Di Ji Zhu (Foundation Lord)

Who is Di Ji Zhu? Folk tradition gives three answers.

The most widespread is the "earlier resident" explanation. Every piece of land was once lived on or farmed by someone, and if those earlier residents died with no one to make offerings to them, they stayed attached to the old home and became Di Ji Zhu. If newcomers ignore them, folk belief says the family's luck will go wrong, strange noises will come in the night, and things will move inexplicably. Treat them courteously, though, and Di Ji Zhu rises to become a guardian of the home, driving away evil and misfortune. It all comes down to how you treat him.

The second explanation is tied to Taiwan's ethnic history. During the Ming Zheng period, Han Chinese cleared land on a large scale, and much of it had been villages or burial grounds of the Pingpu (plains indigenous) peoples. To appease the indigenous dead and show respect, the Han developed the ritual of worshipping Di Ji Zhu. This explanation is quite common in Taiwan and carries a cultural meaning of reconciliation between peoples.

The third is more "official": Di Ji Zhu is the household-level counterpart of the Earth God. The Earth God looks after the community, Di Ji Zhu looks after your home, and their roles complement each other.

Whichever version you follow, the heart of it is the same: respect for those who came to the land first. That's why you must worship Di Ji Zhu when you move in. Say hello first, and then you can settle in with peace of mind.

Worshipping Di Ji Zhu has its own set of rules, quite different from worshipping other gods.

Placement: set the table at the back door or behind the kitchen, facing into the house, so that Di Ji Zhu faces the household. Height: a low stool or low coffee table is enough; you don't use the high table reserved for main deities.

Offerings are home-style: a bowl of white rice, three cups of rice wine, three to five everyday dishes (vegetables or meat), fruit, and three sticks of incense. There's no need for the three sacrificial meats of chicken, duck, and fish. For paper money, burn "four-direction gold" (sifang jin) and silver paper, and not much of it.

When: the 2nd and 16th of each lunar month (zuo ya); festivals such as Lunar New Year, Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival, Ghost Festival, Mid-Autumn, and the Winter Solstice; moving into a new home (the most important, never skipped); and breaking ground, starting work, and finishing work on a house.

After offering incense, remember to say a prayer: introduce your household, explain why you've come, and ask for protection. The whole rite takes about 15 to 30 minutes, the most everyday act of worship in a Taiwanese home.

Di Ji Zhu has no particular "birthday," because his worship is household-scale and doesn't call for big festivals. The key times are:

The 2nd and 16th of each lunar month (zuo ya): Traditional businesses and some families worship Di Ji Zhu and the Earth God on the 2nd and 16th of every lunar month. The first of the year, on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month, is called "touya" or "kaiya" (the opening ya), and the one on the 16th day of the 12th lunar month is "weiya," the last of the year.

Lunar New Year (New Year's Eve): On New Year's Eve, families worship Di Ji Zhu at the back door, thanking him for a year of protection and asking for a peaceful home in the year ahead.

The 7th lunar month (Ghost Festival): The Ghost Festival is the time for making offerings to wandering spirits with no one to care for them, and many families step up their worship of Di Ji Zhu to keep the home undisturbed.

Moving in: New residents must worship Di Ji Zhu on the day they move into a new home, the most widely kept tradition of all in Taiwan. The rite is usually led by an elder of the family or by a hired fortune master.

Breaking ground, starting and finishing work: When building a house or doing major renovations, families worship Di Ji Zhu at each key stage and pray for the work to go smoothly.