Worship Birthday

The Shou Xing, the god of longevity in Chinese folk religion and a genial old man with a warm smile, is the most popular image in the folk art. The Shou Xing, whose worship is time‐honored in China, is derived from the star Canopus. During the era when the identification of time was mainly based on the observation of astronomical phenomena, Canopus appeared above the horizon in the south on the August morning. Since this was the very time when the rites and practices of taking care of the old took place, this second brightest star was named Shou Xing or Lao Ren Xing as a mark. The most important part of the ancient customwasthe sacrifice to Shou Xing, through which the ancients prayed for longevity. After Qin and Han dynasties, the custom disassembled gradually, some of its practices and the idea of respecting and looking after the old instituted the core of a subsequent festival on9th September‐Double Ninth Festival. For one thing, with the departure from its initial context, the original functions and meanings of Canopus disappeared, and it was endowed with new meanings in the system of astrology which was very popular afterwards. For instance, the appearance of Canopus indicated the longevity of the emperor as well as the stability of the society. For another, the sacrifice to Canopus as had become a routine activity during the subsequent dynasties, until the official abolishment of the temple of Shou Xing in the Ming dynasty. In addition, during the period from Tang dynasty to Ming dynasty, the sacrifice to Canopus had experienced a transformation from national rite to folk worship since the sacrifice was incorporated into the celebration of Emperor Xuanzong’s birthday, namely, Qianqiu Festival. The personalization and visualization of Canopus is promoted by the practices of giving the picture of Shou Xing as a birthday gift and hanging the picture to pray; there were a few folk tales and stories in the meantime, in which the star was told to descend to the world and turn into a man. The image of Shou Xing became lucid gradually and then prevailed during the Ming dynasty. So to speak, although the temple of Shou Xing was abolished in early Ming dynasty, its worship turned out to be popular among the ordinary people. The official sacrifice of Shou Xing finally was replaced by the folk one, and the object of the sacrifice transformed to an old man from a star. Henceforth, Shou Xing has presented frequently in the popular literature and art as a popular artistic image.