Lunar Year Customs – 8th Day of Lunar New Year (農曆正月習俗之初八完全日)

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Eighth Day of Lunar New Year, known as Wan Quan (完全日) aka Day of Fullest or Completion. Even though this is just the 8th Day of Lunar New Year, but some of the Chinese will not celebrate further more until the 15th Day, and so, in Hokkien Custom, the folks will address this Day as Wan Quan Ri to mark a Temp stop for the Celebration and starts to concentrate on works.

In Taoism, this is a Day for the Mortals to pay respect to the different forms of Star Lords (全天星君) that appeared in the Sky aka Heaven.

According to our Taoist Contexts, on the night of the 8th Day, most of the Star Lords will gathered in the Sky to perform certain tasks (some said to do inspections, some said to give blessings and some said that this action is associated with the Anniversary of Jade Emperor of Heaven, etc).

Even though till today, no definitely answer can be provided, but, as a Mortal, during the Lunar New Year, it is the best period to visit Temples to do requesting & blessing and so, some of these traditional practices are still being maintained and continued.

So what will the Chinese or the Taoists will do?

Usually on the Evening of the 8th Day, the Chinese or Taoists will visit Taoist Temples to join in the Ritual of Paying Respect or Honouring Dou Mu Yuan Jun (Mother Lord of the Great Dipper of the North 斗姆元君) or Nan Bei Dou Xing Jun (The South & North Dipper Star Lords 南北斗星君), in some contexts, known as Li Dou or Bai Dou (禮斗或拜斗).

Reasons for the Honouring:

1 – To get blessing on the Eliminating of un-necessary misfortune & bad-lucks
2 – To eliminate the burdens & sins that one self accumulated in the Old year
3 – To request for the bestowing of Fortune from the Northern Dipper Star Lords
4 – To request for Prolonging of ones Age-span

Other then this, what will the Chinese be doing?

Besides this, the Hokkien Clan will be preparing to do the Birthday Respect/Honouring to Jade Emperor of Heaven aka Yu Huang Da Tian Zun (玉皇大天尊) on the late night of the 8th Day aka Zi Hour of the 9th Day (初九子時).

Due to the myth & records, Jade Emperor of Heaven is one of the most important Deities that the Hokkien Clan must pay respect to.

If a Hokkien does not pay respect to Jade Emperor of Heaven, then it will not consider as the Lunar New Year had arrived.