When a Mahjong round starts, the Prevailing Wind always starts at the East position. Why is this customary?
One explanation is that the Chinese word used for East is dong, or zhuang-jia, which means 'house' and hence the 'dealer', or the starting point.
One amusing legend gamely claims that Mahjong had been played on Noah's Ark during the 40 days and nights of rain. Since the prevailing wind came from the east during the storm, east was assigned dominance in the game.
In nature, the sun rises in the east and begins the day,
and the real blowing east wind signifies the coming of spring
and the start of new life. Symbolically, the east seat does
the same, by starting the game.
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