The fifth day of the Lunar New Year, welcoming the God of Wealth, bringing blessings, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth!

The Chinese Flavor of the New Year

Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, “The fifth day of the first lunar month, welcoming the God of Wealth.”

Where does the tradition of “welcoming the God of Wealth” come from? Are there any particular customs on this day?

The fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as “Po Wu” (Breaking the Fifth).

Old Spring Festival customs

There are many taboos among folk traditions

No cooking with raw rice

Women should avoid sewing or mending

Avoid cleaning or sweeping

Avoid breaking utensils

Fearing disturbing good fortune

Clashing with the year’s luck

But on the fifth day of the lunar month

All these taboos are lifted

People can finally resume their daily routines

Everything gradually returns to the orderly state before the festival

Hence the name “Po Wu” (Breaking the Fifth)

The most important event on the fifth day of the lunar month is

“Welcoming the God of Wealth”

It is believed among folk tradition that this day is the birthday of the God of Wealth

It concerns the financial luck for the whole year

On this day

To compete for “profit and prosperity”

Every household begins their ritual to welcome the gods at midnight

Open doors and windows wide

Burn incense, set off firecrackers and fireworks

Offer sheep heads and carp

Express a warm welcome to the God of Wealth

Many families also set up “Roadside Wine”

Friends and relatives gather to drink until dawn

Filled with hopes for good luck

In Cai Yun’s bamboo branch poem in “Qing Jia Lu” by Gu Tieqing

"On the fifth day, seek wealth for five days

A year’s wishes are fulfilled at once"

Vividly depicts

People’s eagerness to welcome the God of Wealth at that time

Large and small shops also open for business on this day

Hoping for good luck with “welcoming the God of Wealth and opening the door to bring in blessings”

Wishing prosperity and wealth

Fortune, happiness, longevity, and wealth

Five blessings arrive at the door

Wishing the new year

Smooth sailing and good fortune from the God of Wealth

Many blessings, long life, and everything as desired

Paper-cutting is one of China’s oldest folk arts

Not only an essential part of festivals and holidays

But also carries the echoes of history and tradition

Together, meet blessings at your fingertips

Listen to China’s stories in intangible cultural heritage

This Spring Festival

We will unlock a “little-known fact” about intangible cultural heritage paper-cutting every day

Let’s take a look↓

Paper-cutting was not originally done with paper

Before paper was invented

The art form of paper-cutting had already been passed down for thousands of years

This hollow-out aesthetic expression

Did not originate from paper

But from the ingenuity of early ancestors

Using various thin materials

Such as leaves, gold foil, silver foil

Leather, silk

Employing carving, hollowing, piercing, engraving, and cutting techniques

to craft patterns

These techniques are the predecessors of modern paper-cutting

Becoming the primitive form of paper-cutting art

One sheet of paper, one pair of scissors, one tradition

Today, on the fifth day of the lunar month

We present to you this “transmission across a thousand years”

CNR invites

High-Qing’s representative intangible cultural heritage project

The paper-cutting (Chenggong) inheritor Gao Qing

to personally cut out a "blessing"↓

Today

With friends and family

Say “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (Wishing you prosperity)

May wealth and happiness accompany you year after year

May the Year of the Horse bring joy and progress

Editor: Zhou Chao