Chinese Myth Figures 中国神话人物 19 Tai Sui 太岁君

Tai Sui is one of the few demon gods of divinities in Chinese folk culture and people tend to shy away from him.
The term "Tai Sui" is derived from the "Tai Sui Calendar System" of ancient China. "Sui" originally referred to Jupiter, which was considered the head of all stars. But it was quite inconvenient to calculate the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches based on the movement of Jupiter, so people created a false and imaginary star moving directly opposite to Jupiter. This star was called "Tai Sui".

The directions the Tai Sui Star moves every year and its positions were considered sacred, so there were a lot of taboos among the people. Building, migrating or holding a wedding toward or against the moving direction of Tai Sui were deemed offenses to Taisui and should be avoided.

In the Song Dynasty, the Tai Sui Star was personified and transformed from an imaginary star to a god. In the Ming Dynasty, the belief in Tai Sui was recognized by the ruling regime and sacrificial altars were especially set up to pay tribute to Tai Sui.