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The altar of the Wealth God is a familiar sight to Vietnamese people, especially to business owners and traders. It holds significant meaning, ensuring smooth business operations, bringing prosperity, and warding off misfortune.
Essential items for setting up the altar:
Porcelain items for the altar such as incense burners, cups, and jars should be purchased in yellow, made from Bat Trang clay, a Vietnamese specialty.
– The size of the altar for the Wealth God must be suitable for the shop
– A bowl of incense with ash
– 1 jar of rice, 1 jar of salt, 1 jar of water
– A decorative water bowl with beautiful exterior, filled with floating petals
– Statues of the Wealth God, the Earth Deity, the Earth Pig, and the Pi Xiu
– 3 packets of precious herbs
– 1 plate of sticky rice (can be red sticky rice or mung bean sticky rice)
– 1 boiled rooster, with a soul flower stuffed in its mouth (shortened about 10cm)
– 1 vase of flowers with 10 golden roses
– 1 tray of five fruits
– Betel leaves and areca nuts, each with 5 pieces
– 10 pieces of cốm cakes, 1 piece of roasted meat, bananas, pomelos, etc.
– 5 cups of white wine arranged in a cross shape, an uncorked bottle of white wine
– 10 gold or deity money offerings
– 1000 gold ingots
– 1 pouch of cigarettes, pull out one cigarette
– 1 large red horse, 1 outfit with a hat
– 5 small horse figurines, 5 outfits with 5 colors arranged in order: white, purple, gold, red, green from left to right, 5 dragon-headed hats
– 2 small red lanterns or light 2 candles
– Prepare 5 bundles of incense, fresh yellow dye
– Place the offering table outside: 100 sets of spirit clothes, 20 gold leaves, 1000 spirit money, real money for change, 5 bags of popcorn, 5 bowls with 5 spoons, 5 ears of corn, 5 potatoes, 5 taro roots, 5 bags of cotton candy, 5 bags of candy, 5 bags of cookies
– Place a plate with half rice, half salt sprinkled outside the door about 10 steps away from the house to feed spirits
When burning, burn the straw first before burning the gold horse, burn to ashes then sprinkle 5 cups of wine on it.
Notes when cleaning the altar of Wealth Gods:
– Use clean water to clean the altar, then wipe it again with ginger wine, avoid wiping water onto the Chinese characters
– Prepare a mat or rug to sit on for the ritual
– To welcome the spirits, open all doors inside the house
– The Earth Deity should face towards the house
– The Pi Xiu should always face outward
– During the first 100 days, in the morning around 8 - 9 am, light an incense stick and recite prayers to the Wealth God
– Do not allow withered flowers on the altar as it may cause setbacks in business, within 3 days, replace fresh fruits, water, wine, clean the altar
– The main worship day falls on the 10th day of the lunar month, so more offerings should be purchased than on regular days
– When purchasing candles for lighting, opt for types that produce minimal smoke and odor, and burn quickly
– Only on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month can the candle wick be trimmed, then decorated with gold and sprinkled with wine
