What does Yang Gong's death anniversary mean? The origin and legend of Yang Gong's death anniversary

I believe that if you have read the almanac, you can see that there are always a few days every month that are Yang Gong’s taboo days. So what does Yang Gong’s taboo days mean?

What does Yang Gong's death anniversary mean?

The old custom starts from the 13th day of the first lunar month, and thereafter two days in advance of each month are designated as taboo days for all things, which are called "Yang Gong's Taboo Day" or "Yang Gong's Thirteen Taboos".
It is said that it was established by Yang Yunsong, the Feng Shui master in the Tang Dynasty. These thirteen "forbidden days" are the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the eleventh day of the second lunar month, the ninth day of the third lunar month, the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the third day of the sixth lunar month, the first day of the seventh lunar month, the twenty-ninth day of the seventh lunar month, the twenty-seventh day of the eighth lunar month, the twenty-fifth day of the ninth lunar month, the twenty-third day of the tenth lunar month, the twenty-first day of the eleventh lunar month, and the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. These thirteen days must not be chosen for opening a business, starting a construction project, getting married, signing a contract, etc.

The origin of Yang Gong's death anniversary

In ancient times, there was a family named Yang who had thirteen sons, but his neighbor had no sons. As a result, he often acted smug in front of his neighbors. The neighbor was very angry and cursed him: "Don't be so arrogant! Birth, aging, sickness and death are all determined by fate. Who knows that your son will live a hundred years?" Yang Gong laughed up to the sky: "Haha! I have thirteen sons! Even if I encounter three disasters and six misfortunes, I am not afraid! Even if God is jealous of me and takes away one of my sons a month, he will leave one son to see me off to the end of my life!"

Unexpectedly, it was a coincidence that one year there was a plague, and there happened to be a leap month that year. Yang Gong’s sons were infected with the plague, and the first son died on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month. Soon after, the sons died one by one. By the end of December, all of Yang Gong's thirteen sons had died, leaving him alone, and his later years were extremely miserable. People say that all of Yang Gong's experiences were caused by his own big talk. At the same time, the number thirteen is also considered an unlucky number. All happy marriages do not have to be held on the 13th day of the lunar calendar.