introduce
Folk Belief: The God of Wealth is universally worshipped by China people.
The god of wealth is a common Taoist god, and there are many different versions among the people. Zhao Gongming, the goddess of the moon, is regarded as the god of justice. Di Qing, the god of spring, and Zhao Gongming, the god of wealth of the moon, are collectively called "blessings of spring". During the New Year, Er Shen, the sun, the moon and the moon often put them on their doors.
According to legend, the god of wealth on the moon is Zhaoming Gong Ming, also known as Marshal Zhao Gong, from Zhaodai Village, zhouzhi county, Chang 'an, Zhao Xuantan. In the Book of Truth, Zhao Gongming is one of the five gods, that is, the god of the underworld. Later, in Taoist mythology, he became the patron saint of Zhang Ling's cultivation of elixir, and the Jade Emperor named him Marshal Tan Xuan, a god who rewarded and punished lawsuits, protected diseases and disasters, bought and sold money and made it profitable. Therefore, it is regarded as the god of wealth by the people. It is like a black face with a thick beard, wearing an iron crown, holding iron whip and crossing Hei Hu, so it is also called Tan Xuan in Hei Hu. China folk god of making money and entering treasure.
The Tang and Song Dynasties and other previous books, such as Searching for the Gods, True Faith, and Tai Shang Dong Shen Mantra Scripture by Gan Bao, are all regarded as one of the five disasters (see Sad God in this volume). It was not until the Yuan and Ming Dynasties that it was called the God of Wealth with a little editing. The third volume of "Three Religions Seeking God" said: "Marshal Zhao, surnamed Zhao, is from Nanshan. Since the Qin dynasty, he has avoided mountains and been good at Tao. Later, in Taoist mythology, he became the patron saint of Zhang Ling's cultivation of elixir, and the Jade Emperor named him Marshal Tan Xuan, a god who rewarded and punished lawsuits, protected diseases and disasters, bought and sold money and made it profitable. Therefore, it is regarded as the god of wealth by the people. It is like a black face with a thick beard, wearing an iron crown, holding iron whip and crossing Hei Hu, so it is also called Tan Xuan in Hei Hu. After eclosion, it was buried in Zhaodai Village at the foot of Zhong Nanshan Mountain.
Under the Moon God of Wealth, it is divided into two parts, namely, assisting the rich Star King and Fan Li, both of which are the God of Literature. [Edit this paragraph] Folklore has many legends about the god of wealth:
Statement 1:
During the Song Dynasty, Cai Jing was very rich. According to folklore, he was born a god of wealth. He happened to be born on the fifth day of the first month, so people worshipped him as the god of wealth. After Cai Jing was demoted, people converted to the God of Wealth. At that time, the national surname of the Song Dynasty was Zhao, and this mysterious word was an integral part of the word "Lan", so they gave a new name to show their worship.
Statement 2:
Who is the "God of Wealth"? According to the list of gods, the God of Wealth is Zhaoming Gong Ming. He once became a monk in the Luofu Cave in Emei Mountain, and after his death, he was named as the God of Tan Xuan, the true dragon and tiger king. His men were in charge of four subordinates, namely, Zhao Baotianzun, that statue, Lucky Messenger and Lishi Xian Guan. Their duties are all related to money. The God of Wealth worshipped by Taoism is also Zhao Gongming. According to Taoist legend, Zhao Gongming was originally from Zhong Nanshan. Since the Qin Dynasty, he has lived in seclusion in the mountains. After his success, the Jade Emperor named him "Marshal of Justice Tan Xuan" or "Zhao Xuantan" for short. In the old days, the God of Wealth, worshiped by temples and households, was hideous in appearance, with a thick beard, wide-eyed eyes, an iron crown on his head, a Strafe in one hand and an ingot in the other, and a black beard on his body, so he was also called "Black Hu Tan Xuan". Legend has it that Marshal Zhao Gong was responsible for eliminating plague and abuse, and driving away diseases and disasters. Whenever there is an uncontrollable grievance, he will uphold justice; People buy and sell for money, he can make it profitable. His original position is not a full-time god of wealth, but it can make people profitable, and others can't replace it, so the people regard him as a god of wealth. In the past, the god of wealth was also divided into civil and military affairs, and different families with respect for literature and military affairs had their own division of labor. Chongwen people worship the god of wealth, while military people worship Wu Caishen. Although the civil and military ways are different, they all have their own wealth to earn.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Zhao Xuantan is the most respected. Many shops and houses are dedicated to his woodcut statues: the Xuan altar looks like the bottom of a pot, holding Strafe in his hand and riding Hei Hu, which is extremely powerful.
In addition to Zhao Xuantan being honored as "God of Wealth", there are folk sayings that "God of Wealth is partial", "God of Wealth" and "Wu Caishen" are holy emperors.
The belief in the God of Wealth is popular in Yuan Qiu, Dexing, Jiangxi. The initials of the titles of the five brothers are all "immortals", so they are called "five immortals". Rob the rich and help the poor before death, punish the evil and promote the good after death, and bless the poor. There are five temples of God of Wealth outside Andingmen in Beijing.
The "literary god of wealth" is also called the "god of wealth". His paintings are often juxtaposed with "Fu", "Lu", "Shou" Samsung and XiShen, and together they are Fu, Lu, Shou, Wealth and Happiness. With long white hair and a cornucopia in his hand, the word "the way to make money" came from this. Most people will hang this painting in the main hall during the Spring Festival and pray for good luck.
