What Does "Worshipping the Bed Mother" Mean
"Worshipping the Bed Mother" is one of the local folk customs of the Qixi Festival in Taiwan. In addition to worshipping the Queen Mother of Heaven on the Qixi Festival in Taiwan, people often prepare a small bowl of oil rice and worship the "Bed Mother" in the room. Both have similar meanings.The Bed Mother is the guardian deity of children. July 7th is the birthday of the Bed Mother. Families with children will worship the Bed Mother at the bedside of the child's bed in the evening of that day. The offerings include oil rice, chicken wine (or medicinal chicken soup), burn "Four-direction Gold" and "Bed Mother Clothes". The worship of the Bed Mother should not be too long. Unlike regular worship, which requires three rounds of pouring wine. After placing the offerings and lighting the incense, you can prepare to burn "Four-direction Gold" and "Bed Mother Clothes", and after burning, you can remove the offerings. It is hoped that the child will grow up quickly, and it is not advisable to worship for too long, as it is feared that the Bed Mother may indulge the child in staying in bed.
What Things Should You Buy to Worship the Bed Mother
When worshipping the Bed Mother, some food is prepared as offerings, as well as "Four-direction Gold" and "Bed Mother Clothes".The food offerings usually include medicinal chicken soup, oil rice, or chicken wine, peanuts, etc., which are foods commonly eaten by women during postpartum recovery. There are differences in customs among different regions.
It is worth noting that during the postpartum period, pregnant women generally do not eat fish, so fish is also prohibited in the offerings for worshipping the Bed Mother.
What Are the Taboos of the Qixi Festival
1. Avoid Doing Evil on QixiIn the eyes of ancient people, "seven" sounds like "good", and "seven seven" has the meaning of double good, so Qixi is a very auspicious day. However, on such a day of double good fortune, it is absolutely forbidden to do evil deeds. Once you do something bad, it is not just a matter of losing your own luck.
2. Avoid Marriage on Qixi
Before the Han Dynasty, Qixi was a taboo day in the folk. The Qin Dynasty bamboo slips "Ritual Book" mentioned "Qixi is a taboo day for marriage." This mainly because Niulang married Zhinü, but the happy event did not succeed, so there is a folk legend that if someone marries on this day, the husband will abandon his wife after three years.
3. Avoid Sexual Intercourse on Qixi
Qixi is the Day of Moral Abstinence, one of the five days of fasting in Taoism. In ancient times, the day of the腊 (Là) was a day to sacrifice to ancestors and all gods. Taoism inherited the customs of the ancient Là day. On this day, those who commit sins will lose their merits and lifespan. Therefore, it is not advisable to have sexual intercourse on Qixi, otherwise it will result in loss of merits and even shortened lifespan.
