In Chinese Taoism, the God of Wealth is the god in charge of worldly wealth. According to Chinese folk customs, New Year's Eve is the most lively day of the Spring Festival. On New Year's Eve, people eat dumplings and stay up all night, waiting to pick up the God of Wealth. Nowadays, it is most popular to welcome the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month. The gods of wealth worshiped include the Wen God of Wealth and the Wu God of Wealth. The Wu Gods of Wealth are Zhao Gongming, Guan Gong, etc.; the Wen Gods of Wealth are Bigan, Fan Li, etc. In addition, the gods of wealth that people believe in include the Five Saints, Chai Rong, Cai Gong and Cai Mu, Hehe Erxian, Li Shixianguan, Wenchang Emperor, Living God of Wealth Shen Wansan, etc. Among them, the belief in the civil and military gods of wealth and the Five Saints is The most extensive.
武财神
Zhao Gongming
Zhao Gongming is also known as "Zhao Gongming. Handsome". Taoism mainly worships him as the God of Wealth, but he is also one of the four guardians of Taoism, because he once guarded the alchemy room for Master Zhang. Later, people also put his statue on the door as a door god to ward off evil and pray for blessings. Among the duties he performs, in addition to "eliminating plague and malaria, protecting diseases and warding off disasters", there is also "buying and selling to seek wealth, and the public can make it convenient and harmonious. But if there is a fair thing, you can pray to God, and everything will be unsatisfactory." function.
The widespread worship of Zhao Gongming among the people probably started in the middle of the Ming Dynasty or a little before. The main reason is that one of the main responsibilities of Zhao Gongming is to buy and sell money. The statues of Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth, are all wearing helmets, battle robes, whips, black and thick beards, and a powerful image. There are often paintings around them such as cornucopias, large ingots, pearls, corals and the like."
According to the third volume of "Qing Jia Lu" written by Gu Lu of the Qing Dynasty: The fifteenth day of the third month in the lunar calendar was designated as Zhao Gongming in Wu. On this day, people have to worship the God of Wealth, either by setting up temples to worship the God of Wealth, or by setting up statues at home. Among them, merchants worship the God of Wealth, which is the most common. Hebei's "Yangyuan County Chronicle" says: "Each businessman worships the God of Wealth." Number in. The first month of every year is a special worship period for the God of Wealth, just like how people worship heaven and earth. On the 18th day of the second lunar month of every year, a play is performed as a reward. "
Guan Gong
Guan Gong is also known as "Guan Shengdijun", referred to as "Guandi". He was originally one of the four guardians of Taoism, and later Taoism. He is mainly worshiped as the God of Wealth. In addition to his functions of "curing diseases and eliminating disasters, exorcising evil spirits, punishing rebels, and patrolling the underworld," he also has the function of "sitting under orders, protecting merchants, and attracting wealth." He is also known for his loyalty. , so he is regarded as the God of Wealth. There are three main reasons why Guan Gong is regarded as the God of Wealth: First, during his lifetime, Guan Gong was very good at managing money and was good at accounting. He once devised the note-taking method and invented the daily accounting book. The four items of receipt, withdrawal, and deposit are very detailed and clear. Businessmen in later generations are recognized as accounting experts, so they are regarded as business gods; secondly, when businessmen talk about business and trade, loyalty and credit are the most important, and Guan Gong has integrity, so he is respected; It is said that after the death of Guan Gong, the true god often returned to help fight and achieve victory. Businessmen hoped that if their business suffered a setback, they would be able to make a comeback and strive for final success. Guan Gong's belief was accepted by all walks of life in the Qing Dynasty and they worshiped him. You Sheng. In modern times, the Ge Laohui and the Qinghong Gang in the Jianghu community pay special tribute to Emperor Guan. Brothers who are sworn brothers in the Jianghu community must bow before him and burn their oaths to keep their faith.
