Photo: Typical offerings for the Kitchen God.
Daoists believe that the Kitchen God was once a mortal man born into a wealthy family. Unfortunately, he later squandered his inheritance and then sold his wife to pay his debts. He became blind and wandered the streets begging for food.
One day, his wife, who had found employment as a cook for a wealthy family, saw her former husband and took pity on him. Believing her master to be out, she snuck the husband into the kitchen with the intention of preparing a hot meal for him.
Unfortunately, the master surprised her by returning home early. She immediately ran into the foyer to stall him, giving her husband a chance to escape. Instead, he hid in the stove (in the old days, Chinese stoves were spacious enough to hold a man).
The master was hungry and asked the wife to prepare something for him to eat. When she returned to the kitchen and didn’t see her husband, she assumed he had left and lit the stove to prepare dinner. The husband did not want to endanger his wife, so he remained silent and burned to death.
The gods felt that with this last act, the man had redeemed himself, and upon his passing, he was invited to join them. Ever since, he has lived in kitchens, taking notes of all the gossip exchanged in this popular gathering place.
Each year, Daoists believe that the Kitchen God returns to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang) on the household’s activities over the past year. Families are then punished or rewarded accordingly.
Perhaps as a bribe or way to ensure good fortune, families prepare offerings each year before they send the Kitchen God to heaven. A week before the New Year dawns, they provide him with sweets and sticky snacks, the latter so he can’t open his mouth and reveal the family’s secrets. People burn his effigy, sometimes adding alcohol for a quick and colorful send off to heaven.
While the Kitchen God is away, people can do as they please because there is no one to witness their exploits. Before the Kitchen God’s return, the family replaces his alter, drapes red ribbon over the top and prepares new clothes for him.
Photo: (above left) glutinous “sticky” rice cake to keep the kitchen God from talking; (left) New clothes for the Kitchen God; (above right): New alter for the Kitchen God.
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