, and the mother-in-law will open her face.

The sedan chair is approaching, and firecrackers are set off at the girl's house. When you marry a woman, you change into the sedan chair red you carry with you, put on the masked red and start to "cry and marry". Tears of "crying for marriage" are "pearls" and "golden beans" scattered to parents' homes. He also expressed his gratitude to his parents for their aesthetic education, his nostalgia for the whole family and his sadness about the "uncertain future".

There are different ceremonies for the bride to get on the sedan chair. In the southeast township, the bride's brother or uncle carries a sedan chair. Northwest township is to let the bride wear shoes with a long history to get on the sedan chair; In the city, it is fashionable for two "dowry mothers" to help push the sedan chair; Nowadays, it has become a custom to be escorted to the sedan chair by unmarried bridesmaids. In short, the bride doesn't want to leave, let alone "elope". Before you get on the sedan chair, you should say goodbye to your ancestors, kowtow to your parents, and then sit in the sedan chair with a red hijab in the music for three times. Please "Mrs. Quan Fu" seal the car door with a red line, and the bride's parents will give an order before leaving for the sedan chair.

At noon, the sedan chair will come to the man's house and announce three firecrackers. The man's house will greet him with a whip. At the door, two sisters-in-law took a torch tied with firewood and quickly inserted it around the sedan chair, calling it "Liao sedan chair" and singing: "Old sister-in-law Liao sedan chair, the gods know; As soon as the torch shines, the evil spirits run away. " In order to drive away the evil spirits along the way (there is also the custom of getting off the sedan chair and passing through the brazier). After burning the sedan chair, one to eight pairs of little girls give the bride "makeup" through the sedan chair door, symbolizing dust removal along the way. At this time, the Qupai such as Dressing Table and Hundred Birds in the Phoenix will be played. Then the groom's brother, sister-in-law or uncle and aunt led the groom to bow three times in front of the sedan chair and respectfully asked the bride to get off. After the ceremony, Mrs Quanfu opened the car door and was helped out by her elder sister-in-law. She also called, "If you want to get rich, pull it; If you have it, my sister-in-law will twist it. " At this time, the groom's door closed, and the bride stepped forward to "call Simon" and shouted, "Mom, open the door!" This is commonly known as "changing your mouth". My mother-in-law asked at the door, "Are you obedient when you go home?" The bride has to answer one by one and let her mother-in-law be satisfied before opening the door, commonly known as "Ximen". After entering the door, the newlyweds will send a room to take a nap and wait until "auspicious time" before getting married.

From the time the bride gets off the sedan chair to the time she enters the bridal chamber, people hold plates filled with bran and happy fruits, which are commonly known as "spreading the shed" and "opposing the bran", and sing the song of spreading the shed: "When the bride enters the door, she has both longevity and longevity; Good luck, glory for the Millennium ",as a symbol of blessing. This custom had the meaning of many children and many blessings in the Han Dynasty.

Favorite fruits are: red dates, chestnuts, peanuts and so on. Jujube takes the meaning of "early birth". Jujube trees are full of fruits, symbolizing many children and many blessings. Chestnuts are called "Gigi Lai", and together with red dates, they are "early Gigi Lai". As the saying goes, "a handful of chestnuts and a handful of dates will be big and fat next year." Peanuts mean both men and women. Wheat bran, homophonic "master". It is a blessing to have a son. There are also "five sons"-pine nuts, melon seeds, lotus seeds, ginkgo, dates (or whole grains) instead, hoping that "five sons will be in charge" and "future generations will be blessed".

When it is "auspicious", it is joyful. The bride and groom wore red flowers and held red silk with red flowers. With the help of bridesmaids and groomsmen, they entered the lobby on the red carpet, holding "big gifts", with women left and men right. Xuzhou custom "the woman takes the lead, only this once." Finally, the master of ceremonies shouted "cigarettes are ethereal and brightly lit, and the bride and groom are together", and the couple immediately took their places. The master of ceremonies sang "One Worship to Heaven and Earth", "Two Worships to the High Hall" and "Worship to Husband and Wife", and the newlyweds bowed down with the sound. With the emcee "sent to the bridal chamber", the groom led HongLing to lead the bride into the bridal chamber. After drinking a glass of wine, the bride changed into the red dress of the season, and the aunt opened her face, trimmed her eyebrows and combed the makeup of the young woman for her mother-in-law. (of friends and relatives) tease the newlyweds on the wedding night

