Why is the fifth day of the first lunar month called Po Wu? How to break it?

The fifth day of the first lunar month is the fifth day of the New Year. From a traditional perspective, some customs and taboos that began on the first day of the first lunar month have gradually been relaxed, and people can go out and play more freely.

Why is the fifth day of the first lunar month called Po Wu?

The fifth day of the first lunar month is also known as the "Po Wu Festival", and its purpose is to "break through". In the old days, there were many superstitious taboos from the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month: for example, you cannot cook new food, you cannot say unlucky words, you cannot use needles and thread, you cannot clean, you cannot break things, etc. After the fifth day, these taboos are lifted, so it is called "Po Wu".

How to break the fifth day of the first lunar month

(1) Since “Po Wu” has the same pronunciation as “splashing out”, it means that the dirty water accumulated during the Chinese New Year can be thrown out on the fifth day of the New Year. The garbage that has accumulated at home for several days can also be swept out of the house. Of course, you can't do anything on the fifth day of the first lunar month, because it also means ruin, so people have to take a day off on the fifth day of the first lunar month. After the fifth day of the New Year, people start to work in the fields.
(2) Of course, the most important custom on the day of Po Wu is to “drive away poverty”, that is, to drive away the God of Poverty, which is called “driving away the five poor”. The so-called “five poor” refers to: poverty of wisdom, poverty of learning, poverty of literature, poverty of life, and poverty of social relations. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, people will set off a kind of firecracker called "Ertiejiao" in the yard, commonly known as "Heaven and Earth Cannon", which means to blow the "God of Poverty" away from the house, which is called "Bengqiong". In some places, people still have to work hard every day after becoming poor, which is called "hating poverty".
(3) There is also a saying that “Po Wu” means “Po Wu”, which means that on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, people should reflect on their shortcomings in the past year and face the new year with a brand new attitude. The saying "No destruction, no construction" means that without breaking down old ideas, there can be no innovation. Therefore, the most important thing about “Po Wu” is to emphasize the word “Po”.

The Origin of the Po Wu Festival on the First Day of the Lunar New Year

There are different opinions on the origin of "Po Wu". According to "Investiture of the Gods", Jiang Ziya conferred the title of "Goddess of Poverty" on his wife who had betrayed him, and ordered her to "return home when she is broken". In myths and legends, Jiang Ziya's wife was a very annoying woman who betrayed her husband. After she was named the Goddess of Poverty, she became even more annoying. So people "broke" her on the fifth day of the first lunar month and asked her to go back immediately.
Tianjin folk customs experts introduced: In the old days, the fifth day of the first lunar month was an important day with multiple customs and meanings, but their purpose was to "get rid of". Firstly, this day is the day to "send away the poor soil", and people have to sweep the "poor lady" out of the house. Secondly, it is the day for lifting taboos, because the traditional concept of Chinese New Year refers only to the first five days of the first lunar month, so some previous Chinese New Year taboos can be eliminated or relaxed at this time, such as not being able to cook new food, not being able to say unlucky words, women not being able to use needles and thread, not being able to clean, not being able to break things, etc. Thirdly, commonly known as “throwing out the dirt”, all the sewage and garbage remaining since New Year’s Eve can be dumped out and removed.
According to folklore, the fifth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of the God of Wealth, so after the first day of the new year, the next most important activity is to welcome the God of Wealth. On the night before the God of Wealth’s birthday, every family prepares a banquet to celebrate the God of Wealth’s birthday.