March 3rd is the birthday of Queen Mother of the West. What is the origin of Queen Mother of the West?

March 3rd is the birthday of Queen Mother of the West. What is the origin of Queen Mother of the West?
In ancient times, March 3rd was not only the Shangsi Festival, but also the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West in Taoist legend. Why is the birthday of the Queen Mother set on this day? What are the folk stories about the origin of Queen Mother of the West? The following article will answer the above questions for you.

1. The Origin of the Birthday of Queen Mother of the West on March 3

In folk legend, the third day of the third lunar month is the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West. According to legend, the Queen Mother had two magic weapons: one was the elixir that could make her immortal. The mythical Chang'e flew to the Moon Palace after stealing the elixir that her husband Houyi got from the Queen Mother. The second is to eat the fairy peaches that can prolong life - Pantao. The main dish at the Queen Mother's banquet is peaches, so it is called the Peach Banquet. There is a poem that says: "On the third day of March, spring is at its peak, and people are burning incense in the Pantao Palace. A light breeze blows along the river, and the ground is covered with red dust ten feet high." It describes the grand occasion of the Pantao Palace folk temple fair.
On the third day of March, the Queen Mother will hold a grand Peach Festival in the Yaochi Lake in heaven to entertain the gods and immortals from the upper eight caves, the middle eight caves, the lower eight caves and all over the world. The immortals will also be invited to the banquet as a symbol of great honor and immortal status. Therefore, the third day of March in the lunar calendar has also become an important Taoist festival for the immortals.

2. The Origin of the Queen Mother

The term "Queen Mother" comes from the "Great Wilderness West Classic" in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": "To the west there is the Queen Mother's mountain, Heshan Mountain and Haishan Mountain." The Queen Mother of the West is also known as: Queen Mother, Golden Mother, A Mother, West Grandmother, Yaochi Golden Mother, Golden Mother Yuanjun, Queen Mother Niangniang, Western Spirit Holy Mother, Taihua Xizhen Wanqi Grandmother Yuanjun, Jiuling Taimiao Guishan Golden Mother, Tailing Jiuguang Guitai Golden Mother, etc. Her Taoist name is "Shangsheng Baiyu Guitai Jiuling Taizhen Wuji Holy Mother Yaochi Great Saint Xiwang Golden Mother Supreme Qingling Yuanjun Commands the Group of Immortals Great Heavenly Venerable".
In Taoist mythology, the Queen Mother of the West lives in Kunlun Mountain in the west. She is the leader of the female immortals and dominates the yin energy, as opposed to the King of the East, the leader of the male immortals. She is the goddess of creation who gave birth to all things and the founder of Quanzhen Sect. The Queen Mother is an ancient goddess who controls the elixir of immortality and the secret of longevity.

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