Renri:
Everybody’s Birthday
Contributor: Alison Fong is a junior Honors College student majoring in history, international and global studies with a concentration in peace, human rights, and security, and Asian studies and minoring in East Asian history and politics. Originally born in Singapore before moving to Phoenix, Arizona in 2010, Alison is involved on campus as a member of the University of Arkansas Museum Student Advisory Council, an Honors College Ambassador, and a member of Sigma Iota Rho. After college, Alison desires to pursue a masters in global and Asian history and further her knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Nüwa (女娲), the mother goddess in Chinese mythology, repairs the heavenly pillar, one of her great deeds.
There are many festivals that are celebrated during the two weeks of Chinese New Year, and their origins have much to do with Chinese mythology and history. Legend goes that Nüwa spent seven days creating beings to accompany her. She began with the animals on the first day of the lunar month, known as 正月 (zhēngyuè), and ended with the creation of humans from yellow clay on the seventh day.
An alternate version of the legend also exists, which includes her brother and husband Fuxi (伏羲: Fúxī). The two had survived a great flood that had wiped out all other races and had retreated to Kunlun Mountain, where they prayed for a message from the Emperor of Heaven, the prime god of Chinese mythology. Hearing their pleas, the Emperor of Heaven approved of their union and permitted them to procreate the human race. It is for this reason that the seventh day of the first lunar month is called 人日 (rén rì: Day of Men).
An ancient painting of Nüwa (pictured left) and Fuxi (pictured right)
On this day, families consume vegetarian dishes, like seven-gem porridge (七宝羹: qī bǎo gēng), or a raw fish and vegetable salad (鱼生: yúshēng/捞起: lo hei) to honor Nüwa’s creation of the animals. We’ve seen Lo Hei before in part 1 when we were talking about the Reunion Dinner. It is a very traditional dish that is commonly eaten during the new year, so expect to have multiple experiences of ‘Lo Hei’ over the span of the next two weeks.
As I have mentioned before, each day of Chinese New Year is very special, as they have their own customs and traditions to be celebrated. For example, the second day of Chinese New Year is known as ‘To the In-Laws’ (迎婿日: yíng xù rì). Traditionally, married women are not allowed to leave their marital home to visit their parents until the second day of Chinese New Year. This is because it is considered taboo for a married daughter to visit on the first day, as she will bring poverty and ill luck to the family.
On the third day, some consider it inauspicious to visit any relatives, as it is believed that evil spirits roam freely on this day. Instead, many choose to visit the graves of their deceased relatives and pay their respects to them. Those who have had a relative pass away in the past 3 years cannot go out in respect of the dead.
Dumplings wrapped like gold ingots to usher in more wealth.
On the fifth day, it is known as Break Five (破五: pò wǔ). Women can finally go out and give their blessings freely, and businesses and markets also reopen on this day. Dumplings are traditionally eaten on this day to wish for future wealth, and these dumplings are supposed to be eaten for five days straight. No one really follows this rule anymore, but dumplings are a common delicacy during Chinese New Year. After this day, people can return to work again.
On the ninth day, the Taoists celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor, also known as the Emperor of Heaven (天公生: tiān gōng shēng). The Emperor of Heaven is a representation of the ‘sky’ and is the highest sovereign god in Taoism. There will be many ceremonies praying to the Jade Emperor all throughout the city and town.
The Jade Emperor (pictured center) and the Heavenly Kings
Lastly, as celebrations begin to wind down, we come upon the last day of Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival. We will learn more about this festivity in the last part of this series.
Some Extra Resources:
- Nüwa: Learn more about Nüwa and her stories.
- Chinese New Year Festivals and Days: There are so many more days to cover. If you are curious about all of them, check out this site that lists all the days and even the taboos and superstitions of each day.
Image Attributions:
- Xiao Yuncong. The goddess Nüwa Mends the Heavens. Wikimedia Commons.
- Anonymous. Fuxi and Nüwa. Nüwa is on the left. Fuxi is her brother. Wikimedia Commons.
- Homemade Chinese Soups website. Ingot Dumpling. Homemade Chinese Soups.
- Anonymous. Portrait of Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Kings. Wikimedia Commons.
