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The Birthday of Jade Emperor, King of Heaven. 2025 is the 4722th Chinese year.2025 Chinese New Year Day is on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.Chinese New Year Day is a new moon day, which is the first lunar day. Among the popular myths about the origins of the Chinese zodiac, there is one about a great race initiated by the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven, in order to measure time. As the rat won the Lunar New Year — which includes Chinese New Year, Seollal in Korea, Tet in Vietnam and more — begins on Jan. 29, kicking off more than two weeks of parties, customs and copious feasts. Traditionally, Chinese families gather for a festive dinner at home on New Year's Eve. On the Lunar New Year, many visit temples to pray and attend temple fairs to watch performances and buy Portrait of the Jade Emperor, 16th century, Ming dynasty (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) There are several stories as to how the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen. In one, the Jade Emperor, although having ruled Heaven and Earth justly and wisely for many years, had never had the time to actually visit the Earth personally. The seventh day of the Lunar New Year (February 4, 2025) is said to be when the Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, created humanity. Thus, it’s called renri/jan jat (the people’s birthday). In Chinese traditional culture, the Kitchen God will report to the Jade Emperor about the daily affairs of each family. Based on the report, the Jade Emperor will decide whether or not to reward this family. People will sacrifice candy, water, beans to the Kitchen God to flatter him, so that he can report good things about the family. The Jade Emperor’s birthday celebration is held on the ninth day of the Lunar calendar, and this day of worship is an integral part of celebrating Chinese New Year. During the New Year, everyone’s deeds are told to the Jade Emperor by the Stove God, Zao Jun (灶神), who lives in the kitchen and bears witness to everything that happens JADE EMPEROR AND CHINESE NEW YEAR Just before Chinese New Year, the Jade Emperor sends the Kitchen God, also called Zao Jun, to each mortal’s household to inspect people’s doing over the previous year and to report back if good or evil has been done. Of course, according to the report, the Jade Emperor rewards or punishes each household For people from Fujian and other parts of southeast China, the ninth day of Chinese New Year is a day to worship the Jade Emperor, or Lord of Heaven. Many do so with long stalks of sugar cane. For the Hokkien community, with roots in Fujian province, the ninth day of Chinese New Year is a big deal as it is also known as the Jade Emperor God’s birthday (called Thnee Kong Seh, short for Thnee Kong Seh Jit in Hokkien). Chinese astrology and the lunar zodiac animal can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC). According to legend, the Jade Emperor called a race of animals on his birthday to create the Chinese Zodiac. The animals had to cross a rapid river to reach the finish line on shore. Happy Chinese New Year , and welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey ! Chinese New Year falls on Monday, February 8th this year, and I thought it would be fun to share the story behind the Chinese zodiac animals . The mythological story is about a great race, during which the order of the 12 zodiac a During Chinese New Year, the Stove God plays a crucial role by reporting the actions of every household to the Jade Emperor. The Kitchen God’s image or representation is traditionally burned or sent away to symbolize his departure to the heavenly court to give his report. Chinese New Year's Eve Traditions 1. Putting Up New Year Decorations. People believe that auspicious decorations can drive away evil spirits and bring good luck. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Chinese people will hang red lanterns in front of their houses, put Chinese New Year Couplets on doors, and put flowers with lucky symbols inside their houses. The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malaysia’s oldest traditional Chinese temple, will host significant Chinese New Year New Year rituals. On the first day of the lunar year (10 February 2024), the temple will be a hub of prayers and ceremonies, welcoming the new year with reverence and hope. The Jade Emperor Celebration On New Year's Day, all the other major gods in the Chinese pantheon must pay homage to their master the Jade Emperor. Taoists, in particular, have classified and codified all of these deities and ministers into a whole belief system. The Jade Emperor (玉皇 (Yù Huáng) or 玉帝 (Yù Dì)), known informally as Heavenly Grandfather (天公 (Tiān Gōng)) and formally as the Pure August Jade Emperor or August Personage of Jade (玉皇上帝 (Yu Huang Shangdi)) or 玉皇大帝 (Yu Huang Dadi), is the ruler of Heaven in Chinese mythology and is among the most important gods in the Daoist and folk pantheons. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] The Jade Emperor is a busy guy during the Chinese New Year. As early as December 25th of the lunar calendar, he disguises himself as an out-of-town visitor and travels down to earth to make sure his rulings have been just and wise. The temple of Jade Emperor will be crowded as the Chinese New Year day since the night of 8th lunar day for those people unable to hold the worship event at home. For the same purpose, Chinese always pray for better luck, safety, health, love or money, when they visit the temple.
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