As soon as the wedding reception was over, relatives and friends crowded into the new house and began to "make trouble in the bridal chamber". Wedding "no trouble, no hair, the more trouble" seems to have a long history. There is a saying in Xuzhou that "there is no size for three days after marriage". In the meantime, men, women and children can gather in the new house to make trouble. Its form and content are invented by troublemakers at any time, such as biting candy, eating apples, lighting cigarettes and taking off "rusty shoes". Do everything possible to make the couple perform in public for fun. There are also particularly uncivilized haunted houses.

After three days of marriage, the lights and candles in the new house can't be put out, which is called "longevity lamp". If it is a red candle, it is also called "flower candle". On the third day of the wedding, the groom accompanied the bride to worship the elders, which is called "dividing the size". Now all the time is mentioned after meeting the bride. Worshipped elders give New Year greetings as gifts, which are called "kowtowing money". After the ceremony, please take the guests to their seats and have a big meal.

Three days after the wedding, the groom accompanied the bride back to her mother's house, commonly known as "returning home in three days", and brought two kinds of gifts: two big birthday peaches and two pounds of sugar cakes. Give it to parents and wish them longevity, sweetness and happiness. When the bride's family visited their new uncle for the first time, they were very serious. They will treat guests at the dinner table, invite famous people to accompany the wine, and the neighbors will also make trouble for a while. The atmosphere is no less than "making trouble in a new house."

As for the bride's stay at her parents' home for a few days, there are different opinions. There is a saying called "two returns to three", that is, take it back to your parents' house the next day after marriage and return to your husband's house the third day. There is also a kind of "calling six to stay nine", that is, returning to the door on the sixth day after marriage and staying for nine days before coming back. Nowadays, young couples usually agree to date on the same day.

When you come back from your parents' house, you should also bring some gifts. Shoes show harmony between husband and wife. It used to be that the bride did it herself and showed off her needlework. Now mother buys it for leap girls, and every husband's family has a pair. Some of them are only for husbands. Chinese cabbage means "grow old together". At this time, uncles are called "new sisters-in-law" or "new aunt".

When you come back from your family, the bride's life will be over.

Birth and education articles

Yamada Keiko

It is a great event in life to get married in the bridal chamber and be full of flowers. Wedding banquets are essential, and "noisy" makes the bridal chamber. Xuzhou people often find that there are red dates, chestnuts, lotus seeds, peanuts and other things in the four corners of the silk quilt on the wedding bed and in the pillow. What does this mean? Jujube, in addition to expressing happy events, also contains the meaning of early birth. Jujube is "early birth", early birth. Chestnut means "lizi" and "lotus seed" means "having children", while peanut means not only having boys, but also having girls, which is called "having both children". Peanut also has a name called longevity fruit, which means I wish you a long life, full house of children and grandchildren, and generations to come.

If you are infertile for several years after marriage, you should pray for your child. There are the following customs:

Oral mother-in-law or husband cooked a "sweet egg" (cooked outside, cooked inside, yolk sweetheart) for infertile daughter-in-law, and consciously asked if the egg was born. She blurted out knowingly: "Life, life ..." Pun. I thought that if this "lottery" won, the child would be confused.

Sunbathing is said to be sunbathing. Of course, "the meaning of drunkenness is not in wine" or "eager for success". On New Year's Day, firecrackers were peeled off, and before the sun was red, my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pulled out the quilt and murmured, "bask in the quilt, give birth to an egg (male); Give birth to a child in the sun. " The sun didn't come out. What happened yesterday? Just asking for "good luck"/tying a doll on New Year's Eve. This is what temples, Taoist temples, grandmothers' temples and some legendary places (such as sacred stones and sacred trees) should do. Because most of them are carried out in secret, the secret is circulated in various forms, and it is also "sincerity is the spirit." Generally, the mother-in-law (or other close relatives) goes to burn incense and pray, kowtow and make wishes, give money and things, and then tie the legs or roots of the table with red silk ropes, saying "little boy, go home" and "little boy, go home". In this way, instead of praying and wishing, we should take some things like mud, stones and wooden sticks next to the tied things as symbols of "dolls", wrap them in cloth, tie them with red silk ropes, take them home, put them on the daughter-in-law's bed, and cover them with quilts and cotton pads. Daughter-in-law touched it while sleeping, which should be interesting. People who are eager to have children sleep with their arms around them, and there are really children in their dreams. There are also "dolls" tied to mud with the same intention. There is Guanyin in Kannonji in the temple, and the Three Filial Piety Empress (also called Grandma Taishan) in Yuan Jun Temple in Bi Xia in the Taoist Temple, all of whom are devoted to children. Custom and religion are inseparable, and there are endless topics.

