According to folk beliefs, the God of Wealth is believed to bring good luck to business people, attracting wealth and money into the home. The 10th day of the first lunar month every year is considered the day of Via Than Tai (God of Wealth Day). Therefore, Vietnamese people, especially business owners, highly value the God of Wealth Day Ceremony in Tan Suu 2021 to ensure a prosperous year.

According to information from WIKI, Thần Tài (財神 Tài thần), or the God of Wealth, is a deity in Vietnamese beliefs and some Eastern countries. This is the deity who, according to folk beliefs, brings money and good luck. He is often depicted as a person with a black face, thick beard, holding a whip, and riding a black tiger. Folk people also call him Tài Bạch Tinh Quân (財帛星君) or Triệu Công Nguyên Soái. People draw him on a metal plate on the altar for worship. Vietnamese people often worship the God of Wealth on the 10th day of the first lunar month.

According to Chinese legend, the God of Wealth consists of 5 deities corresponding to the four directions East, West, South, North, and the Center. These include: Trung Bân Tài Thần 中斌財神 Vương Hợi 王亥 (Center), Văn Tài Thần 文財神 Tỷ Can 比干 (East), Phạm Lãi 范蠡 (South), Võ Tài Thần 武財神 Quan Công 關公 (West), and Triệu Công Minh 趙公明 (North).

The God of Wealth is also equated with Prince Bi Gan, a loyal minister who was killed by King Zhou at the instigation of Daji.[1]

According to the lunisolar calendar, the God of Wealth Day Ceremony takes place on the 10th day of the first lunar month every year. This year, God of Wealth Day 2021 falls on Sunday, February 21, 2021, according to the solar calendar. In fact, business people still worship the God of Wealth on the 10th day of every lunar month. However, the 10th day of the first lunar month is considered the most important God of Wealth Day of the year.

Origin and Meaning of God of Wealth Day

According to ancient legend, the God of Wealth was an immortal in heaven. This deity was famous for managing money and fortune.  One time, while out drinking, the God of Wealth got so drunk that he fell to earth, hitting his head on a rock and lying unconscious, not knowing anything. In the morning, people saw a person dressed like a cải lương (Vietnamese folk opera) performer and found it strange, thinking he was mad. People also stripped all of the God of Wealth's clothes and hats to sell. The God of Wealth woke up with no clothes on and, due to hitting his head on the rock, couldn't remember who he was.

The God of Wealth did not know how to work on earth, so he often wandered around begging for food everywhere. Strangely, whenever the God of Wealth entered a house to beg, that house would have good business and become wealthy. That's why there's a folk saying, "The God of Wealth knocks on the door." One day, the God of Wealth remembered everything and flew back to heaven. That was the 10th day of the first lunar month.

To commemorate the God of Wealth, people chose this day as God of Wealth Day. Since then, on this day every year, people prepare offerings to worship the God of Wealth and buy gold to pray for good fortune, luck, and prosperity for the entire year. Everyone wishes for their business to be smooth, and everyone hopes to be helped by the God of Wealth in the new year.

God of Wealth Day Ceremony in Tan Suu 2021 for a prosperous year

Every year, people often have the custom of buying gold on God of Wealth Day to pray for a prosperous and smooth-sailing new year.

Buying gold is a necessary but not sufficient condition. To help business people have smooth sailing and good sales, we also need to sincerely prepare the God of Wealth Day Ceremony in Tan Suu 2021 for a prosperous year.

The preparation of the God of Wealth Day Ceremony in Tan Suu 2021 for a prosperous year, whether grand or modest, will depend on the conditions of each household. What is important is the sincerity of the homeowner and revolves around the following offerings:

• Offerings include: Fresh flowers, five fruits, incense, wine, candles, cigarettes, rice, salt…
• Savory offerings include: The God of Wealth Day offering tray must have roasted pork, and also an additional 'Tam Sen' feast consisting of: 1 piece of boiled pork, boiled eggs, and boiled shrimp (or crab).
• In the South, most people worship the God of Wealth together with the Earth God, so they also prepare grilled snakehead fish on the altar. When preparing offerings for God of Wealth Day, in addition to roasted pork and 'Tam Sen', there must also be a vase of flowers and fruits. Among the fruits, people choose those with lucky names or colors (e.g., tangerines, red dragon fruit, red watermelon…).
• Some votive papers to offer such as: gold ingots, silver ingots…

Additionally, there is a folk custom of buying gold and placing it on the altar during the ceremony to ask for blessings from the God of Wealth. After the ceremony, wearing the gold is believed to bring good luck all year round. In some places, offerings also include sticky rice and floating sweet dumplings (chè trôi nước) to wish for smooth business and trade.

Above is information about the God of Wealth Day Ceremony compiled and collected by ECOMCX from folk beliefs, hoping to help you prepare a meticulous, sincere, and auspicious ceremony.

Source: Collected