The twenty-second day of the seventh lunar month brings the traditional God of Wealth Festival, which is also kept as the birthday of the god who brings added fortune. It carries a straightforward hope for a prosperous and settled life.
In folk custom, businesses use the day to wish for good trade, and households wish for a harmonious home with enough to go around. Across much of northern China the custom is to eat dumplings, which are shaped like the old gold ingots and stand for drawing wealth in. A family sits down together to an ordinary meal, and that is the whole ceremony.
Welcoming the God of Wealth is not only about asking for money to arrive. It carries a belief in doing right and working hard. The best fortune anyone gets tends to come from steady, practical effort. Keeping goodwill and working patiently is where wealth and good fortune actually come from.
On this day we wish you comfortable means and work that goes smoothly, a family in good health, and years that bring you what you hope for.
