Originally ruling over all, the Jade Emperor took his place eventually. When the ruler of Heaven, he controlled the destiny of the earth; where he would use his attendants to inflict droughts, storms and the like to the mortal realm. The Lantern Festival is thought to originate because of Tai Yi, as it is the day most appropriate to ask for good weather and health from this deity (due to reports on the mortal realm would be given to Tai Yi before the new year). Just as worship occurred on the Lantern Festival, it also occurred every fifteenth day of the lunar month.
Showing posts with label Lantern Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lantern Festival. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Gods And Goddesses: Tai Yi
Tai Yi is the supreme god whose name means “The Great Unity” or “Primordial Unity of Yin And Yang”, whom is also refered to as Taiyi Zhenren, where Zhenren means “True Person”. His attendants are a total of sixteen dragons, along with the Tai Sui. Also appearing in The Creation of the Gods, he is the teacher of the deity Nezha.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Gods And Goddesses: Chuang Mu
Known as Lady of the Bed Chamber, Chuang Mu is the goddess of beds, the bed chamber and what happens there (sleep, sex, love and birth). She is the husband to Chuang Kong, who is the god of bedroom and associated physical activities such as changing the linen and folding sheets.
Chuang Mu is a love and sex goddess, but she is so much more. A goddess that resides over multiple aspects of what goes on in the bedroom that goes beyond sex and love making, it includes sleep, recovering from illness and dying. It is her help along with Chuang Kong’s that is sought after for anything dealing with problems within the bedroom.
Offerings of tea, wine, rice, fresh flowers, fruit and of course incense are what is made to Chuang Mu. While giving offerings to this goddess at an altar, keeping the bedroom clean and uncluttered is best to be done to not offend. Asking for aid from Chuang Mu is best during the Lantern Festival.
Chuang Mu is often depicted in traditional robes that is often predominantly red and seated to the left of a traditionally dressed man who happens to be her husband.
Although a popular goddess along with her husband, it seems that in modern times there are apparently hotels and inns haunted by Chuang Mu and Chuang Kong where it is said they cause much trouble in bedrooms.
Chuang Mu is a love and sex goddess, but she is so much more. A goddess that resides over multiple aspects of what goes on in the bedroom that goes beyond sex and love making, it includes sleep, recovering from illness and dying. It is her help along with Chuang Kong’s that is sought after for anything dealing with problems within the bedroom.
Offerings of tea, wine, rice, fresh flowers, fruit and of course incense are what is made to Chuang Mu. While giving offerings to this goddess at an altar, keeping the bedroom clean and uncluttered is best to be done to not offend. Asking for aid from Chuang Mu is best during the Lantern Festival.
Chuang Mu is often depicted in traditional robes that is often predominantly red and seated to the left of a traditionally dressed man who happens to be her husband.
Although a popular goddess along with her husband, it seems that in modern times there are apparently hotels and inns haunted by Chuang Mu and Chuang Kong where it is said they cause much trouble in bedrooms.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival is the most important traditional Chinese holiday and it ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. The next Chinese New Year is to be on February 3rd and it is only a time to get together with family to celebrate but to also remember family who have died.
The days before the New Year families buy presents, decorations, food, new clothes and have their entire houses clean. The intent of the cleaning is to clean away the bad luck and on the New Year Day it is bad luck to clean the house as it is seen as cleaning the good luck away.
On Chinese New Year there is celebration using firecrackers, lanterns, torches and bonfires to chase away the evil spirits believed to be scared off by the light and noise, with dragon and lion dances taking place throughout the first few days of the Chinese New Year.
Red envelops are a common gift around this time of year. The red of the envelop symbolizes good luck and money, with money usually an amount of a lucky number such as one containing multiple eights (as in Chinese it sound similar to “prosperity”.
Certain foods are eaten more often during the Chinese New Year, such as Year Cake and Prosperity Cake, dumplings, a salad of raw fish (known as you sheng), mandarins as they are a symbol of wealth and good fortune, red Jujubes (or ‘Chinese Dates’) which symbolize prosperity, steamed fish as they symbolize long life and good fortune, uncut noodles during to their symbolism of longevity and baked foods with seeds to symbolize fertility. Quite a few things but that is what is eaten during Chinese New Year.
The beginning of Chinese New Year is said to have started with a fight against a beast known as the Nien.
The story goes that the Nien would come to a village on the first day of the New Year where it would eat livestock, crops and villagers (especially children), and because of this villagers would place food in front of their doors at the beginning of each year. Then one time people saw the Nien being scared away by a child wearing red and people knew it was the red that scared the beast away, so people began hanging red lanterns at the start of every New Year. People also used firecrackers to scare away the Nien. The Nien never did go back to the village, and was eventually captured by a Taoist monk by the name of Hongjun Laozu.
