Northeast China's Five Great Immortals: Exactly Which Five Are They?

In rural Northeast China, the older generation often mentions the "Five Great Immortals," also known as the Five Great Families.

Hu refers to the fox; Huang refers to the weasel; Bai refers to the hedgehog; Liu refers to the snake; Hui refers to the rat. In some places, "Bai" refers to rabbits or something else, and the versions vary slightly. Northeasterners call them "Immortal Families" and generally don't call them by name directly: foxes are called "Grandpa Hu San," weasels are called "Great Immortal Huang," snakes are called "Immortal Liu," and one must speak politely to them, nor can they be beaten casually. If someone in the house beats a weasel to death, the elders will say that something bad will happen.

The elders say that these animals, after living long enough, become spiritual and will find a human to "cooperate" with. If someone in the family has something wrong with them, has been sick for years with no cause found, people will say that an Immortal Family has taken a liking to them and wants this person to be their "disciple horse," which is a spirit medium. The disciple horse must first "enter the hall," set up a shrine, and place the tablets of the Immortal Families there, to look into matters and ask about illnesses on behalf of the Immortal Families, who will then guide them.

If this person refuses? The saying is that they will remain sick and unlucky until they agree.

This belief has a deep relationship with Northeast China's shamanic tradition; the Manchu, Xibe, Oroqen, and other groups all have their own shamans, which later mixed with Han folk beliefs to become the current "spirit mediums."

Some villages in Northeast China still have spirit halls today, with an offering table inside and tablets set up; if someone has a problem, they come to burn incense. In recent years, many people on short videos have claimed to be spirit mediums, looking into matters for people and charging money; some are scammers, some may not be, and truth and falsehood are mixed together, with people arguing about it online for years. Either way, it's something many locals have heard since childhood.

#Folklore #网络转载 #东北民俗