What is the birthday of the God of Wealth?

The 22nd day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the legendary God of Wealth

The God of Wealth, in the minds of the Chinese, is a god of wealth and prosperity. People aspire to live like the God of Wealth as a good life, money has everything, spend endless use, always be a rich man. Therefore, "God of Wealth" has become the goal of people's aspirations, the pursuit of purpose. Especially those who do business, the God of Wealth venerate especially, such as ancestor, as God. In the South, where the businessman's store, the head of the door are for the "God of Wealth" statue, bright lights and candles, illuminating the exquisite shrine. Every year on the 22nd day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, but also to the God of Fortune birthday. The Spring Festival in the worship of ancestors at the same time, but also for the "God of Fortune", it seems that people want to rely on the God of Fortune to get rich, and want to become and the God of Fortune as rich as the idea of a long time.

In ancient China, there was no "God of Wealth", and then the continuous development of the commodity economy, the emergence of the God of Wealth. At the same time also due to the imbalance of the economic development of various regions, as well as the economic development of the era of differences, reflected in the beliefs, the formation of the God of Fortune many, different times, different regions have the situation of the Shang. Generally speaking, different gods of wealth have appeared in different periods of Chinese history. Such as: Bi Gan, Zhao Gongming, Guan Gong, Chai Rong, the five manifestations of the God of Wealth, as well as the Yuan He Wulu, Chen Gu Xifeng's five sons, the Cai Gong Cai Mu, and the Harmony Immortal Officials, Lishi Immortal Officials, but also Wenchang Emperor, the living God of Wealth, Shen Wansan, as well as the God of Wealth Messenger, and so many other names. In terms of the breadth of beliefs, it is the God of Wealth, the Black Tiger Xuan Tan Zhao Gongming and the five manifestations of the God of Wealth. In some places, they also worship Chai Rong, Hehe Xianjun, Wenchang Emperor, and Shen Wansan, the God of Live Wealth.

Zhao Gongming, that is, Zhao Gongyuan Shuai Zhao Xuantan, he was originally a Taoist god of the five parties or the god of ghosts, that is, the Spring Festival posted on the door of the door god, for the people to supervise the ghosts to get rid of evil spirits. He was also known as "Black Tiger Xuan Tan" because of his black face, thick beard, iron crown, iron whip and black tiger. Legend has it that he was in the Qin Dynasty, Zhanshan Mountain, Taoism honors him as "the first Xuan Tan" Marshal, legend has it that he can drive the thunder and electricity, call the wind and rain, in addition to pestilence and Jian Jian abuse, in addition to disease and sacrifice, but also to preside over justice, all the lawsuits and wrongdoing, buying and selling of people seeking money as they wish, and make it appropriate to the profit and harmony. But if there is any injustice, praying to him will make it happen. Probably because of this reason, Zhao Gongming became the god of wealth. In fact, before the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Gongming is not the god of wealth, although there are temples around the temple, only known as the Xuan Tan Temple, the legend is Zhao Zilong (Zhao Yun in the Three Kingdoms) from the brother. Due to the development of the commodity economy in the Ming Dynasty, the belief in the God of Wealth will be popular, Zhao Gongming teach people to manage their finances, so that people are rich, probably at this time will become the God of Wealth. Later, it is said that he is a Hui people, can only be enshrined in beef shochu, and gave him with four God of Wealth messenger. Zhao Gongming God of Fortune image of the establishment, to a large extent thanks to the Ming Dynasty's novel of gods and demons, "Fengshen Yanyi".

In the Song Dynasty, there were five saints' beliefs, and later on, there were five manifestations, five passes, five paths, five thieves, five sons, five paths, and other names. As for their origin there are many legends, one of the more credible one is to say that during the Five Dynasties, there was a group of robbers who became brothers and made a fortune by robbing, and then their conscience came to light, and they regretted that they failed to fulfill their filial piety. So they found a very poor old lady as a mother, everything is very filial, words must be listened to. They have since changed their ways, and after their deaths, they were offered incense, and repeatedly showed their spirit. The Ming Dynasty five passes in the worship of the gods must be a crone, is the shrine of these five robbers. So although there are many names, probably evolved from this belief. At the same time and because of the five robbers are very rich, rich and can do a little good, so they will be used as a god of wealth to worship.

