Chinese New Year

February 8, 2016, The Chinese New Year is the Welcome Day for the God of Wealth. Many families worship the God of Wealth in the early morning. After the ceremony, people explode firecrackers to invite the God of Wealth to enter the house. That's why we can keep continuously hearing the sparsely sound of firecrackers in the morning.

Many stores open on this day after Chinese New Year holiday. Some religious store owners put a table in the front of company's main entry. They prepare fruit, flower, candy, tea, candles and animal sacrifices on the table to worship the God of Wealth. Some even invite the lion dance team to celebrate the opening ceremony. The mascot of the God of Wealth will appear and enter the store. The store owner will give the mascot a Red Envelope with money reward inside.

The God of Wealth is a Chinese deity who can bless one with luck, wealth and economic opportunities. Although worshipped throughout the year, he is especially popular during the Chinese New Year when the community welcomes a new year and mark the start of a new social calendar.

During this time, his image appears on posters, New Year cards, red packets, in the shape of a candy and even as a mascot! Nearing the new year, some organisations even invite an artist dressed as the God of Wealth to send New Year greetings.

Usually dressed in the style of a Chinese Mandarin official and in red, he holds symbols of wealth such as a gold ingot or the Ruyi, a sceptre stylised as a celestial fungus.
Three wise men are Chinese gods who are FuK LuK Shou. Three gods are the popular deities of wealth, Prosperity, and Longevity.

Fuk represents good luck and harmony; Luk stands for authority, power and wealth; Shou signifies good health and longevity.

How to Place Fuk Luk Sau:
Fuk Luk Sau should be placed side by side in one row - Fuk is on your left side, Luk is in the center and Shou is on your right side when you look at them. They can be displayed on the table in your living room or dining area facing inside (not directly facing the main door if facing outside). The level of table can't be too low. In addition, the Fuk Luk Sau position can't be under the beam or facing to toilet.

Fuk god means harmony. Luk god standing in the middle with one green ru yin on his hand stands for power, authority and wealth. He is the god of high rank and affluence. Sau god with a domed head and carrying a peach is the god of longevity.

Chinese Three Lucky Gods (I bought these in Chinatown Singapore, June 22, 2014)
Fuk Luk Sau stands for harmony, wealth and good health.
Displaying Fuk Luk Sau at home to enhance harmony,
generate wealth and bring good health.

The most well-known God of Wealth is Zhao Gong Ming
but the God of Wealth is also commonly regarded as
the manifest of not one but several individuals
commonly associated with the ability to bless people
with wealth, luck and economic opportunity.

Princess Sol Diaries

By Sol Albar

©2016

2016 Happy New Year!

It's 2016! A few days before the New Year, we do a complete cleaning of the house and house wares which signifies to remove the old and welcome the new. After the cleaning, we decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red in color and rounded.

Ever since I was a child up to the time I got married and had a kid things never change so much for me to always felt excited celebrating New Year's eve with my family and pets gathered at home for a special dinner. Right after 12:00 midnight on New Year's Eve, fireworks will be launched to celebrate the coming of the New Year as well as to drive away the evil. It is believed that the person who launched the first firework of the New Year will obtain good luck. as they said those throw away bad luck. Many traditional things are always observe during the festive eve.

I really do follow wearing of color red and polka dots from my parents tradition which are meant for prosperity and good health, loud music for lively dancing from my Tony, and strange sound of neighbors fireworks outside which is always interesting to look at.

When it's time to light candle on our altar, we close our eyes, say a warm hello to the year 2016 and say our prayers silently giving Thanks to God for everything that he has given us, ask for forgiveness for all our mistakes and at last, wishing for an even better, greater, prosperous, blissful, healthy, bright, delightful, energetic and extremely happy days for my family and friends all the days of our lives. 

New year is the best time to make new year's resolution, a fresh new beginnings as we begin a new chapter of our life to fill up the pages with beautiful dreams and visions. When the New Year arrives, it brings us new ideas and hopes for us to make our lives good to better and better to best. Along with all the new hopes and promises that the New Year would bring to us may it also brings us a lot more opportunities to work together. 

2016 New Year's eve!