Immortal’s Peach Celebration Day – April 19 (3rd Moon, Day 3)

The third day of the third lunar month is the Immortals’ Peach Celebration Day,  known as the Pántáo Huí, or Feast of Peaches. Peaches are symbolic of immortality—i.e., the peach of immortality as presented in the legends of the Western Royal Mother (Xi Wang Mu), which became her most famous attribute. In Taoist tradition, this date celebrates longevity, divine health, and immortality.

The celebration inspires the tradition of serving “longevity peaches”: steamed buns filled with lotus paste, and shaped and colored to resemble real peaches.

The event actually marks the Queen Mother of the West’s birthday (Xi Wang Mu) and is celebrated with peaches. According to legend, the Queen Mother hosts a banquet and gathers an exclusive guest list of immortals, monks, enlightened beings, and the Eight Immortals to celebrate. This banquet is hosted only once every 3,000 to 6,000 years, which is how long it takes for her magical peach trees to bloom and bear fruit. The story makes the peach a powerful symbol of longevity and immortality in Chinese culture. Therefore, either real peaches or “longevity peaches” are heavily featured during birthday celebrations for elderly people in China.

Similar to the Chinese legend, the Japanese Peach Festival (held on March 3rd or also the third day of the third month) originates from the ancient Chinese custom and involves using peach blossoms and fruits to ward off evil and protect children. In addition, as per ancient Chinese lore, the wood from peach trees is thought to ward off negative energy and spirits and is used as protection. Many items, such as mala beads (like the ones on our website), ceremonial swords, and talismans, are made of peach wood for this purpose.