Holding bricks is a custom in some parts of Xuzhou. That is, on the third day of the third lunar month and the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the day is not bright. My mother-in-law holds a rake in her hand and will hug it in the village street when no one is looking until she catches a brick and walks home with her legs crossed, which means that a boy will be added.

The sacredness and mystery of fertility, the influence of feudal thought of many children and many blessings, and people's ignorance have made the custom of praying for children come into being and become popular. With the evolution of social civilization, changing customs has become a new trend, leaving only a historical mark in folk culture.

Send porridge and rice

Be pregnant in October and give birth once. After experiencing pregnancy, expectation and labor pains, the newborn brought joy and hope to parents and families. The theory of "exultation" and "smallness" (giving birth to a boy is exultation, giving birth to a girl is smallness) reflects the idea of patriarchal society, but the word "happiness" can express feelings. Pregnancy is called "happy" and giving birth to a child is called "happy". Tell relatives and friends, that's called "good news".

Dye the boiled eggs red, which is called "happy eggs". Friends and relatives who get "happy eggs" should prepare brown sugar, dried noodles, fried dumplings, rice flowers, children's clothes, printed cloth and other things to congratulate them.

The first "good news" is the mother's family. Grandma hopes that her grandson's mood is not worse than grandma's. "Raw sugar and eggs" has been given. Although you can't say when you were born, you can also calculate in your mind that you are very close to each other. As soon as the "good news" comes, your mother's family will start to deliver "porridge rice".

Sending porridge and rice is an important event for her family. Aunt, when you kiss your neighbors, you always send some rice noodles, eggs, brown sugar, new clothes and so on. On the appointed day, my mother's brother brought "porridge rice". Due to different local customs, some people go to their parents' homes, some go to their parents' homes and sister-in-law's, some take their children with them, and some don't. But both male and female guests are going.

In the past, porridge and rice were usually packed in two or three baskets and sent in one basket with rice, eggs and cloth. Baskets for vermicelli, eggs and cloth; Baskets for noodles, brown sugar, children's clothes, etc. Now that people's economic conditions are good, the content of "porridge" is much richer, and windbreakers, blankets, cribs, strollers and so on are given. It is far from enough to have a basket, so we use flatbed cars, tricycles and so on. Some want to use several tricycles to show their wealth and willingness to spend money. Sending porridge and rice is to send some rice, sugar, eggs and the like to the parturient to nourish the body. If it is too extravagant, it is too much.

The bride's family sends porridge and rice, and the husband's family should prepare a banquet and invite all the relatives and neighbors who sent the wedding ceremony; Raise a glass to congratulate the host. This is called "eat happy noodles". "Eating happy noodles" means drinking brown sugar tea to soak prickly heat, which means happiness. The homonym of prickly heat is "sowing seeds", which means a lot. Also eat "longevity noodles", that is, put the noodles down and then put two eggs in. After the meal is full, each guest should bring ten "happy eggs".

There are also gifts when eating noodles, which are called "meeting gifts", and the amount varies. A maternal mother or an elderly relative, a maternal mother or an elderly relative, and a maternal partner talked with the maternal and told the experience and truth of how to feed the baby and maintain the body. Ten "happy eggs" should be put in every empty basket brought back by family members, which will always bring a lot of "happiness". When people in Xuzhou see "happy eggs", they always ask "Who eats happy noodles?"

Novo

When the child is full moon, a little life becomes healthy and lively, and the mother has also completed the mission of "confinement". After her body basically recovers, she can also do more work and eat more casually. At this time, the mother will hold the baby and go to her parents' house for a few days with her younger brother who has come to pick her up. This is called "moving nest".

