Caishenye

The term Caishenye (財神爺) or God of the richness indicates a whole of Chinese gods to which one allots the capacity to improve the financial position. The gods solicited (S) can vary the faithful one to faithful; the list is not closed, each one being free to choose the divinity who appears to him most effective. Most known of them are presented below. One finds there rich person commercial whose historical existence is attested, of the characters obscure of antiquity mentioned in the Nomination of the gods , the divinities taoists, and also of large popular gods of which it is not the principal function. The gods of the richness tend to being classified in two categories, “civilians” and “soldiers”, with the imitation of the imperial bureaucracy, or grouped by five (more rarely 3 or 8). Buddhism Tibetan also proposes his five gods of the richness. Milefo, Chinese version of Maitreya represented like a monk corpulent and smiling, sign of prosperity and happiness, can also provide this function.

Civil gods

They often appear under the aspect of old civils servant to the white beard, vêtus of a red dress and wearing a hat of minister, with in the hand an ingot of gold (yuanbao 元寶), and the sceptre “ruyi” whose name means “without obstacle”; it is about a pledge of chance in vogue at the court of the Qing. They can be:

Five happinesses: Happiness - public Career - Longevity - happy Events - Richness (fu 福 read 祿 shou 壽 xi 喜 cai 財)
the Manager of the Sky, Tianguan (天官), a creation of the school taoist of the Five bushels of rice
Bigan (比干), character of the Nomination of the gods
Fanli (范蠡), rich trading of the State of Yue to the Period of Springs and the Falls
the God of the well-read men.

Military gods

They are represented in behavior of general with the dark face (red in the case of Guandi), a black beard, sometimes overlapping a tiger. They hold in hand a whip of money and an ingot or other objects invaluable. One often identifies them with:

Zhao Gongming (趙公明), another character of the Nomination of the gods
Two heroes died in the combat at different times, whose name, Wulu (five roads), evoke the “Gods of the richness of the five roads”
Guandi, hero of the Three kingdoms

Groups of five

Called “the Gods of the five roads” (Wulu Caishen 五路財神), most known are:

Five referred to above happinesses, sometimes reduced to the three first; they are often represented with children (descent), bat (happiness), fishings (longevity)…
Zhao Gongming and its four assistants, each one associated with a cardinal point; into this group of origin taoist slips sometimes Shen Wansan (沈萬三), rich trading of the time Ming; the group is extended sometimes to eight members.
five gods of the Buddhism Tibetan, whose function is to make so that the study of the Dharma is not blocked by the material difficulties. The main thing is God of the yellow richness. There exists also red God, black God associated with Akshobhya, white God emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and God with head of elephant, inspired by Ganesh.

Foreign ground fortune

There exist gods specialized for those which seek fortune abroad, called Piancaishen (偏財神) of pian , " éloigné". They are in general predecessors who succeeded, divinized after their death, as Su Fulu (蘇福祿) which made fortune in Southeast Asia.

Worship

One can request the gods of fortune in their temples. At the time of the Chinese New year, the effigy gods selected (S) is stuck in the dwelling. The trade and companies in general choose to open the 5 of the lunar first month, date of birthday of the gods grouped by five. The Manager of the Sky is celebrated the 15 of this same month, the day of the Fête of the lanterns.

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