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 l...

By Yating Yang