What is the difference between the City God and the earth God? Is the City God the earth God? Interested partners, come and have a look!
In many movies and TV plays, there are “Chenghuang Temple” or “earth Temple”. People often go to worship, or because they want to pray. In the impression of many people, it seems that the position of the City God is higher than that of the land, because the land in journey to the west is often used by Sun Wukong as a younger brother, and the City God seems to be higher. In ancient times, who had a higher status between the City God and the land?
The City God is the guardian God of the city. The City God belief has a long history in China. According to textual research, the “water Yong” sacrifice (one of the eight sacrifices of the son of heaven) that appeared in the pre-Qin period was the early form of worship of the City God belief. “
In the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), the imperial court required all prefectures, prefectures and counties to build a Chenghuang Temple in imitation of Yamen regulations.
The City God is the God who guards the city, protects the country, governs the dead, and reconciles the wind and rain. Therefore, when officials of all dynasties took office, they had to burn incense, worship, and take an oath in the Chenghuang Temple in order to protect the peace of the country. Generally speaking, the City God is not a fixed God, but will change according to different regions. However, the most influential City God is mainly Pang Yu, Zhou Xin, Huo Guang, Qin Yubo and Yang Jiaoshan. When Taoism is doing “transcendental” Dojo, it needs to issue “City God’s ultimatum” documents to inform the City God, so that the dead can be restrained to go to the altar for worship. In the Chenghuang Temple, in addition to the main worship of the City God, judges, ox heads, horse faces, black and white impermanence and other gods are also worshipped on both sides.
According to ancient legend, the God who guards the city is called the City God. It is the head of a city in the world of gods and ghosts. Its scope of authority is equivalent to that of a county official in the world. Taoism regards the City God as the God of “cutting evil and eliminating evil, protecting the country and protecting the country”. It says that it can respond to people’s request, rain in drought, clear in flood, and ensure abundant grain and abundant people. According to historical records, as early as the Three Kingdoms period, that is, in 239 ad, there was a Chenghuang Temple in Wuhu, but not in other places. Later, Chenghuang Temple gradually spread throughout the country. Although the City God is the God of Taoism, the emperors of the past dynasties have attached great importance to its role and have repeatedly granted it a seal. At the end of the later Tang Dynasty, Emperor Li Congke granted him king, and Emperor Wen Zong of the Yuan Dynasty granted him and his wife. The city god originally had no name. Since the Song Dynasty, many martyrs who died for their country have been granted the title of the City God. The history of the Song Dynasty ยท biography of Su Jian records that “Jian sacrificed his life in Yongzhou, and Jiaozhou people called him Su Cheng Huang.”
The City God belief is very popular in China. There are generally Chenghuang Temple in large and small cities all over the country (Note: some of them were seriously damaged during the Cultural Revolution).
In the folk, whether it is a wedding or a funeral, the people will go to the Chenghuang Temple to worship. Up to now, this belief still affects local folk customs and daily customs.
Do you know the difference between “City God” and “earth God”?
The earth God, also known as the earth God and the earth God. The image of the earth God is mostly a white haired old man wearing a robe and hat and leaning on crutches. They are plainly dressed, approachable and amiable. Generally, in the earth temple, in addition to worshipping the earth God, there is also the earth grandmother to accompany and share the incense of the world.
The land God has a relatively low status in the Taoist hierarchy, but it is very common in folk beliefs and popular all over the country. It can be said that as long as there are places where people gather, there are earth temples and earth gods.
According to records, as early as the Yin and Shang Dynasties, there were sacrifices to the earth. After the Han and Tang Dynasties, earth temples have spread all over the country.
In the Ming Dynasty, the earth God was more respected. According to legend, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was born in the earth temple. During this period, the earth temple was supported by the government and developed into towns, villages, streets and alleys in various regions.
The ancients believed that the God of land could protect the local people from natural disasters and the crops.
In the past dynasties, large-scale worship activities were held in the spring and autumn of each year, from the state to the princes, down to the government and the squires, which are called “spring worship” and “autumn worship”. Ordinary people will burn incense and make wishes in the earth temple as long as they need it to pray for the protection of the earth God.
It is said that the second day of February in the lunar calendar is the birthday of the earth Lord, and August 15 is his ascension day. The land God belongs to the local protective god in folk beliefs. In the Republic of China (1949) and before, there was a phenomenon of worshipping the land God in places where the Han people lived. In Chinese traditional culture, sacrificing the earth God means sacrificing the earth. In modern times, it mostly means praying for good fortune, ensuring peace and ensuring harvest. It embodies the good wishes of the Chinese working people to dispel evil spirits, avoid disasters and pray for good fortune.
The earth God, also known as the blessing God, the earth lord or the earth God, is a local protective god in the folk beliefs of the Han people and is popular all over the country. Unlike the City God, the land God’s management scope is generally considered to be at the same level as that of human villages and towns, and is a subordinate of the City God. Disclaimer: the above content originates from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author. If your original copyright is infringed, please inform us, and we will delete the relevant content as soon as possible.