Nezha

How to recognise Nezha

1. Child's form and topknotsHe appears as a child of about seven, with a round face, small stature and hair tied in small topknots or buns, often two; he is neither a baby nor an adult.
2. Wind Fire Wheels (風火輪)Two wheels, one of wind and one of fire, carry him through the sky; they are his key sign and are linked to his patronage of drivers.
3. Fire-tipped Spear (火尖槍)A spear with a flame-like tip, usually held in his right hand.
4. Universe Ring (乾坤圈)A golden hoop, usually in his left hand or worn around the body, which can change size at will.
5. Red Armillary Sash (混天綾)A flowing red silk ribbon draped around his shoulders, one of his treasures.
6. Belly bib and bright armourTemple images dress the divine child in a belly bib (肚兜), or in a youth's bright armour and brocade robe.
7. LotusA lotus beneath or beside him recalls his rebirth, when his teacher Taiyi Zhenren built him a new body from lotus roots.

Names and titles

• Marshal of the Central AltarHis official Taoist title, Zhongtan Yuanshuai (中壇元帥), as a commander of the spirit army
• Third Lotus PrinceLianhua San Taizi (蓮花三太子), the title linked to his lotus body and his place as third son
• Reborn from the LotusHis teacher Taiyi Zhenren made him a new body from lotus roots
• Guardian of ChildrenHe is known in Taiwan as the god of children and keeps a childlike form
• Patron of DriversHis Wind Fire Wheels led Taiwanese devotees to honour him as protector of professional drivers

Feast days

• Nezha's Birthday (哪吒誕)8th day of the 4th lunar month (next: 12 May 2027)

  A fourth-lunar-month birthday for Nezha, kept by some devotees outside Taiwan. Communities record his birthday on several different dates, and little is written about this one specifically.

  How it's celebrated. The sources I found describe no distinct fourth-month rites for Nezha. Other dates are better documented. In Macao, devotees mark the 18th of the fifth month with a seal-opening ceremony, processions and opera at the two Nezha temples. Taiwan's Xinying Taizi Temple honours his brother Muzha on the 8th of the fourth month. Both are separate from this feast.

  Sources: Baidu Baike: Macao Nezha Belief · Wikipedia (zh): 新營太子宮

• Nezha's Birthday Festival1st day of the 9th lunar month (next: 29 September 2027)

  Nezha's birthday as kept in parts of southern China on the first day of the ninth lunar month. It opens the same nine days as the Nine Emperor Gods festival. Taiwan keeps his birthday on the ninth day instead.

  How it's celebrated. The first day falls at the start of the Nine Emperor Gods festival. Devotees at its temples often wear white and eat vegetarian food, and processions go to the shore or river. In Phuket, spirit mediums gather, and many are said to seek possession by Nezha in this period. Little about his own rites on the first day was found.

  Sources: Baidu Baike: Nine Emperor Gods Festival · Wikipedia: Nine Emperor Gods Festival

• Third Prince's Birthday (三太子聖誕)9th day of the 9th lunar month (next: 7 October 2027)

  The Third Prince's birthday on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which falls on Double Ninth. It is the main date in Taiwan and is kept as the day Marshal Nezha is honoured with birthday greetings.

  How it's celebrated. From the second half of the eighth lunar month, incense associations travel to Sanfeng Temple in Kaohsiung and Xinying Taizi Temple in Tainan. Rites include fire-incense ceremonies, thanksgiving offerings, longevity peaches and a birthday banquet. Offerings of candy and soda reflect the childlike regard in which devotees hold him. Spirit mediums perform in the days before the birthday. Other communities keep different dates.

  Sources: Taiwan Panorama: Celebrating the Third Prince's Birthday · Taiwan National Cultural Heritage: 新營太子宮太子爺生進香祭典 · Taiwan Panorama (zh): 神「乩」無限給三太子慶生