Are there any particulars for posting door gods?

Posting door gods is a traditional custom of our nation. In ancient times, posting door gods was mainly for praying for God’s blessing, and this practice is still maintained by some people today. According to legend, posting door gods during the Spring Festival is to ward off evil spirits, and the presence of door gods can protect the family's safety. So, are there any particular requirements for pasting door gods?

Are there any particular requirements for sticking door gods?

Posting door gods is a traditional custom of our nation. In ancient times, posting door gods was mainly for praying for God’s blessing, and this practice is still maintained by some people today. But there are some rules to posting door gods, such as what kind of door gods to post, when to post them, and where to post them.

The rules and taboos of posting door gods

1. Choose the door god

The purpose of putting up door gods during the New Year is to bring good luck. The most popular door gods on the market today include four categories: fortune-bringing boy, god of luck, and celestial being. This depends on the family's situation.

1. If your family is engaged in business and trade, you can use the Boy Who Attracts Fortune, the Heavenly Official Who Bestows Blessings, Liu Hai Playing with the Golden Toad, the Five Gods of Wealth, Guan Yu, etc.

2. If someone in your family works as an official, it is best to choose the door gods of fortune or civil servants, such as Hai Rui and Bao Qingtian, as well as Fu Lu Shou Xi, Jue Lu Fu Xi, BMW Ping An, etc., which symbolize official integrity, peace, good fortune, and promotion.

3. Suitable for families living in remote areas where the home is prone to restlessness. They mainly include Qin Qiong, Yuchi Jingde, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, etc. They usually hold swords, spears, axes, hooks and forks, and look majestic and ferocious. They are used to suppress demons and monsters, drive away ghosts and evil spirits, and eliminate disasters.

4. Door gods of the celestial beings are generally more targeted. For example, the Goddess of Fortune is suitable for families with elderly people, symbolizing good fortune and longevity. The Goddess of Childbirth is suitable for families who want to have children, symbolizing a prosperous family, etc.

2. Stick Door Gods

1. Nowadays, many people put up door gods as soon as the New Year begins, without considering the specific time. In fact, this is wrong. The correct time to put up door gods is on New Year's Eve, before the New Year's Eve dinner, and after all family members are gathered. After pasting the door gods, money and wealth in the house can no longer come in and out. In the past, people who owed debts would paste door gods before dawn on New Year's Eve, for fear that someone would come to collect the debt. There are also people who do business. In order to do business, they put up door gods after closing the shop on New Year's Eve, in order to make more money from business. Pasting door gods is a respectful thing to do. As an ancient folk cultural heritage, if you want to do it, you must do it seriously. In addition, it is best to have the family gather before sunset to complete the task of pasting the door gods perfectly.

2. If you want to invite gods or ancestors to come home for the New Year, you must first invite the gods and ancestors to the house before you can put up door gods or couplets. If you put up door gods first and then invite gods and ancestors to come home for the New Year, the door gods will not be allowed to enter the house. It is rumored that once the door gods are posted, they are regarded as "on duty immediately". Family members who enter the house after the door gods may be blocked outside the door as "ghosts" of unknown origin, which will affect the family. Therefore, many friends who worship their ancestors at home on New Year’s Eve must remember that it would be bad to put up door gods after these things are completed, otherwise it would be bad to be stopped outside.

3. Door gods are posted on the outermost door. If there is an entrance garden, they should be posted on the door of the entrance garden. If there is a courtyard, they should be posted outside the courtyard door. Generally speaking, double-opening doors of equal width should have one sticker on each side. If the door is opened on one side or one side is very small, the door god is only pasted on one side of the door, and a certain distance should be left on the left, right and middle. The height of the door god should be based on the height of the male owner of the house, and the position of the door god's eyes should be slightly higher than the top of the male owner's head. If the male owner is as tall as Yao Ming, that's a different matter. Generally speaking, the door god should be placed in the upper third of the vertical axis of the door.

4. When pasting door gods, the position of a pair of door god portraits is also very particular. The left and right positions of different types of door god portraits are also different, and they cannot be changed at will. For example, the portrait of a military general must have Qin Qiong in the east and Yuchi Gong in the west; the portrait of a blessing person should have wealth and fortune on the left and treasure on the right. If it is pasted in the wrong position, it is called "pasting the door god in reverse." According to the feudal superstition of the common people, if the left or right positions of the door god images are pasted incorrectly, things will go wrong in the coming year and you will be in a dilemma when encountering problems. Of course, this is just a way of saying it and it is not necessarily true. No one knows what a person's destiny is. It is God's will. It is not that if you stick a door god upside down, nothing bad will happen. This is just the psychological effect of the people. Those who are destined to be rich will not be affected even if they stick it upside down.

3. Respect the Door Gods

Families who are more particular will light two lamps on both sides of the door to indicate light for entering and exiting, and also symbolize the two eyes of the door god, to achieve the effect of good luck and peace. On New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year, they will put offerings in front of the door, then burn incense and paper to worship the door god, asking the door god to bless the family to enter and exit safely, and have good luck and good fortune. In addition, we must also protect the door gods and never destroy them before the fifth day of the New Year. This is a sign of respect for the door gods. Also, after replacing the old door gods and spring couplets, they should be burned instead of thrown away anywhere. This is also a sign of respect for the door gods.