Gods and Goddesses
The people behind the names
Guan Gong – God of War and Prosperity
Guan Gong (Kwan Gong) appears to be a very useful god to revere and worship. In answer to your prayers you get protection and prosperity, with a little loyalty and responsibility thrown in.
He is widely known as the God of War, not because he was a warmonger but due to his grand military prowess. A loyal and responsible general, he fought his battles nearly 1,800 years ago during the Three Kingdoms period for Liu Bei, ruler of the Shu state (present day Sichuan area), against rebels threatening the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty. On the run after murdering a magistrate, he met his 'blood brothers' Liu and Zhang Fei when they all worked in a market (Guan Gong sold tofu). The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a book written in the 14th century, describes their adventures. A familiar picture of these three shows Guan Gong with a red face; the elder Liu, descendent of a Han prince, always in the centre with a white face; and Zhang in black.
Over time Guan Gong was elevated to a higher status, being given an honorary title of Guan Dai (Kwan Tai), the 'Dai' for 'emperor' in the Ming Dynasty. Later, he also became known as the God of Prosperity (war and wealth seem to have been good partners globally throughout time!).
In temples where he's worshipped for loyalty and responsibility, it's a different story, as Guan Gong takes centre place with two assistants on either side. Being revered as a protector of soldiers in ancient times he became the patron saint of the police, soldiers and triads during the Qing Dynasty.
His birthday is celebrated on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, this year on July 19.
Chat-je – the Seventh Sister Goddess
Being born the 7th daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, Chat-je (seventh sister; also written Tsat-je) should have had some luck (at least by Western standards) and at first it sounds like she did. After coming down to earth along with her sisters to bathe, this weaver maiden fairy fell in love, and to her father's great consternation, married a poor, mortal cow-herder. According to one version of the story, the cow herder hid her fairy clothes so that she could not return to heaven, and they settled down and had two children.
Missing her child, Chat-je's mother did as mothers are inclined to do – she came down to earth and forced her to return home. The Emperor, however, took pity on her and allowed the couple to be reunited once a year. Legend says that magpies formed a bridge to heaven so the two could meet but there's no mention of any more children so maybe the visits weren't conjugal!
These days few people celebrate the festival for Chat-je but in the past it was a time to show for girls to show off their fine needlework and perform rituals to look more beautiful in preparation for marriage. They would make offerings, particularly fruit, to two stars that represent Chat-je and her husband.
Chat-je's festival day this year is July 31.
Guan Yin (Kwun Yam) – Goddess of Compassion
This goddess was at one time a real person, though at some point in her shift from India to China she apparently had a sex change. Avalokitesvarra, the original Guan Yin, was an Indian prince turned Boddhisattva, a person who had attained enlightenment like the Buddha but who chose to remain on earth to relieve the suffering of others. Pictures of Avalokitesvarra often show him looking like a Buddha with a moustache and much of his chest revealed.
First introduced to China around the 3rd century, Guan Yin's image gradually changed, though she still retained a royal look. A Buddhist monk who translated the Lotus Sutra in the 5th century started referring to Guan Yin as a female. By the Song Dynasty (about 1,000 years ago), Guan Yin had definitely developed a more womanly appearance with flowing white robes fully covering her body and sometimes carried a baby. This may be when she acquired devotees desiring children.
In fact, it doesn't really matter what form Guan Yin takes. A Boddhisattva is able to assume any form – male, female, child or animal – whatever is appropriate in effort to save a being. She is often depicted as having one thousand hands and eyes, indicating an omnipresence that could understand and alleviate misery.
In China, the real person associated with this goddess is Miao Shan, a princess who lived for nine years in the early 8th century in Putuo Island, Zhejiang Province. She was immortalized in a 12th century tale, for her miraculous healing and saving of shipwrecked sailors. Putuo Island became, and still is, a place of pilgrimage for the devout.
Statues of Guan Yin for home or office use often depict her carrying a willow branch in her left hand to spread the heavenly nectar from the jar in her right hand, or holding a lotus, the symbol of purity and enlightenment. In temples, she simply holds her hands in gestures of calmness and protection.
There are three major annual celebrations for Guan Yin; July 14 this year is the date of her enlightenment. Her birthday is remembered in the 2nd lunar month and the end of her life honoured in the ninth lunar month.