NO. 2 FOLK RELIGION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA — GRAHAM I45 



expected to be industrious, economical, and morally good. On the 

 23d day of the nth moon he ascends to Heaven and gives a full and 

 careful account to the Jade (Pearly) Emperor. With much cere- 

 mony his image, which is printed on paper and hung or pasted up in 

 the kitchen, is taken down and burned. The image is worshiped, in- 

 cense and candles are lighted, firecrackers are set off, and a letter to 

 the kitchen god is written on paper and burned, requesting him to 

 overlook the shortcomings of the family and make a favorable re- 

 port. Generally a package called a chao ma is burned, on which is 

 the image of a horse for the kitchen god to ride up to Heaven, and 

 in which are some beans and bits of straw for the horse to eat. Some- 

 times taffy is given to the kitchen god. One explanation is that it is 

 to make his lips stick together so that he cannot make an unfavorable 

 report, and another is that it is to cause him to speak sweet words in 

 his report. 



Between the 25th day of the 12th moon and the 2d day of the 

 1st moon, generally on the 29th or 30th of the 12th moon, there is a 

 family meal. The best food obtainable is provided, for the kitchen 

 god is not present to require economy. Every member of the family 

 is expected to be present, those who are away going home if it is at 

 all possible. It is also believed that the spirits of the deceased ances- 

 tors are present and share in the feast. 



At a convenient time before New Year's day, the front door of 

 each house is decorated by pasting above and down both sides wide 

 strips of red paper. On these are written in large characters state- 

 ments or mottoes expressing the fondest hopes of the family. Among 

 these are nien nien fa ts'ai, or "grow richer year by year"; Shen I 

 hsin lung, or "may our business prosper" ; fu kuei shuang ch'uan, 

 "may wealth and honor both be complete"; and Cheng chai shih 

 chung, or "right in the midst (of prosperity)." Other expressions 

 concern wealth, happiness, honor, long life, numerous sons and pos- 

 terity, and official position (ibid., p. 83). It is assumed that the 

 pasting up of these mottoes on red paper tends to cause them to 

 come true; in other words, that there is a magical power in these 

 expressions when they are written on red paper and pasted up above 

 and on the two sides of the front doors at New Year time (Hodous, 

 1929, pp. 1-2; Bredon and Mitrophanow, 1927, pp. 82-84; Graham, 

 1928b, p. 38). 



Before midnight on the last day of the year all debts are supposed 

 to be paid. People who cannot or are unwilling to pay their debts hide 

 from their creditors, who are very persistent in their attempts to col- 



