Flower Grandpa and Grandma

Hua Gong and Hua Po are popular child-protection deities in southern Fujian (Minnan), the Chaoshan region, and Taiwan. They are commonly enshrined as auxiliary deities in temples dedicated to Linshui Furen (Goddess of Childbirth and Protection), though some households also maintain independent altars for them. Central to this belief is the metaphor that every child is a flower in the divine garden tended by Hua Gong and Hua Po: boys are represented by red flowers, girls by white ones. When the garden flourishes under the deities’ care, children thrive in health and vitality; conversely, illness or frailty in a child is interpreted as a sign that the corresponding flower has suffered drought, pests, or blight—prompting rituals such as flower-planting, watering, pest removal, or symbolic ‘transplanting’ to restore auspicious fortune. During festivals and especially on a child’s first birthday, families offer fresh flowers, cakes, and fruits in gratitude for the deities’ protective blessings.