What Do You Know About the Legends of Earrings in the World

Nowadays earrings are necessary decorations for both men and women. But what’s the origin of earrings? We have several explanations in different cultures. There are several stories I want to share with you.

Earrings in China:

Ancient Chinese women did not wear earrings for decoration. They were compelled to wear them for warning. Some women were very active so people made them wear earrings to remind them that they should mind their behaviors.

It is recorded that in ancient times girls must wear earrings before 10. There is a story about the origin of earrings. Once there was a naughty girl in a wealthy family. Her parents tried everything to turn her into a lady. But their efforts turned out nothing. One day the mother came up with a good idea. She hanged two subjects on her daughter’s ears. If the girl made a big movement, the subjects would hit her face as if the others were laughing at her. So she gradually became a gentle girl.

However, there is another story about the origin of earrings in China. This is a more humanistic story. There was a poor girl who lost her parents. She was really sad and was almost blind because of weeping. Then a doctor passed her hometown and acupunctured on her earlobes. Then the poor girl was cured. She wore earrings to honor the doctor. Because she looked more beautiful with earrings, the other girls imitated her. Then wearing earrings became a custom.

Earrings in other cultures:

The appearance of earrings might be related with “magic”. Many Primitive Tribes believed that demons would go into human bodies through ears. They also believed that metals were able to resist demons. So they began to wear earrings.

Earrings also have symbolic meanings in many countries in human history. In Ancient Roman wearing earrings was a symbol of being a slave. Most of them were Numidians who were responsible for pulling carts. Pirates wore long big earrings because they want to be protected by gods. Gypsies put earrings on infants who were born next to a child that died young.

Cossacks put their family codes into earrings: the child with an earring on the left ear is the youngest in the family and the kid with an earring on the right ear is the youngest in the clan. According to the tradition, the chieftain should protect these people in a war and not make them risk their lives.

Russian women also gave their earrings to their husbands to protect them from getting hurt in a war.

Those are some legends about earrings around the world. However, earrings are just decorations for modern people.