What's the point of changing the statue of God of Wealth?

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 this group of "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 did not worship any bodhisattva, but bowed down and begged for money by touching the statue of the god of wealth.

God gives 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.

Folk also say that the god of wealth is a five-way god. The so-called five roads refer to the east, west, north and south, which means that you can get money when you go out of five doors. Lu Gu's Jia Qinglu in the Qing Dynasty said: "The fifth day of the first month is Shen's birthday." Golden gongs and firecrackers are full of sacrifices. In order to compete for the market, you must get up early to meet them, which is called the end of the road. He also said: "The road ahead today is the god walking in the five sacrifices." The so-called "five roads" are the middle ears of east, west, north and south. "The five sacrifices are to worship the household gods, kitchen gods, land gods, door gods and mind-wandering. The so-called "road head" is to go to the gods in the five sacrifices.