The God of Wealth and Wealth
p>Bigan
The image of Bigan enshrined in Bigan Temple of Wealth is dressed as a civil official, wearing a prime minister's gauze hat, five long beards, holding a wishful thinking, wearing a python robe, and pedaling ingots. This dress is very similar to that of Tianguan. The biggest difference is that Tianguan has a kind expression and a smile, while Bigan has a serious face and a clear face. "Historical Records of Yin" records: Bigan, the uncle of King Zhou of Yin, was loyal and upright. He was very anxious when he saw that King Zhou was desolate, tyrannical, and cruel. When he was once admonishing, King Zhou said angrily: "I heard that the heart of a sage has seven orifices! Today I want to see if your heart has seven orifices! " According to folklore, Bigan glared at King Zhou, plucked off his heart, threw it on the ground, walked out of the palace, came to the people, and scattered the treasures. Although he lost his heart, he did not die because he took the elixir given to him by Jiang Ziya. Because he has no heart, he is impartial and impartial, so he is highly praised and loved by people. At that time, when doing business under Bigan, he was fair and honest, so people regarded him as the God of Wealth. Enshrined.
Fan Li
Fan Li was a minister of King Gou Jian of Yue. He was resourceful and helped the King of Yue defeat the King of Wu and achieve hegemony. It turned out that Fan Li was the only young man at the celebration. , fled to the State of Qi. Before leaving, he wrote a letter to another hero, Wenzhong, saying: "The high birds have dispersed, but the good bows will be hidden; the cunning rabbits have been exhausted, and the good dogs will be cooked." The king of Fuyue is a man with a long neck, a bird's beak, and an eagle looking at the steps of a wolf. He can be in trouble with his wife but cannot be happy with him. If he does not go away, he will be harmed. "If you don't believe in literature, you will eventually become a ghost under the sword. Fan Li ran agriculture and commerce in Qi State and made a fortune, but he took money very lightly and dispersed it to poor friends and estranged relatives. Fan Li can make a fortune It is a rare living god of wealth who can make people rich and disperse it.
The Five Saints
In the Song Dynasty, there was belief in the Five Saints, and later there were the Five Links, Five Manifestations, There are many legends about the origins of the Five Thieves, Five Roads, etc.
Wutong God
Wutong God is also called "Five Saints" or "Wulang God". According to "Tea". "Xiangshi Congchao" records that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a saying that the immortal Wutong was immortal. Su Shi of the Song Dynasty once wrote a poem "Liao is an immortal Wutong immortal". The belief in "Wutong" in the Song Dynasty was very widespread and very complex.
According to "Yi Jian Zhi", the Wutong God may look like a five- or six-year-old child and is called the "God of Peace and Joy"; or it may be able to predict good and bad luck. People, especially merchants, often regard it as a family god and pray for many efficacies. There are many other names for it among the people, such as "Kinoshita Saburo", "Mu Ke", "One-legged Wutong", "Huaguo Wulang" and "Hujie Wulang". Its belief was most popular during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, especially in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, where Wutong temples were built with endless incense. Among them, the Wutong Temple on Lingyong Mountain in the west of Suzhou City is the most famous. There is also a saying that the Wutong God originated in the early Ming Dynasty, indicating that Taizu attacked Chen Youliang and Chen lost many soldiers. Taizu once dreamed that Chen Bing, a group of 15 people, asked for pensions, so he ordered every family in the south of the Yangtze River to build a small temple one foot and five inches high to worship the souls of the dead.
Wuxian God
Wuxian God is the god of wealth believed in Dexing and Wuyuan in Jiangxi Province during the Song Dynasty. Because the five brothers were all named kings in the Song Dynasty, and the first character of their titles was Xian, they were called Wuxianshen. According to the "Encyclopedia of Searching Gods from the Origins of Three Religions", five manifest gods descended on Wuyuan during Tang Guangqi's reign (885-888). According to folklore, there is a garden owned by Wang Yu in the north of the city. One day, the red light in the garden soared into the sky, and five gods descended from the sky. They claimed that they were ordered by heaven to bless the people. After saying this, they ascended to the sky again and left. So Wang Yu and the people in the city built temples to worship and pray, all of which were effective. The temple was originally named "Wutong", and later was given the name "Lingshun". Every time the five gods heard about the manifestations of their spirits, they were praised by the court. During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty (1119-1126), he was granted the title of Two-Character Marquis. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song Dynasty, Shaoxing (1131-1163), he was granted the title of Four-character Marquis. He was granted the title of two-character king, Song Lizong Jingding (1260-1265) was granted the title of four-character king and six-character king, and in the sixth year of Xianchun (1265-1275) (1271) he was granted the title of eight-character king. His wife was also granted the title, and her eight-character titles are: The first one is Xian Cong Zhao Ying Ling Ge Guang Ji King, Xian Qing Xie Hui Zhao helps his wife; the second one Xian Zhao Lie Ling protects King Guang You, Xian Hui Xie Qing Shan helps his wife; the third place is Xian Zheng Zhao Shun Ling Wei King Guanghui, Xianji and his wife Zhengzhu; fourth, King Xianzhenzhaoyoulingzhu Guangze, Xianyou and his wife Xizhu; fifthly, King Xiande and Zhaolilingzhu, Mrs. Aijingzhu. Therefore, it is called the Five-Xian God, and the temple where it is enshrined is called the Wu-Xian Temple. It is said that the prayer is very effective and the incense is prosperous.
