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“Zhoushou shou” refers to longevity. In Zhuangzi’s “Daozhi,” it is stated: “The highest lifespan is a hundred years, the middle one eighty, and the lowest sixty.” Accordingly, young people do not celebrate birthdays; typically, birthday celebrations begin only when one reaches the age of sixty, known as the “huajia” year. The age of seventy-seven is called “xishou” (since the cursive form of the character “xi” consists of seven plus ten plus seven); eighty-eight is termed “mishou” (because the character “mi” represents eighty-eight); and one hundred and eight is referred to as “chashou” (as “eighty-eight” plus “twenty” spells out “tea”). When an elderly couple celebrates their birthdays together, it is called “shuangshou.” A birthday celebration for the elderly must be uninterrupted; otherwise, it is considered “duanshou,” which is regarded as inauspicious. Among the gifts presented by younger generations, one may offer symbolic items such as peach-shaped cakes, longevity noodles, longevity cakes, longevity wine, as well as incense and candles imbued with auspicious meanings.
Customs of the twentieth day of the first lunar month
Customs of the Twentieth Day of the First Lunar Month If the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month marks the beginning of the New Year, then the fifteenth day of the first lunar month signals its end. Yet in Shanxi, the cradle of Chinese civilization, the true conclusion of the festive spirit arrives on the twentieth day, for this is when the Han Chinese celebrate an ancient traditional festival known as “Tian Chuan Jie” — the “Repairing the Sky and Patching the Hole Festival.” As my grandmother used to tell me, Tian Chuan Jie is a folk observance honoring Nüwa, who mended the sky and saved humanity, symbolizing people’s hopes for a year of favorable weather and bountiful harvests. This festival holds particular significance in the southern Jin region of Shanxi. On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, households in Linfen and Hongtong traditionally prepare and enjoy “juanjuan,” a type of rolled pastry, with the custom of eating it to…
A full month after birth, the hundred-day milestone is perfectly celebrated.
The First Hundred Days: A Symbol of Fulfillment Giving birth and welcoming a new member into the family—ensuring the household thrives—has long been regarded as one of life’s most important events in Chinese culture, seen as a key sign of familial prosperity. Accordingly, from the moment a child is born, a series of customs and rituals are observed. The very first task after the baby’s arrival is to invite the mother-in-law to come and help care for the mother during the postpartum “confinement” period; according to tradition, this responsibility falls squarely on the mother-in-law. Typically, by the third day after the birth, the mother-in-law’s family will also fry large oil cakes and deliver them to the son-in-law’s home, so that he can go “spend joy”—that is, present an oil cake to each nearby relative and friend in the same village as a gesture of good news. Of course, there is another layer of meaning: it signals that visitors may now begin to pay their respects. On the tenth day after the baby’s birth…
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