First, the girl misses her mother, and her mother misses her and her newborn grandson, so she sends someone to pick her up. Secondly, changing the environment for newborns is good for growth and development.

When the baby moves to the nest, he will fold a bunch of peach branches with seven copper coins and five peanuts dyed red with red silk thread tied to them. Peach branches are used to ward off evil spirits. Seven copper coins symbolize "good luck shines high" and also mean "prosperous people and prosperous wealth"; Peanut is longevity fruit, which means "long life", "five sons into the topic" and "all children are perfect". Peach branches are tied with red lines, copper coins and peanuts. They are colorful and really beautiful ornaments. When people saw it, they knew it was coming.

Mothers and newborns stay with their parents for three to five days. When they come back, they should bring tiger-headed shoes, tiger-headed hats, "faded sweaters" (usually white coats with red collars), "mandarin ducks" and red Chinese corsets, as well as "sheared chickens" or "sheared sheep".

The cut-off chicken is a red rooster and a hen. Cut a garland out of a big red cloth and put it around the chicken's neck. The sender put it in the basket and sent it home. Cut a sheep, goat or sheep, but all white. The sheep's head was dyed red and led by people. No matter whether you cut chicken or sheep, you should take it home and feed it for a while. They can't be slaughtered for food, but they should be sold in the market. In exchange for this money, you must buy a pack of salt to take home first. Salt is crystal, crystal clear, indicating that children will have great achievements; Salt is soluble in water, and children will be clean and honest when they grow up; Mixing salt with five flavors will bring happiness and joy to the family, and life will be full of flavor.

In some places, sheared chickens and sheared sheep are called "longevity chickens" and "longevity sheep". Chickens and sheep are considered lucky.

Baijiayi

There is a saying in Xuzhou that "look at dolls for three months". It means that babies don't look good until three months. After three months' careful nursing by the mother, the child is fat, beautiful and lovely in vain, which is also the most pleasing time for the child 100 days.

In traditional culture, "hundred" is an auspicious and sacred number. What are "Bai", "Bai Shou", "Bai Lu", "Long life", "Bai Shun" and so on. When the child 100 days, Xuzhou people should give the child a "hundred-day gift". The most popular thing now is to give children a "hundred days of sunshine" as a souvenir. In the past, especially in remote villages, it was not easy to take pictures, and there was no "hundred-day sunshine", but there were many different customs.

Some people eat a "hundred-day wedding banquet". That is to say, a few tables are set up, and friends and relatives come to congratulate, hold a wedding banquet and eat longevity noodles.

More local characteristics are wearing "hundred clothes" and "hundred-year-old locks".

As the name implies, "Hundred Clothes" is a garment made up of hundreds of pieces of cloth, that is, pieces of rags of various colors. Although it is not necessary to have hundreds of pieces of cloth, the more pieces of cloth you take, the better. Among them, the number of purple cloth pieces is more difficult. Because "purple" and "zi" are homophonic, most people don't want to give "zi" to others, so they have to ask for it from the lonely old man. Hundreds of clothes come from "a hundred schools", that is, they are blessed and cared for by a hundred schools, so that children can live a long life without illness or disaster.

In addition to the role of health and longevity, the "hundred clothes" made of various pieces of cloth have been carefully pieced together, with beautiful patterns, patterns and colors, which are beautiful and attractive.

And aunts, aunts, etc. Make a red and green cotton-padded jacket. "A red coat and a big green shirt make my parents take root", all dressed up beautifully, showing ingenuity and good wishes.

Centennial lock, also known as "longevity lock", is a custom with a long history and wide spread. For example, this is what Xue Baochai wore in China's classic Dream of Red Mansions. The "hundred-life lock" popular in Xuzhou area is characterized by its flexibility, variety and simplicity. This is because life-saving locks made of gold, silver and jade are expensive, and it is difficult for ordinary people to forget them. For example, the simplest and cheapest copper coins are made of red thread and also made of copper and tin. Of course, there are also more expensive gold and silver materials. The century-old lock is engraved with patterns and characters. The patterns include Kirin, deer, tiger, dragon, elephant and lotus, and the characters include "Long life and wealth", "Long life and a hundred years" and "Kirin to send a child".

A century-old lock is tied around the child's neck, which means that the child's soul is locked and the child will live a long life.