With fifteen days or the Chinese New Year there are much to celebrate.
The first day is of the welcoming of deities of both Heaven and earth with meat and the killing of animal often being abstained from this day. Lion and dragon dances are common this day along with fireworks. The first day is also known as the birthday of Budai, the Laughing Buddha.
The second day praying to one’s ancestors and all of the gods are occur this day. It is also the birthday of all dogs this day, so dogs are treated with extra kindness with being given an extra nice meal.
The third day is known as ‘chi kou’ which means ‘red mouth’. Nothing much happens this day as it thought to not be a good day to socialise. Nothing much happens on the fourth day, either.
The fifth day it is known as the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth, Tsai Shen Yeh, and it common to shoot off firecrackers to get the attention of the god of war, Guan Yu, for his favour and good fortune.
On the sixth day is another day of not much happenings but on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year it is known as the common mans birthday and raw fish salad is tossed.
The eighth day is when the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor is celebrated, with the ninth day the birthday of the Jade Emperor is celebrated. Prayers to the Jade Emperor are said and offerings are given, usually of incense, tea, fruit and vegetarian food. The tenth day is also another day when the Jade Emperor is celebrated.
Sadly, nothing can be said by me for the eleventh and twelfth days… But on the thirteenth day people will tend to only eat vegetarian food and this day is dedicated to Guan Yu, the god of war. It is this day where most organization and business in China will pray to Guan Yu.
Fourteenth day nothing much again but on the fifteenth day the Lantern Festival is celebrated and candles are lit outside houses to help guide spirits home.
The days before the New Year families buy presents, decorations, food, new clothes and have their entire houses clean. The intent of the cleaning is to clean away the bad luck and on the New Year Day it is bad luck to clean the house as it is seen as cleaning the good luck away.
On Chinese New Year there is celebration using firecrackers, lanterns, torches and bonfires to chase away the evil spirits believed to be scared off by the light and noise, with dragon and lion dances taking place throughout the first few days of the Chinese New Year.
Red envelops are a common gift around this time of year. The red of the envelop symbolizes good luck and money, with money usually an amount of a lucky number such as one containing multiple eights (as in Chinese it sound similar to “prosperity”.
Certain foods are eaten more often during the Chinese New Year, such as Year Cake and Prosperity Cake, dumplings, a salad of raw fish (known as you sheng), mandarins as they are a symbol of wealth and good fortune, red Jujubes (or ‘Chinese Dates’) which symbolize prosperity, steamed fish as they symbolize long life and good fortune, uncut noodles during to their symbolism of longevity and baked foods with seeds to symbolize fertility. Quite a few things but that is what is eaten during Chinese New Year.
The beginning of Chinese New Year is said to have started with a fight against a beast known as the Nien.
The story goes that the Nien would come to a village on the first day of the New Year where it would eat livestock, crops and villagers (especially children), and because of this villagers would place food in front of their doors at the beginning of each year. Then one time people saw the Nien being scared away by a child wearing red and people knew it was the red that scared the beast away, so people began hanging red lanterns at the start of every New Year. People also used firecrackers to scare away the Nien. The Nien never did go back to the village, and was eventually captured by a Taoist monk by the name of Hongjun Laozu.
With fifteen days or the Chinese New Year there are much to celebrate.
The first day is of the welcoming of deities of both Heaven and earth with meat and the killing of animal often being abstained from this day. Lion and dragon dances are common this day along with fireworks. The first day is also known as the birthday of Budai, the Laughing Buddha.
The second day praying to one’s ancestors and all of the gods are occur this day. It is also the birthday of all dogs this day, so dogs are treated with extra kindness with being given an extra nice meal.
The third day is known as ‘chi kou’ which means ‘red mouth’. Nothing much happens this day as it thought to not be a good day to socialise. Nothing much happens on the fourth day, either.
The fifth day it is known as the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth, Tsai Shen Yeh, and it common to shoot off firecrackers to get the attention of the god of war, Guan Yu, for his favour and good fortune.
On the sixth day is another day of not much happenings but on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year it is known as the common mans birthday and raw fish salad is tossed.
The eighth day is when the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor is celebrated, with the ninth day the birthday of the Jade Emperor is celebrated. Prayers to the Jade Emperor are said and offerings are given, usually of incense, tea, fruit and vegetarian food. The tenth day is also another day when the Jade Emperor is celebrated.
Sadly, nothing can be said by me for the eleventh and twelfth days… But on the thirteenth day people will tend to only eat vegetarian food and this day is dedicated to Guan Yu, the god of war. It is this day where most organization and business in China will pray to Guan Yu.
Fourteenth day nothing much again but on the fifteenth day the Lantern Festival is celebrated and candles are lit outside houses to help guide spirits home.
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