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

In China, during the Lantern Festival, a unique folk custom involves the worship of a Toilet Goddess.The unlikely ritual sees people create life-size straw portraits of the goddess and hold ceremonies near toilets, pigpens and kitchens to honour her and seek predictions for the coming year.The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is the first major festival after the Chinese Spring Festival.On this day, people admire decorative lanterns, watch dragon and lion dances and gather to eat glutinous rice balls, which symbolise reunion and togetherness, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere.is a lesser-known traditional folk ritual held on the night of the Lantern Festival to receive Zigu, which literally means “Purple Sister”, also known as the Toilet Goddess.A small altar set up inside a toilet during the annual Lantern Festival. Photo: WeiboThis custom has been practised in both northern and southern China and was recorded as early as the Northern (960–1127) and Southern (1127–1279) dynasties.