How you can accidentally become a child’s godfather in China (5 photos)

For 300 years, the Chinese in Guanghan have been going out into the square and grabbing men they meet to become the “godfathers” of their children. This is the traditional Bao Bao festival, in which, oddly enough, quite a lot of people want to participate voluntarily.





The man laughs because he suddenly became the godfather of a boy with a blue jacket

How can you force a person to become a godfather?

It cannot be done by force, because the tradition has undergone changes. On the 16th day of the first lunar month, a crowd gathers in the square. First, the presenters walk through the crowd and look for men who would like to become a bao bao (the Chinese equivalent of a godfather).

Men who would like to take on such a role try to dress more conspicuously and brightly so that they are immediately noticed. When the matchmaker finds them, he asks their consent, and then puts a conspicuous hat on them.



Hat for baobao to distinguish men who agree to the new role

This is so that parents will immediately notice him in the crowd. Then the found baobao are brought and introduced to the parents, if they like each other, then that’s it - the unknown person is now your child’s godfather.

Of course, parents try to choose middle-aged men in good clothes for their step-relatives; who would refuse a wealthy uncle?

Who even came up with such a strange thing?

Like many things in China, this custom has a very ancient tradition. 300 years ago during the Qing Dynasty, there was a tradition of "wandering to cure all diseases" after celebrating the Lantern Festival.





Like every folk festival in China, the crowd here is very dense

People dressed up in everything beautiful and went for long walks. And one day, during such a walk, robbers attacked a mother and daughter.

The mother did not know anyone in this city, but she was able to run up to the building where the office of the justice of the peace was located. And she shouted: “I brought my daughter to the magistrate so that she could see her godfather. So leave me!”

Since the magistrate, who had never seen the mother and daughter, immediately came out and confirmed the relationship, the robbers decided not to get involved and retreated.



Sometimes they put children on leashes to prevent them from being stolen, sometimes they look for their godfather in the crowd. Go understand!

This is how the consent of a random person became the greatest success in the lives of two women. And from here comes the belief that a random godfather is the best solution for a child.

Of course, now the festival hosts still check it, and then both give consent. But men themselves volunteer to be someone’s godfather, because they also believe that such a chance meeting (and often this is a distant acquaintance in the city, because the festival is held in the provinces, there are more people who know each other) will bring good luck to his life.



The main thing is that the baobao's hat is not green, otherwise it is very offensive in China