"Wu Caishen" Guan Jun is Guan Yunchang. Legend has it that Guan Yunchang managed the military horse post station, was good at counting, and his invention became increasingly thin, stressing credit and spirit, so he was worshipped by merchants. Generally speaking, businessmen regard Guan Gong as their patron saint, and Guan Gong is also regarded as the god of wealth who made a fortune.
Statement 3:
On the fifth day of the first month, shops open. In the early morning, golden gongs, firecrackers and sacrifices are used to welcome the god of wealth. Gu Tieqing, a poet in A Qing, quoted a poem by Cai Zhuzhi in Jia Qinglu, describing the scene of Suzhou people welcoming the god of wealth on the fifth day of May: "Seek financial resources for five days, and be willing to pay for one year; Beware of meeting God early elsewhere, and hurry all night. " "Holding the road" means "welcoming the God of Wealth". Businessmen who believe in Guan Di Sheng Jun will sacrifice, set off firecrackers and burn gold paper for Guan Gong on the fifth day of the first month, and ask Guan Di Sheng Jun to bless a prosperous year.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the custom of "receiving the god of wealth" prevailed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China. It is still popular among the people. Only the God of Wealth, the so-called Marshal Zhao Gong, is said to have become immortal as early as the Shang Dynasty. Jiang Ziya assisted King Wu of Zhou to attack Zhou. He ran down to Zhong Nanshan to meddle and stood on Shang Zhou's side against the righteous teacher. Unfortunately, he was killed. A wandering soul was appointed as the true god, responsible for welcoming Fu. Under his command, there are four little gods: Zhao Baotianzun, Natian Zhenzun, Lucky Messenger and Lishi Xian Guan. When he came into contact with this rich team, Marshal Zhao Gong became the object of worship for those who hoped to make a fortune. Or he is lazy and indifferent. He only goes to Tan Xuan once a year on the fifth day of the first month, and it is random. He may not go to any one. Therefore, everyone will set off firecrackers, burn incense and sacrifice early on this day and wait for him in advance. However, it was discovered that this deity's birthday was July 22nd of the lunar calendar, so instead of making a fuss on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, a grand sacrifice was quietly prepared on the day of "God of Wealth's Birthday", expecting him to sneak in through the back door and enjoy it. We can often see that there are "God of Wealth" in some businesses and restaurants. On weekdays, electronic incense sticks are turned on and off, and suddenly four dishes and one soup are quietly placed on this day, which is proof that we have mastered the information.
There is only one god of wealth, and four subordinates only make up a slap in the face. However, so many people want to get rich. Obviously, the supply is in short supply, so some people take the initiative to balance the contradiction between supply and demand, which has produced a new genre painting-"sending the god of wealth." On the fifth day, poor beggars form gangs, wear masks and pretend to be the god of wealth, which is called "sending the god of wealth". According to the rules, the host must give money on the spot as a reward, otherwise it will make a scene in front of your house or shop, which will only make the onlookers laugh. It is better to spend some money and get rid of these "living gods of wealth" quickly. The poor pretend to be the living God of Wealth and rob the God of Wealth and send it away. This satirical street farce adds a lot of extra interest to the muddleheaded custom of welcoming the god of wealth. In recent years, the scene of jumping in groups to send the god of wealth no longer exists. Instead, I have been taking it alone-quietly walking to the door, sticking a red paper statue of the god of wealth behind the door, and then reaching for money, just to see that times are changing and customs are easy to innovate.
It is said that the god of wealth is enshrined by the rich, and those who have no money will not show their spirits. There is a folk story of "The Goddess of Wealth divorced his wife": Once upon a time, there was always a dignified and beautiful goddess of wealth in the Temple of Wealth. Later, the kind female bodhisattva suddenly disappeared. It turned out that she was divorced by the god of wealth. Why did the God of Wealth divorce his wife? This starts with a beggar. A beggar was very poor. He passed an ancient temple. After entering the temple, he never worshipped any bodhisattva. He just touched the statue of God of Wealth, then bowed and begged God of Wealth to give him money. Marshal Zhao Gong saw that he was a beggar. He thought he had to give up some incense sticks, but he still wanted money. There are so many poor beggars in the world, can I help them? But beggars think the opposite. He believes that the God of Wealth will always help the poor. Rich people don't worry about food and clothing. What's the use of seeking money? I've been worshipping. At this time, the god of wealth moved with compassion, trying to wake up the dozing rich man's husband, persuading him to have a heart and give some alms to beggars. But the god of wealth ignored him, yawned twice and closed his eyes again. Although she is the god of wealth, the financial power is in the hands of her husband, who doesn't nod. How can she give money to beggars? The queen had no choice but to take off her earrings and throw them to the beggar. Suddenly, the beggar felt something thrown out of the shrine. When he saw that they were a pair of gold earrings, he knew that they were sent by the God of Wealth, and he kowtowed at once, even calling them "Goddess of Wealth kowtowing". When the god of wealth opened his eyes, he found that the queen had given the poor beggar what she had given her all those years. He was furious and drove the god of wealth out of the shrine. Since then, for hundreds of years, no poor man has made a fortune by worshipping the god of wealth.