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

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Yating YangMarch 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM

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During China's Lantern Festival, a folk custom involves worshipping the Toilet Goddess, Zigu. Celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival is a major holiday marked by lanterns, dances, and rice balls. As part of the Zigu ritual, people create straw effigies of the goddess and perform ceremonies near toilets, pigpens, and kitchens. This tradition, practiced in both northern and southern China since at least the Northern and Southern dynasties, aims to honor the goddess and seek predictions for the coming year. The Toilet Goddess ritual is a lesser-known aspect of the broader Lantern Festival celebrations.

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Key Player Opposition Context

Northern Dynasty (960–1127) 50% Southern Dynasty (1127–1279) 50% Chinese Spring Festival 60% Zigu (Purple Sister) 70% Toilet Goddess ×485% China ×390% Lantern Festival ×595%

Keywords

toilet goddess 100% lantern festival 90% chinese folk custom 80% ritual 70% straw effigies 60% zigu 50% chinese spring festival 40% lunar month 40%

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South China Morning Post

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China

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toilet goddess lantern festival chinese folk custom ritual straw effigies zigu chinese spring festival lunar month

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