The birthday of the Five Direction Gods of Wealth
It is believed that from the first day of the lunar calendar to the seventh or fifteenth day, many people often hear others saying "Congratulations and be prosperous (恭喜發財)" on the streets and at home, and Chinese people especially honor the "God of Wealth (財神)." A well-known bank in Hong Kong gives away a long image of "God of Wealth" for free to the citizens of Hong Kong every year. In the 70s and 80s, many people would line up at the entrance of this famous bank and its branches to collect the "God of Wealth" image. Moreover, a famous song by Hong Kong artist Hui Koon-kit (許冠傑) is titled "God of Wealth (財神到)," clearly indicating that Chinese people particularly welcome the God of Wealth. However, in addition to receiving the "God of Wealth," there is also the "Birthday of the Five Direction Gods of Wealth (五路財神誕辰)." The birthday of the Five Direction Gods of Wealth in 2025 falls on the fifth day of the lunar calendar, which is February 2nd in the Gregorian calendar, a Sunday. When I was young, on that day in Sheung Wan (上環), where many Chinese business associations and commercial institutions are concentrated, many merchants would worship the " Five Direction Gods of Wealth." What exactly is the "Five" Gods of Wealth, and why not the "Three" or "Six" Gods of Wealth? At the same time, since Chinese culture values pairs, why is it referred to as "Five," which is an odd number? Is the "Five" means the number of gods or the name of one god? This can be elaborated further.
According to many scholars at present, the folk custom of " Five Direction Gods of Wealth" has both a broad and a narrow meaning. The broad meaning of "Five Direction God of Wealth" refers to one deity, while the narrow meaning refers to five deities. Some scholars point out that the Wealth God “Wu Lu” (五路, in Chinese “五” means Five, and “路” with the mean of Direction) appeared in the late Yuan Dynasty, among whom one was named He Wulu (何五路), who died resisting local bandits at the end of the Yuan Dynasty (元朝, 1260-1368). To honor him, the people worshipped him as a deity. However, some scholars also indicate that this He Wulu has no necessary connection with the "Five Direction Gods of Wealth" worshipped in temples today.
Additionally, some scholars believe that the "Five Gods" refer to the five sons of a notable figure named Gu Yewang (顧野王, 519-581) from the Wu County in Wu Commandery [吳郡] (now Suzhou, Jiangsu Province [今江蘇蘇州]) during the Southern Dynasties from Liang (南朝梁, 502-557) to Chen (南朝陳, 557-589) in Chinese history. The Gu family were local officials, and after the death of his sons, they were worshipped as the "Five Xian Gods (Xian is the pronunciation of Chinese script “顯”, as the names of his five sons all contain the character “顯”)," and were also referred to as the "Five Direction Gods (五路神)" or "Wu Tou Gods (五頭財神, This name is synonymous with the former; Wu Tou is “五頭”, in Chinese “頭” also has the meaning of indicating direction)" by the people. According to historical records, after the death of the Gu family, his five sons passed away one after another, and there were already temples in the locality dedicated to them, also honored as five local marquises. In the early Ming Dynasty (明代, 1368-1644), a "Temple of The Five Manifesting Deities (五顯靈神廟, )" was established locally to worship the five deities, namely: Xiancong (顯聰), Xianming (顯明), Xianzhen (顯正), Xianzhi (顯直), and Xiande (顯德). A temple was also built on Shangfang Mountain (上方山) in Gusu (姑蘇), Jiangsu (江蘇), which became very popular, and was once referred to as the "Five Saints (五聖)" by the people. However, during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (清康熙年間, 1661-1722), an official governor of Jiangsu destroyed the Shangfang Mountain Temple, and the gods was no longer referred to as the "the Five Manifesting Deities," but was renamed "Five Direction," also known as "Wealth God."
