People buy gold before God of Wealth day in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: PHUONG QUYEN
Together with folklore researcher Huynh Ngoc Trang, we explain this phenomenon from his personal perspective, partly suggesting some things to ponder.
At the end of the 19th century, the God of Wealth had not yet appeared.
God of Wealth is the god in charge of money, wealth and prosperity…
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online, folk culture researcher Huynh Ngoc Trang said "until the end of the 19th century, the God of Earth (Tho Than) still assumed the function of the God of Wealth due to the concept that earth generates metal".
Mr. Trang quoted Dai Nam Quoc Am Tu Vi (Saigon, 1895) by Huynh Tinh Cua - the Vietnamese dictionary considered the first in Vietnam - to explain that Tho Than and Tai Than are both "God of Earth, god of money".
"If there is an ancient belief related to the God of Wealth, it is that Vietnamese people abstain from taking out the trash for the first three days of the new year during the traditional Tet holiday, to avoid losing money and fortune...", this researcher said.
Mr. Trang said: "It was not until the 1920s and 1930s, when commerce developed, that the God of Wealth appeared, which Vietnamese people now worship, most popularly in the South."
In terms of appearance, the Vietnamese God of Wealth is now a version of the Chinese "Tho Dia/Phuoc Duc Chinh Than" - the god who brings fortune.
By the 1950s and 1960s, the God of Wealth statue was often depicted with one hand holding a bag of money or a string of coins, and the other hand holding a bundle of rice (influenced by wet rice civilization).
In the past few decades, due to the influence of the market economy, statues of gods are often associated with gold bars.
However, there is one special thing, even though there is a God of Wealth, the worship of Ong Dia and God of Wealth in the same place is still preserved by Vietnamese people to this day.
Researcher Huynh Ngoc Trang - Photo: QUYNH MY
Why January 10?
Also according to Huynh Tinh Cua, the idiom "The ninth day is the day of Heaven, the tenth day is the day of Earth" originates from the fact that on the 9th and 10th of January, Vietnamese people have the custom of worshiping Heaven and Earth, meaning the day Heaven and Earth were born.
Researcher Huynh Ngoc Trang added that January 10 is the day of Dia's birth, then May 10 of the lunar calendar is Dia Lap - the day Ong Dia died due to the belief that on that day the land did not produce anything (this custom no longer exists - PV).
Ông Địa represents the principle of prosperity, fortune, and wealth, so worshiping Ông Địa and Thần Tài together in one place further represents the rational-practical relationship of this phenomenon.
"Later, when commerce developed and overshadowed agriculture, people also paid more attention to the God of Wealth, but still kept the God of Earth as a reason. Therefore, the 10th day of the Earth's Day also became the day to buy God of Wealth gold," Mr. Trang commented.
He also informed that in the past in Saigon, there were several temples worshiping Ong Dia in Go Vap district, Thu Thiem district... Every January 10th, people held a big ceremony to worship Ong Dia.
It was not until the 20th century that the God of Wealth appeared in our country - Photo: Feng Shui
Buy gold for wealth, be careful of superstition
According to researcher Huynh Ngoc Trang, the custom of buying gold for wealth has only appeared in the last few decades.
"To some extent, it helps people have something to strengthen their faith in life to do business and strive. But if they overdo it, seeing buying gold as a sign of good fortune, it becomes superstition," he said.
The researcher also added that in the past, on the day of the land's ancestor worship, depending on the region and family, they worshiped:
"If the ceremony is big, it is usually a three-course ceremony (pig, cow, goat). For more common ceremonies, as long as there are three dishes: shrimp, egg, and piece of meat. Later, with the development of the times, there were many other trends. For simple ceremonies, there is sweet soup and sticky rice, while Chinese people often offer buns, milk coffee, and roast pork..."
Do Chinese people buy gold on God of Wealth day?
Mr. Trang said, "Chinese people do not spend money to buy gold at the beginning of the year like most Kinh people. They save money to do business, and at the end of the year, they see how much they make and how much they lose before buying gold."
Source TTO
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