CHINESE FESTIVALS, FASTS, AND OBSERVANCES,
34
Feby. II. Moon,
27
1 First day of the zergud moon. Courts of Hades.
Fête day of the Supreme Judge in th
28
2
29 Mar.
3
Mencius born B.C. 371. Spring worship of the gods of the land and grain. Fête of the god of literature, worshipped by students,
10
12
14
16
FR 3 2 8
25
27
29
13 Fête day of Hung-shing, god of the Cauton river, powerful to preserve
people from drowning, and for sending rain in times of drought.
15 Birthday of Lao Tsze, founder of Tanism, B.C. 601. The fête of Yoh
Fei, A.D. 1103-1141. A canonized statesman of the Sung dynasty.
Ho was a celebrated commander in the civil wars of the Sung Kao Tsung, and was an inflexible opponent of the Tartars of the Kin dynasty. As he would never consent to make peace with these “ barbarians;" he was removed from his command, committed to prison, and subjected to a trial which only served to demonstrate the falsity of the charges brought against, him. Nevertheless his enemies succeeded in obtaining an Imperial mandate for his execution, which was forthwith carried into effect. This act has been attended by the undying execration of the historians and of the Chinese people.
17 Spring worship of the Spirits of land and grain,
19 Fête of Kwanyin, goddess of mercy; for a full description of the dogmas.
connected with this goddess, see Eitel's Hand Book, page 18.
28 Tsing Ming, or Tomb Festival,
III. Moon.
1 First day of the third moon.
3 Fête of Hiten Tien Shaug-ti, the supreme ruler of the Sombre heavens, or Peh-te, Tanist god of the North Pole.
4 Fête of Chang Fi (see 22nd August).
18 Fête of Hen Tu, the goddess worshipped behind graves; of the god of
the Central mountain, and of the three brothers,
29 Summer sets in.
IV. Moon.
1 First day of the fourth moon.
June V. Moon.
6
9
JE
CHINESE FESTIVALS, FASTS, AND OBSERVANCTS,
National fête of Sheng Wang, the tutelary god of walled towns, 13 National fête of Kwân-ti, god of war, and of his son General Kwan. 16 Fête of Chang Tao-ling, (A.D. 34.) | Ancient head of the Tanist seet. His descendants still continue to claim the headship. It is said “the succession is perpetuated by the transmigration of the soul of each successør of Chang Tao-ling, on his decease, to the body of some infant or youthful member of the family, whose heirship is supernaturally revealed as soon as the miracle is affected. Fête of Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Eul- dhism.
18 Summer solstice.
11
July VI. Moon.
22
1
The first day of the sixth moon.
Aug.
3
13
Fête of Im Pan, the god of carpenters and masous.
9
19 Fete of the goddess of mercy (see 27th March).
11
21 Fête of the god of horses,
14
21
26
27
225
Sept.
1467
8
9
30
April.
10
15 Fête of I-ling, a deified physician, and of the god of the Sombre Altar,
worshipped on behalf of sick children,
13
18
23 Fête of Tien Hen, Queen of Heaven, Holy mother, goddess of sailors,
21
26 Fête of Tsz-sun, goddess of progeny.
23
28 National Festival of Ts'ang Kich, inventor of writing...
24
25
28
4 Fête of the Bodhisattva Mandjushri, worshipped on behalf of the dead,
11
May.
2
8 Fête of San Kai, ruler of heaven, of earth, and of hades; also a fête of Buddha.
13
11
14
+12 +2 23
14
10 Fête of the dragon spirits of the ground,
i
8
14 Fête of La Sien, Tauist patriarch, worshipped by barbers.
18
9
15 Fête of Chung Ti-kien, discoverer of the elixir vito.
17 Fête of Kin IIwa, the Cantonese goddess of parturition.
19
20 Fete of the goddess of the blind.
17
22
23 Fête of Samanta Bhadra, patrou of monasteries.
V. Moon.
25
1 First day of the fifth moon.
29
Fête of the god of the South pole.
18 Fête of Wa-to, a deified physician, and of Tsz-mi, the star god of
malarin.
28 Fête of Yoh Wong, the Tauist god of medicine.
5 National fête day: dragon boat festival and boat races.
20
22 22
24 Anniversary of Kwan-ti's ascent to heaven. Fête of Chul Yung, the
spirit of fire; and of the god of thunder.
VII. Moon.
1
First day of the seventh moon. During this moon is held the festival of all souls, when Buddhist and Tauist priests read masses to release souls from purgatory, scatter rice to feed starving ghosts, recite magie incanta- tions accompanied by finger play imitating mystic Sanskrit characters which are supposed to comfort souls in purgatory, burn paper clothes for the benefit of the souls of the drowned, and visit family shrines to pray on behalf of the deceased members of the family. Exhibitions of groups of statuettes, dwarf plants, silk festoons, and ancestral tablets are combined with these ceremonies, which are enlivened by music and fireworks. Fête day of Lao Tszu, the founder of Tauism.
6 Autumn sets in.
7 Fête of the god of Ursa Major, worshipped by scholars, and of the seven goddesses of the Pleiades, worshipped by women.
15 Fête of Chung Yuen, god of the element earth.
17 Death of the Emperor Hien Fêng, A.D. 1861.
18 Fête of the three gods of heaven, of earth, and of water, and of the five
· attendant sacrificial spirits.
19 Fête of the ruler of the planet Jupiter, aul of the sixty year gods.
20 Fête of Chang Fi, A.D. 2:0. A lender of the wars during the Three Kingdoms. He is said to have been at first a butcher and wine seller. After many heroic exploits, he perished by the hand of an assassin. 22 Fête of the god of weal:h,
24 Another fête of Sheng Wang, the tutelary god of walled cities, and of
Chang Sien, the patron of child-laring women.
25 The Emperor'Kia K'ing died A.D. 1821. Fête of Hü Sün-1 ing, a Tanist
erumite.
29 Fête of Ti Tang Wang, the patron of departed spirits. VIII. Moon.
1
First day of the eighth moon, Fête of Hû Sun, a deified physician, wor- shipped by doctors, and of Kin Kiah (god of the golden armour) worshipped by the literati.
2 Pete of the gods of land and grain.
Descent of the star god of the northern measure, and fête of the god of the hearth.
27
9
The Emperor Tien Tsung diedl A.D. 1644.
29
11
The Emperor Tien Ming died A.D. 1627.