Why Chinese honour Toilet Goddess with straw effigies, rituals during Lantern Festival

South China Morning Post · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from RSS

Summary

Full Article

In China, during the Lantern Festival, a unique folk custom involves the worship of a Toilet Goddess.The unlikely ritual sees people create life-size straw portraits of the goddess and hold ceremonies near toilets, pigpens and kitchens to honour her and seek predictions for the coming year.The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is the first major festival after the Chinese Spring Festival.On this day, people admire decorative lanterns, watch dragon and lion dances and gather to eat glutinous rice balls, which symbolise reunion and togetherness, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere.is a lesser-known traditional folk ritual held on the night of the Lantern Festival to receive Zigu, which literally means “Purple Sister”, also known as the Toilet Goddess.A small altar set up inside a toilet during the annual Lantern Festival. Photo: WeiboThis custom has been practised in both northern and southern China and was recorded as early as the Northern (960–1127) and Southern (1127–1279) dynasties.

Share this story

Read Original at South China Morning Post

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago

Inside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officials

For a book on performance appraisals, it contained some surprising language – especially given its author, President Xi Jinping. The volume, published by the Central Party Literature Press, coincided with the launch of an overhaul of the Communist Party’s promotion system that will continue in the run-up to next year’s leadership transition. Among the raft of speeches and instructions from Xi since November 2012 is a blunt warning to cadres about pursuing debt-laden white elephant...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago

Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

China’s major sportswear makers have shrugged off soft consumer spending and a warm winter, according to analysts. Retail sales in China’s sportswear sector picked up in the first two months of 2026 and beat expectations, helped by fresh policy support and Chinese New Year demand, analysts said. Separately, Chinese households also tuned into the Winter Olympics, where domestic sportswear giants Li Ning and Anta had high visibility. “We are turning more positive on the China sportswear industry...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago

Pakistani, Afghan clashes widen as Arab states struggle to halt war

Afghan and Pakistani troops battled along their border, Afghan residents and officials told reporters on Sunday, with the fighting coming alongside multiple strikes including the former US airbase at Bagram. Months of cross-border clashes have flared since Thursday when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skies. Residents in multiple areas bordering Pakistan spoke of overnight fighting, while two civilians were...

South China Morning Postabout 3 hours ago

Hong Kong government ‘prepared’ for more volatility after Iran attacks: Paul Chan

The Hong Kong government is prepared for greater global market volatility and risks, as well as increased trade costs and shifting commodity prices, caused by the joint US–Israel attack against Iran, according to the city’s finance chief. Shortly after Iranian state media confirmed that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the conflict created “significant global uncertainty” in the world economy. “I expect increased volatility...

South China Morning Postabout 4 hours ago

China poised to earn vast profits from global energy transition: analysts

Chinese companies are primed to capitalise on a vast global wave of investment in clean energy infrastructure in the coming decades, as they are able to deploy solutions at a scale and cost that few can match, analysts said. With China already rolling out green technologies – from wind and solar power to electric cars and batteries – at a massive scale domestically, its firms have the resources and know-how that other countries need to reduce their reliance on coal-fired power plants and...

South China Morning Postabout 4 hours ago

Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia

The killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli air strikes has prompted governments across Muslim-majority South and Southeast Asia to reiterate calls for restraint as protests flared in several cities, with some religious and political movements hailing the cleric as a “martyr”. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday and declared a 40-day mourning period, casting the assassination as a pivotal moment for the Islamic Republic he had led since...

Why Chinese honour Toilet Goddess with straw effigies, rituals during Lantern Festival

Full Article

Related Articles

Inside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officials

Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

Pakistani, Afghan clashes widen as Arab states struggle to halt war

Hong Kong government ‘prepared’ for more volatility after Iran attacks: Paul Chan

China poised to earn vast profits from global energy transition: analysts

Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia

Why Chinese honour Toilet Goddess with straw effigies, rituals during Lantern Festival

Full Article

Related Articles

Inside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officials

Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth

Pakistani, Afghan clashes widen as Arab states struggle to halt war

Hong Kong government ‘prepared’ for more volatility after Iran attacks: Paul Chan

China poised to earn vast profits from global energy transition: analysts

Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia

Related Articles

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
Inside Xi Jinping’s new guide to promoting Communist Party officials
For a book on performance appraisals, it contained some surprising language – especially given its author, President Xi Jinping. The volume, published by the Central Party Literature Press, coincided with the launch of an overhaul of the Communist Party’s promotion system that will continue in the run-up to next year’s leadership transition. Among the raft of speeches and instructions from Xi since November 2012 is a blunt warning to cadres about pursuing debt-laden white elephant...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
Warm winter no match: China’s sportswear sector posts surprise growth
China’s major sportswear makers have shrugged off soft consumer spending and a warm winter, according to analysts. Retail sales in China’s sportswear sector picked up in the first two months of 2026 and beat expectations, helped by fresh policy support and Chinese New Year demand, analysts said. Separately, Chinese households also tuned into the Winter Olympics, where domestic sportswear giants Li Ning and Anta had high visibility. “We are turning more positive on the China sportswear industry...

South China Morning Postabout 2 hours ago
Pakistani, Afghan clashes widen as Arab states struggle to halt war
Afghan and Pakistani troops battled along their border, Afghan residents and officials told reporters on Sunday, with the fighting coming alongside multiple strikes including the former US airbase at Bagram. Months of cross-border clashes have flared since Thursday when Afghanistan launched an offensive along the frontier, with Pakistani forces hitting back on the border and from the skies. Residents in multiple areas bordering Pakistan spoke of overnight fighting, while two civilians were...

South China Morning Postabout 3 hours ago
Hong Kong government ‘prepared’ for more volatility after Iran attacks: Paul Chan
The Hong Kong government is prepared for greater global market volatility and risks, as well as increased trade costs and shifting commodity prices, caused by the joint US–Israel attack against Iran, according to the city’s finance chief. Shortly after Iranian state media confirmed that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the conflict created “significant global uncertainty” in the world economy. “I expect increased volatility...

South China Morning Postabout 4 hours ago
China poised to earn vast profits from global energy transition: analysts
Chinese companies are primed to capitalise on a vast global wave of investment in clean energy infrastructure in the coming decades, as they are able to deploy solutions at a scale and cost that few can match, analysts said. With China already rolling out green technologies – from wind and solar power to electric cars and batteries – at a massive scale domestically, its firms have the resources and know-how that other countries need to reduce their reliance on coal-fired power plants and...

South China Morning Postabout 4 hours ago
Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia
The killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli air strikes has prompted governments across Muslim-majority South and Southeast Asia to reiterate calls for restraint as protests flared in several cities, with some religious and political movements hailing the cleric as a “martyr”. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday and declared a 40-day mourning period, casting the assassination as a pivotal moment for the Islamic Republic he had led since...