Zhu Sheng Niang Niang 註生娘娘
註生娘娘, the goddess who registers births. Petitioned for conception, safe pregnancy and the wellbeing of young children.
註生娘娘 · 送子娘娘 · 求子
The Altar of the Goddess of Childbirth
Zhusheng Niangniang (註生娘娘) keeps the register of births and bestows children. Offer incense and pray for a child, a safe pregnancy or your family — then worship the flowers: a white bloom for a son, a red bloom for a daughter. 花開結子。
History & feast day · 簡介
Zhusheng Niangniang (註生娘娘), the Goddess Who Bestows Children, governs conception, pregnancy and safe childbirth. In the Investiture of the Gods she is linked to the three immortal sisters (雲霄·瓊霄·碧霄) who keep the cosmic “register of births,” and she is also identified with Chen Jinggu (陳靖姑, the Linshui Lady 臨水夫人), held to be an incarnation of Guan Yin. She is shown holding the birth register in one hand and a brush in the other. In the 拜花 (flower-worship) custom, a white flower foretells a son and a red flower a daughter.
三月二十 · 註生娘娘聖誕 — couples 求子 (pray for a child) with offerings of fresh flowers and fruit; expectant mothers pray for an easy, safe delivery.
A devotional altar for hope & reflection.
The registrar of births
註生娘娘 keeps the register of births and is attended by twelve 婆姐, each responsible for a stage of pregnancy and infancy. She is petitioned by couples hoping to conceive, by women in pregnancy, and by parents of young children.
Her feast is the twentieth day of the third lunar month. Offerings are flowers — white for a son, red for a daughter, in the older convention — and sweet foods.
A note
Fertility is a medical matter as well as a devotional one. This altar is a place to make a petition, not a treatment path. Speak to a doctor about anything clinical.
Common questions
What is offered?
Flowers and sweet food. Convention distinguishes white and red flowers.
Is this only for women?
No. Couples petition together, and parents petition for children already born.
Can it replace fertility treatment?
No. See a doctor for anything medical.