Another statement from local folklore in Jiangnan showed the "Five Direction Gods of Wealth" were originally the "Five Fragrant Boys (五香童)" before the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) in heaven. The Five Fragrant Boys were reincarnated in the wealthy Du family, and when the son grew up and started a business, he once bought fish to release them, thus saving the third son of the Dragon King. In gratitude, the Dragon King presented precious treasures, and this son and his family became wealthy as a result. Later, this son was recognized by the Jade Emperor as one of the " Five Direction Gods of Wealth." Additionally, other folklore records that the Five Direction Gods of Wealth were five individuals: Du (杜), Shang (尚), Hua (華), Chen (陳), and Sun (孫). These five met while burning incense in Hangzhou (杭州), and because they were born in the same year and month, they became sworn brothers. Later, the five hoped to start a business and sought a divination from Guanyin Bodhisattva in Tianzhu (天竺, the name of India in ancient China), praying for capital by auctioning off the incense table in front of the Buddha. Guanyin Bodhisattva agreed, and each person sold fans in Xixi (西溪). Coincidentally, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace (東宮太子, In ancient China, the Eastern Palace was usually the residence and office of the crown prince, thus "Eastern Palace" became a synonym for the crown prince.) ascended the throne, so the five prayed again to the Jade Emperor, hoping for a month of hot weather to increase fan sales. They were granted this request by the divine, and as a result, they made a profit. The five then thanked Guanyin Bodhisattva and rebuilt the Guanyin Temple. After their deaths, they were conferred by heaven as the "Five Direction Gods of Wealth."
Other scholars point out that the Five Direction Gods are five deities, which are: the Land God (土地公), the Horse King (牛至爺), the Immortal Maiden (仙姑), the God of Wealth (財神爺), and the Kitchen God (灶神). The God of Wealth is one of the Five Road Gods. The concept of "Five Direction Gods" does not only refer to one God of Wealth, and its content is not just about seeking wealth.
From the perspective of studying folklore today, the evolution of the name "Five Direction Gods of Wealth" refers both to a single deity and to five deities. In earlier historical periods, it may have referred to one deity or five deities, but the image of the deity, combined with the evolution in different regions, is also related to the local people's expectations of the deity's functions. This is particularly relevant after the Three Kingdoms period (三國時期, 220-280), when China's economic center shifted from the north to the south. In the Jiangnan region (江南地區), the deity is sometimes referred to as five deities. The "Five Roads Wealth God" implies that wealth comes not just from one direction, but from all directions. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the economy in the Jiangnan region developed significantly, and many gentry and merchants in Jiangnan worshipped the "Five Direction Gods of Wealth," leading to abundant financial resources.
From the perspective of historical culture, it is further evident: First, whether worshipping one deity or five deities, these deities have contributed to humanity or were once individuals who did good deeds, and were posthumously conferred as gods by the Jade Emperor. Second, the "Five Wealth Gods" are related to profit-making in the human world, reflecting the traditional Chinese folk belief in the importance of business and profit, emphasizing practical work, and shifting from focusing on just one direction to valuing five directions, thus broadening resource acquisition. Third, with the development of the times, in the future, the "Five Wealth Gods" are often paired with five deities, which may be related to the folk practice of personifying deities, constructing images of the five deities; hence, many people also see this in some temples in Hong Kong, where they are worshipped as five deities in the Wu Tong temple (五通廟). Fourth, traditional Chinese folk culture emphasizes welcoming the Wealth God, hoping for a "good start (好彩頭)" in the lunar new year, as the lunar new year marks the beginning of the entire year, bringing good fortune and abundant wealth throughout the year. Fifth, it is related to traditional Chinese numerical culture, where the number "five" encompasses all things, such as gold, wood, water, fire, and earth collectively known as the "Five Elements (五行)," and there are also writings of "Five Blessings Arriving at the Door (五福臨門)" in spring couplets, as well as the front, back, left, right, and center being collectively referred to as the "Five Layouts (五佈局)."
Finally, I wish all readers "May the God of Wealth visit you every day in the Year of the Snake," and may your wealth flow abundantly!
References
1. 趙宏編著：《財神傳》（北京：中國旅遊出版社，2005）。
2. 王世禎著：《中國節令習俗》（台北：星光出版社，1981）。
3. 李憲科：《中國傳統節日與神話傳說》（濟南：山東友誼書社，1991）。
All articles/videos are prohibited from reproducing without the permission of the copyright holder.
SHARE THIS
people have liked this article/video
Welcome to leave a message:
Please Sign In/Sign Up as a member and leave a message