Universal Birthday:
The Seventh Day of the Lunar New Year

February 4, 2025, is the seventh day of the first lunar month, which is the day after "Spring Begins" (立春). According to Chinese folk customs, this day is called "Ren Sheng Festival (人勝節，人勝[Ren Sheng]is a type of paper headdress in ancient China)," also known as " Day of Humans (人日)," "Celebration of People (人慶)," or "Qi Yuan (七元)," among other names. It is a day for humanity, regardless of national boundaries or ethnicities, to celebrate their own birthdays. First, I wish everyone success in all endeavors and that wishes come true! I recall my childhood in the 1980s, when I would still hear people on the street congratulating each other, saying: Today is Day of Humans, happy birthday! Especially in public markets, there were even more voices of congratulations!

It is said that all animals and humans in the world have their own birthdays. The first day of the lunar new year is the birthday of the chicken, the second day is the birthday of the dog, the third day is the birthday of the sheep, the fourth day is the birthday of the pig, the fifth day is the birthday of the cow, the sixth day is the birthday of the horse, the seventh day is the birthday of humans, and the eighth day is the birthday of grains. This reflects the Chinese people's respect for animals and crops, and of course, humans are the spirit of all things. In today's language, it represents the Chinese people's respect for nature and animals, and of course, also for their own lives. This also reflects the Chinese people's value of love for the universe and all things.

Researchers of folk customs believe that this legend appeared as early as the Han Dynasty. Dongfang Shuo (154 B.C. – 94 B.C.) pointed out that on the first day of the first month, one divines by chicken, on the second day by dog, on the third day by pig, on the fourth day by sheep, on the fifth day by cow, on the sixth day by horse, and even on the seventh day by human, expressing that the ancestors had a kind of worship for animals and also attributed a myth of birth to them. In some places in traditional Chinese society, on these days of the first month, since they belong to a certain type of animal, there would be no killing of that animal on that day as a sign of respect for the animal. Of course, this does not mean killing people or talking about killing dogs, but rather emphasizes the significance of respecting the existence of all living things behind these days. Respecting each person's life also leads to the celebration of human birthdays, which is the Human Victory Festival, and the emergence of the belief in the twelve zodiac signs. Some scholars also believe that since these days belong to various animals, and humans are born in the year of the corresponding zodiac, on a day that belongs to a certain animal, one should pray to heaven for blessings for the children born in that year's zodiac. Today, some friends may consider this superstition, but it should be noted that ancient medical knowledge was not well developed, and medical technology was not as advanced as it is today. Parents, in order to ensure the healthy growth of their children, could only pray for divine protection, which also reflects the love and care parents have for their children.

In addition, we see that humans celebrate the Day of Humans on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, which reflects the importance that humans place on their own lives. The seventh day is the Day of Humans, emphasizing the value of each person's life. Some scholars also believe that on this day, people refrain from visiting others to pay New Year greetings from the first to the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, except on the third day, known as "Chikou (赤口)," when it is not suitable to visit other households. After the activities of New Year's Eve on the thirtieth night, people are already quite tired, and after visiting different households on the first and third days, they feel even more fatigued. Therefore, it is customary to take a rest on the third day, and then from the fourth to the sixth day, visit other households, allowing for a day of rest at home on the seventh day. There is also a saying that on the seventh day, which is the Day of Humans, individuals focus on the value of their own lives, making plans for the upcoming year, embodying the idea that "the plan for a day lies in the morning, and the plan for a year lies in spring (一日之計在於晨，一年之計在於春)." According to ancient literature, The Narrative of the Customs in the Region of Jin and Chu (《荊楚歲時記》) it is recorded that on the seventh day of the first month, people make a soup with seven types of vegetables, symbolizing good fortune and luck for the entire year. Additionally, people like to use colored cloth and paper to create human figures or use gold foil to make figures, which are then pasted on screens. These figures are adorned with hairstyles, and it is said that this can help people ward off illness and maintain good health, praying for the family's safety throughout the year. In Shanxi, there are also individuals who paste year paintings requesting children, such as the "Qilin Sending Children (麒麟送子圖)" and "Year of Noble Children (年生貴子圖)" paintings, reflecting the traditional society's emphasis on the desire for prosperous descendants.

On the day of the human festival, people also enjoy divination. The ancients believed that on this day, with clear weather, life could flourish, and they would judge fortune and misfortune based on the weather, as well as divine humanity's development through divination. In the north, it is common to buy so-called "Tree of Life (生命樹)" paper-cut images around the seventh day, and in some places, children are given a bagua (八卦, eight trigrams) to balance on their heads on the seventh day to see how long they can hold it, hoping to train the children's patience and cultivate their character, as well as to seek blessings from heaven for the children, which also represents a wish for the health of family members and prosperity. There are also historical records of ancient human festivals where people held cultural activities during the Spring Festival. In ancient Shanxi (山西), on the seventh day, people would bring out drums to beat and gongs to sound, symbolizing the start of a new year and the awakening of all things. During the Tang Dynasty, there were also people who played cuju (蹴鞠), an ancient form of football, on the seventh day, representing human physical activity, vitality, and liveliness.

On the seventh day of the new year, in addition to folk customs, we should pay more attention to the deep cultural significance behind celebrating everyone's birthday, which values the life of all things and reminds people to set a plan for the year on that day! Friends, have you set your grand plan for the year 2025, the Year of the Snake? If you have made a grand plan, you must work hard to implement it! If you haven't made a grand plan, you should establish your grand plan right now! Wishing everyone progress in the Year of the Snake!