Contents.Etymology Sarubobo literally translated from the as 'a baby monkey'. 'Saru' is the Japanese word for monkey, and 'bobo' is the word for baby in.There are several reasons why the amulet has this name. The sarubobo is associated with three wishes:. Protection from bad things.In Japanese, the word 'leave' translates as ' saru', so possession of a sarubobo means that bad things will 'saru'.
A happy home, a good matchIn Japanese, a happy home is 'kanai enman', a good match is 'ryo- en' (Another way of saying 'saru' is 'en'.). Having an easy delivery on birth.Monkeys' childbirth is easy.The face of the sarubobo is traditionally red, as is the face of baby monkeys.Facelessness Sarubobo dolls and charms usually have no facial features.
The faceless dolls are very popular in the Dominican Republic. If you have traveled to Punta Cana or another region in the country chances are high that you probably have seen these interesting dolls. They are generally very colorful and have no facial characteristics in purpose.
The reasons for this are unclear, but some have been suggested. One suggestion is that, originally, sarubobos were made from left over cloth and made by relatives, so there was no need for them to be completely accurate.Another suggestion is that the absence of a face allows the owner to imagine it - when the owner is sad, they can imagine their sarubobo to be sad too.
A common tale told by the people of Takayama is that the facelessness is the result of the dolls being made during the period of World War II. The mothers knew that these were hard and unhappy times but, did not want to give the dolls sad faces. So they left them faceless.Modern sarubobo.
Sarubobo at Takayam's Hida Kokubunji TempleNowadays, sarubobo are a popular souvenir in, and are available in many different colours and shapes from souvenir shops. There is even a doll dressed as a sarubobo.The differently coloured sarubobos are each associated with different wishes;. The red sarubobo is for luck in marriage, fertility and childbirth. Blue sarubobo - for luck in study and work.
Pink sarubobo - for luck in love. Green sarubobo - for luck in health. Yellow sarubobo - for luck in money. Black sarubobo - to remove bad luckThere is also a differently-shaped sarubobo called a 'tobibobo.'
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