As the Day of the Kitchen Gods is just around the corner, we would like to present to you a painting by Nam Ngọc Hàn Mặc, an artist featured in our Present From The Past exhibition in last September.
The silk painting, titled Táo Quân Vị, depicts the three deities of the Kitchen, Táo Quân, also known as the Hearth Gods or Household Gods. On the 23rd of the 12th month in the Vietnamese lunar calendar, Vietnamese families pay tribute to them by sending the trio to the Heavenly Realm, where they report to the Jade Emperor about each family’s deeds and misdeeds in the last year. For the rest of the year, they manage everything in the house, supporting and protecting the families.
According to Vietnamese folklore, Táo Quân [灶君], the King [君] of the Kitchen [灶], are three deities as following:
- Phạm Lang: Thổ Công [土公, Public Earth], in charge of the kitchen. His full title is Đông Trù Tư Mệnh Táo Phủ Thần Quân [東廚司命灶府神君, The Divine Ruler of the Kitchen Palace and Private Destiny In the East Kitchen]. In the painting, he’s wearing a green dress of the Wood element, symbolizing bountiful prosperity. He holds a “hốt” bar in his hands, which indicates their task of reporting to the Jade Emperor.
- Trọng Cao: Thổ Địa [土地, Ground Earth], in charge of the house and land. His full title is Bản Gia Thổ Địa Long Mạch Tôn Thần [本家土地龍脈尊神, The Venerated God of the House, the Land and the Dragon Veins]. He’s wearing a yellow dress of the Earth element, symbolizing the fertile soil for all things to grow and thrive. He holds a notebook to record the goods and the bads done by the household’s members.
- Thị Nhi: Thổ Kỳ [土衹, Divine Earth], in charge of shopping and purchasing. Her full title is Ngũ Phương Ngũ Thổ Phúc Đức Chánh Thần [五方五土福徳正神, The Upright Goddess of Five Directions, Five Earths and Blessings], also known as Ngũ Thổ Vạn Phúc Phu Nhân [五土萬福夫人, The Lady of Five Earths and Endless Prosperity]. She’s wearing a red dress of the Fire element, symbolizing a warm hearth. She holds a fan to adjust the kitchen, making it the heart of a harmonic household.
The trio of Kitchen Deities including of 2 gods and 1 goddess also represents the trigram of Ly [離], which represents Fire in Bát Quái [八卦, Bagua] in Taoist cosmology, as Ly is composed of two single lines and one dashed line in between. In Bát Quái, the single line has the characteristic of Dương [陽, Yang, Masculinity] while the dashed line Âm [陰, Yin, Femininity].
The painting delivers the viewpoint that everything we do on this earth, the universe knows and the consequence will follow. Right in the heart of our house, or our soul, the rule of Cause-Effect keeps track of our actions. Annually when the Kitchen Gods and Goddess return to the Heavenly Realm, it’s the occasion for us to look at ourselves and reflect on what we have done. As we clean the dust and ash collected on our hearth, we cleanse our soul and heart for a better new year.
Rio Lam
References:
- Image: Nam Ngọc Hàn Mặc
- The article is based on the introduction by Đăng Khiêm Đạo Hữu, posted on Nam Ngọc Hàn Mặc.
About the author
Rio Lam
Gathered by gravity tendrils of gossamer clouds birth another world Drake Equation descended from astronomers. Made in the interiors of collapsing stars something incredible is waiting to be known invent the universe paroxysm of global death colonies two ghostly white figures in coveralls and helmets are soflty dancing?
Take root and flourish emerged into consciousness the only home we’ve ever known shores of the cosmic ocean the ash of stellar alchemy dispassionate extraterrestrial observer and billions upon billions upon billions upon billions upon billions upon billions upon billions.