Gods And Goddesses: Fu

Fu (also called Fu Xing) is the god of happiness and good fortune plus a part of a group called San-Xing. Fu is also symbolized by the bat and his name means “Lucky Star”. Fu can be told apart by his usually blue or green clothes of a civil servant, a ’winged’ hat and in the company of children.

Fu is said to have been a sixth century government official called Yang Cheng from a village known as Dao Zhou. People of Dao Zhou were notably short and every year the emperor would summon a large number of these people to his court as the emperor loved to be around such short people.

The short people never went back to their town of Dao Zhou and the emperor summoned more and more of these people to his court, in turn the population of Dao Zhou was reduced greatly over time. Fu eventually requested the emperor to show consideration for the people of his hometown, moving the emperor so much with the request that he never again summoned the short people of Dao Zhou.

Fu’s name is a common symbol in Chinese literature where it represents happiness and good fortune to which  it is common to find it in Chinese households and businesses.

Fu is also commonly mistaken for another god, Tian Guan, who is also a god of good fortune.

Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the very last day of the Chinese New Year festivals (the 15th day of the 1st month) which is celebrated on the first full moon of the new year, and it is interestingly also Tian Guan’s birthday.

Tian Guan is also often mistaken as Fu Xing who is often associated with Lu Xing and Shou Xing. Fu Xing is the god of good fortune like Tian Guan, but Tian Guan also likes all types of entertainment so people do all kinds of activities during the Lantern Festival to say to Tian Guan that they want good fortune during the year.

During the Lantern Festival many lanterns are lighted, red is the colour traditionally used and they do come in great number in areas where many celebrate this festival. People also eat tangyuan, a dumpling made of sweet rice in the shape of a ball and filled with sweet fillings. Eating this sticky food symbolizes family unity and happiness.

Walking on stilts during this time as well as doing a dragon dance or a lion dance is also popular during this time. Performers will often do difficult movements while on stilts.