Borrowing Wealth from Guanyin is held on Jan. 26 (Mar. 1, 2011) of the lunar calendar in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The festival is based on a Chinese legend about Guanyin, the goddess of mercy.
What Is the Legend of Guanyin?
Once upon a time there were 500 guardian angels who disguised themselves as hungry monks. They went to visit Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, to test her. They posed as hungry monks and asked her for food. Without hesitation, Guanyin gave them all her food. The angels ate most of the food and gave the rest to the local people.How Is Borrowing Wealth from Guanyin Celebrated?
Borrowing Wealth from Guanyin commemorates Guanyin’s generosity. On Borrowing Wealth from Guanyin, Chinese go to temples in honor of Guanyin. At the temple, they pray to Guanyin and ask for things they need. It is believed that Guanyin never ignores a prayer and the goddess will lend people what they need on this day. The item asked for is unimportant – just the act of expressing one’s wish is all that matters on this day.Temples honoring Guanyin are crowded on this day as people and businesses go to ask for money, fortune and other items. Believers start assembling at the temple at 11pm on Jan. 25 of the lunar calendar (Feb. 28, 2011).
At the end of the lunar year, what is ‘borrowed’ must be ‘returned.’ No matter if believers got what they requested or not, those who visited the temple on Borrowing Wealth from Guanyin day must go back and return what was ‘borrowed.’ Failure to go back and ‘return’ what was ‘borrowed’ results in losing borrowing privileges in the future.
