What is the best time to pray for blessings in the first month of 2014?

China is a country with many ethnic groups, far-reaching cultures, and vast territory. Different places, different ethnic groups, have different customs and sentiments. Especially around the Spring Festival, which is the most important time for the Chinese people, the folk customs are auspicious. The culture is even more diverse, and the blessing customs are similar in different places, such as picking up the Kitchen God during the Spring Festival, cleaning at the end of the year, praying for blessings and making wishes during the Spring Festival, picking up the God of Wealth on the first day of the new year, choosing auspicious openings, etc. People in Hong Kong and Taiwan worship Wong Tai Sin, Mazu, etc. People who do business or hope to get money will borrow money and silk from Guanyin on Guanyin's borrowing day (the 26th of the first lunar month).

As netizens wish to send blessings during the New Year, today I specially compiled a guide to the 2014 Spring Festival prayer customs for the believers’ reference to ensure that the merits of praying for blessings are complete.

First, what are the details of picking up the Kitchen God?

In China, there are many gods in a home. There is a door god for the door, a house god for the house, and a kitchen god for the kitchen. Each one performs his or her duties to protect every household and ensure peace and harmony in the family. Legend has it that the Kitchen God was appointed by the Jade Emperor to supervise the human world and record the good and evil deeds of each household for a year. He descended to earth on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year and returned to heaven on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month to report his duties to the Jade Emperor. Report to determine rewards, punishments and fortune for the coming year. In order to respectfully send the Kitchen God to heaven to report his work, to thank the Kitchen God for his protection over the past year, and to allow the Kitchen God to say more good things in front of the Jade Emperor and seek good luck in the coming year, every household holds this ceremony on the night of the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month when the Kitchen God rises to heaven. The Kitchen God is worshiped and sent off, and a ceremony to welcome the Kitchen God is held on the fourth day of the first lunar month. This is the origin of the custom of thanking the Kitchen God.

To send gifts to the Kitchen God is usually done on the 23rd auspicious day of the twelfth lunar month, and to welcome the Kitchen God is usually done on the morning of the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. The items to be offered can include three sticks of incense, two red candles, a piece of gold and silver paper, some candies, a piece of pastry and glutinous rice balls, etc. Perform a thank-you ceremony in your own kitchen to ask the Kitchen God to say good things to heaven and keep the world safe.

Second, what should you pay attention to during year-end cleaning?

Whenever the Chinese New Year approaches, every household will organize a general cleaning, washing, wiping, wiping, sweeping and dusting to make the home clean, bright and tidy inside and outside, up and down. It's neat and tidy, giving the home a brand new look. Its meaning is to get rid of the old and welcome the new, to clean away the stale dirt and filth accumulated over the past year, and to have a renewed and better start in the new year. General cleaning is generally done around the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. It can be carried out according to the auspicious days of the zodiac on the perpetual calendar. Preferably, the New Year's day is the most conducive to general cleaning, so that the effect of general cleaning is twice the result with half the effort, and it has the effect of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. If there is an idol enshrined in your home, be sure to clean it during general cleaning. Cleaning the statue is a solemn and sacred task, and it must not be wiped off casually. When cleaning, soak nine pieces of lilac or chrysanthemum in boiling water. Then pray sincerely and tell the gods and Buddhas about the cleansing. When cleaning the statue, it is best to use a new basin and a new towel, and wipe it carefully to make the whole body of the statue clean and bright.

3. How to make a wish during the Spring Festival?

Wish making is when people pray to the gods and Buddhas they worship to realize their wishes, and promise to give back in whatever way they wish if their wishes come true. The key is to be sincere, have good intentions, keep your promises, and be without greed. The content of your prayers must be reasonable and benefit others and yourself. Otherwise, your wishes will be difficult to realize. Generally speaking, you can choose to make a wish during the Spring Festival around 10 o'clock on the first day of the first lunar month, because the whole year begins with spring. Generally, in the early morning of the first day of the new year, people rush to offer the first incense stick of the new year, and make a wish immediately after offering the incense. The author based on my own practice Especially effective. The wish-making ceremony can be grand or simple according to one's own conditions. Most people only need to go to the temple to pray to the gods and Buddhas to make wishes, and bring enough incense, candles, gold, silver, clothing, paper and other offerings in advance. Special attention should be paid to gold and silver clothing paper. Gods should use Daguangbao, longevity gold, Changlu horse, Yuanlu horse, Baijie talisman, transfer disk, noble talisman, etc. Worship Guanyin with a complete set of Guanyin Sutra and Guanyin clothes. The male gods wear dragon robes and hats, and the female gods wear phoenix crowns and phoenix clothes. It should also be noted that when making wishes to Buddha and Guanyin, you must not offer golden pigs, three animals, alcohol or other meat products, otherwise it will be a crime of blasphemy.

Fourth, how to receive the God of Wealth on the first day of the first lunar month?

The first day of the Lunar New Year is an important day for people to welcome the God of Wealth. People generally have to keep money at home. At midnight on the first day of the first lunar month, the doors open and set off fireworks and firecrackers to welcome the God of Wealth. At this time, the home can boil a kettle of water to symbolize the source of wealth. Rolling in, and lighting up lights all night long to welcome the God of Wealth.

According to legend, a long time ago, children wrote the word "God of Wealth" on red paper. From the evening of New Year's Eve to the middle of the night, the God of Wealth was distributed from house to house. The head of each household picked it up with his hands, and the rural people went to hold some. Firewood goes to the kitchen, water is filled up in the water tank, and after receiving the God of Wealth, a red envelope with red envelopes and red envelopes is given to the child. This was an early custom of receiving the God of Wealth. Nowadays, people have regarded receiving the God of Wealth as a blessing activity, which is usually arranged on the first day of the first lunar month.

The ceremony for city people to receive the God of Wealth is not complicated. The key is to find out the location of the God of Wealth that day and the time to receive the God of Wealth, and to offer incense to greet him. Offerings can include glutinous rice balls, wine, carp, lettuce, green onions and other sacrificial items. On the first day of the first lunar month in 2014, the God of Wealth is in the south, and the auspicious time to receive the God of Wealth is between 11 and 13 noon. ) It is said that if you burn incense or set off firecrackers at this time to receive the God of Wealth, you will be blessed with good fortune, abundant financial resources, prosperous business, and everything goes well in the coming year.

5. What are the requirements for opening a business after the holidays?

People who do business according to folk customs are best to choose an auspicious day to open their business. Customers who have the conditions can decorate the store entrance with lanterns and colorful decorations, post auspicious couplets on the facade, set off firecrackers or perform lion dances during the opening, etc. The lucky draw symbolizes prosperous business in the coming year. The auspicious days for opening in 2014 are the seventh, eighth and ninth day of the first lunar month.

Saturday, what's going on with Guanyin borrowing from the library?

It is said among the people that when the 26th day of the first lunar month reaches Haishi, it is the time when Guanyin opens the treasury. At this time, Guanyin Bodhisattva opened his treasury and lent money to his people to help them get rich. If you have plans to invest and make a fortune, or hope to make a lot of money in the coming year, you might as well go to the Guanyin Temple to borrow money on this day.