What is the best time to welcome the God of Wealth on the first day of the Chinese New Year? What is the meaning of welcoming the God of Wealth on the first day of the Chinese New Year?

I remember hearing a saying when I was a child: "Close the door to wealth on New Year's Eve and welcome the God of Wealth on New Year's Day." The elders in my family attach great importance to this matter. So, when is the best time to welcome the God of Wealth on New Year’s Day?

When is the best time to welcome the God of Wealth on New Year's Day?

Welcoming the God of Wealth in rural areas is a rather complicated matter, and different places have different methods. Generally, the door is closed after eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. This is called locking the door to wealth, and the wealth and blessings for the whole year will remain in one’s home. On the first day of the New Year, people will open the door early to welcome the God of Wealth. They will light incense and firecrackers to open the door to wealth and invite the God of Wealth to take his place. The oldest male in the family lights incense and offers sacrifices, then sets off a string of firecrackers, three sky rockets, and then opens the door, which is considered as opening the door to wealth. The earlier this process is done, the better. Generally, 0-1 o'clock, 3-5 o'clock, or 5-7 o'clock are all acceptable. Nowadays, there is no particular requirement for the time to welcome the God of Wealth. Many people just set off firecrackers and open the door in the morning. Even if they invite him, there is no particularly complicated procedure. After all, it is the 21st century now. In addition, people in some places choose to welcome the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, which is commonly known as "Wuqiong" (five poor), which sounds like "wuqiong" (infinite), meaning that there will be money in the future. This respects the customs and habits of different places.

The meaning of welcoming the God of Wealth on the first day of the Lunar New Year

As the saying goes, "Close the door to wealth on New Year's Eve and welcome the God of Wealth on New Year's Day." The elders in the family attach great importance to this matter, because in their eyes, if they want good weather and good fortune in the new year, they must do these things, otherwise there will most likely be some problems with money this year. On New Year’s Eve, most families stay up all night. The family sits around the fire, eating the carefully prepared reunion dinner, talking about the ups and downs of the past year, and enjoying the happy time belonging to the family. After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, the door will be closed. This is called locking the door to wealth, and the wealth and blessings for the whole year will remain in the home. On the first day of the New Year, people will open the door early to welcome the God of Wealth. They will light incense and firecrackers to open the door to wealth and invite the God of Wealth to take his place.

How to welcome the God of Wealth on New Year's Day

In ancient times, the time to invite the God of Wealth began from New Year's Eve. One of the reasons why people stayed up on New Year's Eve was to invite the God of Wealth. In ancient times, small merchants would walk the streets on New Year's Eve, delivering red paper printed with the God of Wealth to every household. If a family had no money, they could take out some food to exchange for one. On the first day of the New Year, people will open the door early to welcome the God of Wealth. They will light incense and firecrackers to open the door to wealth and invite the God of Wealth to take his place.

After welcoming the God of Wealth back, we have to wait until the second day of the New Year to worship him. On this day, we have to get up early and put out offerings. In the south, where people are more particular, there will be three tables of offerings. The first table is fruit, the most important of which is Guangju, which means a prosperous business. The second table is cakes and biscuits, and there must be rice cakes, which means promotion year by year. The last table is the highlight, with chicken, duck, fish and meat, which means to attract wealth and have surplus every year. Then the host lights incense and candles and begins the worship.