Explainer | How Chinese ritual uses unboiled egg balancing on mirror or knife to detect spirit possession
Strange tradition can also involve the use of a copper coin; often used to ‘treat’ young children who wake up in the night screaming and crying
Traditional Chinese folk superstition sees some families seek help from “egg-standing exorcists” who try to balance raw eggs on mirrors or kitchen knives to detect spirit possession.
If the egg manages to stand upright, legend has it that a wandering spirit has taken over the person’s body.
Traditionally, a superstition known as Cai Zhuang Ke, which is often referred to as “spirit possession”, is used to determine whether a sudden illness or extreme lethargy is caused by a wandering spirit or the soul of the dead.
The core ritual involves balancing a copper coin or raw egg on a mirror while chanting the name of a dead person.
If the object stands upright, it is believed to confirm a “spiritual possession”.
After knocking it down, the object is thrown into a vat of water in the hope of recovery.
The ritual is typically performed on young children who exhibit unusual symptoms, such as sleeping excessively or unusually deeply.