There is also a pair of Harmony Immortal Officials, is a Chinese mythological symbol of love between husband and wife of the gods. Often painted two statues, puffy head and smiling face, one holding a lotus flower, one holding a round box, take the meaning of harmony and good. In the old days when the folk held a wedding, every happy display and harmony like, for good luck, but also in the hall hanging all year round. Who hangs this painting will be able to travel thousands of miles away from the peace, so it is said: ten thousand back. Here the even meaning is, living at home, couples to love and unity, *** with the home, labor and industry, is a way of wealth, as they say: husband and wife and that is to generate wealth, or say that the family and everything Xing.

In the old days, there were also dedicated to Chai Rong. Chai Rong that is, Zhou Shizong, the emperor of the latter Zhou, Xingzhou Longgang (Xingtai, Hebei Province) people, Guo Wei adopted son, 954-959 AD reign. He had reformed politics, reorganized the military, rewarded production, and successively took fourteen states such as Hou Shu Jie and Cheng Qin, and attacked three states such as Khitan in the north, laying the foundation for the unification of China by the Northern Song Dynasty. The main reason for enshrining him is that he supports the production, expansion of territory, the world peace, the people can be a good harvest, the country can be safe and sound, so that the country's economic development, people say he is able to do, able to do that is able to generate wealth, so he is also regarded as the God of Wealth for and enshrined.

In our country's vast rural farming people Shen Wansan as the richest God of Fortune. According to legend, at the end of the Yuan and early Ming Jinling (now Nanjing) rich, word Zhongrong, line three. The Ming History - Taizu Xiaoci Gao Di Hou Zhuan (《明史-太祖孝慈高帝后传》) called him Shen Xiu ("Xiu "is the name of bureaucrats' children and people with wealth and power at that time), who was a rich man in Wuxing (present-day Zhejiang Province). He helped to build one-third of the capital (from Hongwumen to Shuisimen), and asked for treats for the army. Taizu wanted to kill him, but later he was exiled to Yunnan. Legend has it that he had the art of gold-pointing, and his family hid a "treasure bowl". This is absurd superstition, the real Shen Wansan is a fisherman, the old folklore: "Jiangnan Shen Wansan, fishing in the river, playing the fish more and less fish, fish pile up like Taishan." One day from the river hit a "treasure bowl", so that the use of inexhaustible, inexhaustible. In fact, he started out as a fisherman and became rich. Fish more, more money, the river is his "treasure bowl", but he mainly rely on hard work to become rich, such a person respected as the God of Wealth is recognized by the community.

There is also the Wenchang Emperor as the God of Wealth. Wenchang Emperor, also known as Wenquxing, Wenquxing is a Chinese myth that dominates the god of merit and fortune, in the old days, most of the readers and science students faith, schools have more ancestral worship, almost replacing the status of Confucius. Yuan Renzong Yanyou three years (1316), Zitong Emperor will be added to the "auxiliary Yuan Kaifa Wenchang Silu Hongren Emperor", called "Wenchang Emperor", the two then become one. Learning is excellent, service is rich, so, students are studying hard, trying to get a job, get a job, the official born of wealth, wealth, so, Wenchang Emperor in the minds of the literati than the God of Wealth is also important.

The belief in the God of Wealth flourished in the Ming Dynasty, while the Ming Dynasty Taoism absorbed a large number of folk ancestral worship. Zhao Gongming was also originally a god of Taoism, and some of the other beliefs of the God of Wealth were also somewhat related to Taoism, so the belief in the God of Wealth being incorporated into Taoism was not unfounded. It is just that the God of Wealth did not become a major god of Taoism, so it is not so prominent in Taoism.