Wang Kui's "Li Hai Collection" of the Song Dynasty stated that September 28th was the birthday of the five manifestations. In the Southern Song Dynasty, its influence was not only in the Dexing and Wuyuan areas of Jiangxi, but also in Lin'an (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). In fact, the legend of the five manifest gods existed in the Tang Dynasty, but it was recorded in classics that it began in the Song Dynasty. "Yi Jian Zhi" is the classic book with the most records of the five manifest gods, but it is different from the Wutong gods. Then there are people who often talk about Wu Xian and Wu Tong together, saying that the belief began in the Wuyuan area of ??Dexing, Jiangxi, and then gradually spread. "Yi Jian Zhi" records that Dexing Wuxianqing was the place where his god made his fortune. Lin Liu, a native of Changxi, Fuzhou, who was studying Chinese studies and was about to go to the province, dreamed that the five gods came and was recommended as a captain of Dexing County. Wu Cheng, a scholar and scholar from Shangrao, was frightened. He visited his temple and found out what happened in his dream. Because of the memorial, Wu Xian Shen was consecrated. "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books·Divine Classics" records that Taizu established his capital in Jinling and built fourteen temples and buildings in the capital. Among them was the Wuxian Lingguan Temple, where sacrifices were made every year during the summer and autumn months, and the custom was passed down to later generations. There are no pictures or textual research on the arrival of the five gods in Guangqizhong of the Tang Dynasty in "The Encyclopedia of Searching the Gods from the Origins of the Three Religions". There is only word of mouth among the people in Wuyuan area, and what they recorded is the legend at that time. According to various books, the five manifested gods all became gods after their deaths, and their names differ greatly from one family to another. "Xinsou Shen Ji" calls the five sons of Xiao Yongfu of the Song Dynasty, "Yuwen of the Casting Cauldron" calls the five brothers surnamed Chai of the Southern Qi Dynasty, and "Qing Jia Lu" calls the five gods "surnamed Gu, Chen Huangmen Shilang Yewang" Five sons". Modern Yuan Ke's "Dictionary of Chinese Myths and Legends" states: "The Five-Hand God Gai is the five sons of the God of Mount Tai in Dongyue. The third son is King Bingling. King Bingling is the Huaguang Emperor written in "Journey to the South". , that is, the spiritual officials Ma Yuan and Shuai recorded in "The Encyclopedia of Searching Gods of Three Religions" were both the gods of fire. The Wuxian Temple was originally called "Wutong", so the Wuxian God is the Wutong God."
Five Thieves
The Five Thieves, also known as Five Dao and Five Sons, are: Du Ping, Li Si, Ren An, Sun Li, and Geng Yanzheng. There are many legends about their origins. It is said that in the Five Dynasties, five robbers became sworn brothers and made a fortune by robbing. Later, their conscience found out that they regretted not being able to fulfill their filial piety, so they found an extremely poor old lady to be their mother. She was very filial in everything. , he must listen to his words, so he abandoned evil and followed good. After his death, he was offered incense by people, and he often showed supernatural powers. According to another theory, "The Origins of the Three Religions: The Complete Collection of Searching Gods" records: During the Song Dynasty, there were five thieves who dominated one side and caused chaos, bringing disaster to the people. The imperial court sent general Zhang Hong to capture and kill five thieves in the north of Xinfeng County. Later, the ghosts of these five people remained, causing evil and deceiving everyone to the place where they died. People were afraid of his troubles, so they worshiped him and called him the Five Thieves General. The last five were transformed into thief gods and worshiped, but they were not popular. It is also said that the Five Thief Generals are the Five Dao Generals. It is said that they are the subordinate gods of Emperor Dongyue. They are the gods of the underworld and are in charge of life, death, honor and wealth. There are five Dao temples to worship them.