The Sacred Practice of Hu Plig 3 Tag Kis and Fertility Offerings

When a newborn arrives, traditional Hmong beliefs call for a soul-calling ceremony three days later, known as hu plig peb tag kis. Along with this, an offering called Pauj 2 Niam Txiv Kab Yeeb, Nkauj Xa Tub, Nraug Xa Kiv is made to the Goddess and God of Fertility, Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb and Txiv Nraug Kab Tshuaj.

Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb, the Goddess of Fertility, oversees the baby spirits that come to Earth. While the purpose of the offering remains the same, each ancestral lineage has its own way of performing it. A person does not need to be a shaman to carry out this ritual, but it must always be done outdoors. The person performing the offering will set up the ritual space accordingly.

• A small table with four legs (or chair if a small table is not available)

• A branch tied to the table (optional, as some families no longer do this)

• On the table must be a bowl of rice

• 6 joss sticks (xyab)

• 4 shot cups of liquor

• 4 ntshua ntawv (long spirit money)

• 12 lub yeej khaum ceeb khaum (boat style spirit money)

• One live rooster

Each family performs this ritual differently, so the amount of spirit money offered may vary. The offerer begins by invoking the Goddess of Fertility, Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb, using buffalo horns or divination horns to communicate with her. Some may also use a shaman's gong or rattle. A rooster is offered as a gesture of thanks and payment to the Goddess for sending the baby to the parents. The offerer informs the Goddess that the baby’s spirit has found a loving home and caring parents. To communicate, the offerer throws the divination horns, which will indicate whether the Goddess is satisfied with the offering by confirming or denying her acceptance.

Once the Goddess of Fertility agrees, the offerer sacrifices the rooster in front of the small altar. The offerer informs the Goddess that they will prepare the rooster and asks her to patiently wait at the altar. The rooster is then plucked, boiled, and cooked. Afterward, the offerer repeats the process, this time burning spirit money as an offering to the Goddess and placing the cooked rooster on the table alongside cooked rice. As a final step, the offerer also pays respects to their ancestors by making a special offering known as Npws Laig Tej Laus.

A soul-calling ceremony, known as "peb tag kis," is performed to welcome a baby’s spirit home to their new parents. The phrase "peb tag kis" translates to "three days into tomorrow." During the ceremony, the soul caller informs the baby that Niam Nkauj Kab Yeeb has sent them to loving parents and blesses them with wishes for a healthy and long life, free from illness and misfortune. The soul caller also officially assigns the baby’s name and welcomes them home. In a traditional hu plig (soul calling), the ritual is performed twice. The first time takes place while the pair of chickens used in the ceremony are still alive, and the second after they have been boiled and cooked. Additionally, an egg is included in the ritual, cooked alongside the chickens. The second time, the pair of chickens should be placed with their feet facing outward toward the door, symbolizing the chickens guiding the soul home. The person for whom the ceremony is held eats the boiled egg, symbolizing the reunion of body and soul. For newborns, the egg yolk is gently wiped on the forehead and cheeks as part of this symbolic gesture.

Many parents who do not perform a hu plig (soul-calling) or fertility offering may find their newborns colicky, frequently crying at night, struggling to gain weight, or often falling ill. In rare instances, the Goddess of Fertility may "reclaim" the baby's soul if she senses the child has been born into an unloving or unsuitable home. This often results in deaths, and for some, still births and miscarriages early on in the pregnancy. The traditional practice of both hu plig peb tag kis and Pauj 2 Niam Txiv Kab Yeeb (fertility offerings) is becoming less common, especially among younger generations. A proper hu plig ceremony welcomes the baby’s soul into the arms of the family, while the fertility offering reassures the Goddess of Fertility that the baby is safe and secures the newborn’s lifeline and health.

TFL Hmong Shaman