The Legend of the Kitchen God (Zao Jun)

Kitchen God (Zao Jun)

Every 23rd Decemberof the Chinese lunar calendar is the day that Chinese people make sacrificial offerings to Zao Jun (the Kitchen God).

It is said that the Kitchen God was sent by the Jade Emperor to take charge of kitchens in the terrestrial world. Therefore, the Kitchen God knows about every family. Every year, one week before Chinese New Year, the Kitchen God will return to heaven and tell the Jade Emperor about the behaviors of every family. If they have done something evil, the Jade Emperor will punish them in the coming year. On the contrary, the Jade Emperor will reward the family with good luck and fortune if they have been good.

Consequently, every 23rd December  of the Chinese lunar calendar, each family gives offerings to honor the Kitchen God’s journey back to heaven, called "送行" (sòng xíng), which means “sending off on a journey”. Obviously, people do hope that the Kitchen God will say good things about them to the Jade Emperor in heaven, and as a result, the Jade Emperor will  reward them with fortunes and blessings in the coming year.

Honey and sweet sticky cakes are included in the offerings to “sweeten” the Kitchen God for his trip to heaven. Sweet foods are believed to “sweeten” the words of the Kitchen God, while the sticky cakes are believed to “bind his lips closed” so that he cannot report on the household. When it is time for the Kitchen God to go to heaven, the members of the household then burn an effigy of the Kitchen God and set off firecrackers to smooth his departure. They then scour the altar which will be properly set up again on Chinese New Year.

The Story of Zao Jun (the Kitchen God)

Zao Jun was mentioned in Myths and Legends of China, 1922 by E. T. C. Werner. Although there were many stories on how Zao Jun became the Kitchen God, the most popular story dated back to 2nd Century BC. Zao Jun was originally a mortal man. His name was Zhang Lang. He was initially married to a virtuous woman, but he left his wife for  a younger woman. As a result of his adultery, the heaven punished him with ill fortune. He then became blind, and his young lover abandoned him. Zhang Lang thus resorted to begging to support himself.

One day, while begging for alms, he happened to pass by the house of his former wife. Being blind, he could not recognize her. Despite his past wrongdoing, she took pity on him and invited him in. She cooked him a fabulous meal and tended to him lovingly. He then felt obligated to share his story. As Zhang Lang spoke, he became overwhelmed with self-pity and pain from his error. He began to weep. Upon hearing his regret, Zhang Lang's former wife told him to open his eyes and his vision was restored. He recognized his former wife that he once abandoned and quickly jumped into the kitchen hearth out of shame, not realizing that it was lit. His former wife attempted to save him, but all she managed to salvage was one of his legs.

The devoted woman then created a shrine for her former husband above the fireplace, which eventually connected Zao Jun to stoves in Chinese homes. To this day, a fire poker is sometimes referred to as "Zhang Lang's Leg".

Alternatively, there is another tale about Zao Jun. He was so poor that he had to sell his wife. Years later, he unwittingly became a servant in the house of the man who married his former wife. His former wife took pity on him and baked him some cakes with money hidden inside. However, he failed to notice the hidden money and sold the cakes for a pittance. He later realized what he had done, and thus took his own life in despair. In both stories, heaven took pity on Zhang Lang's tragic life. Instead of turning into an undead vampire corpse, a fate of suicide victims believed in folklore, he was made the Kitchen God, and was finally reunited with his wife.