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God of Fortune

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R0012525 (Medium)

Ladies and gentlemen, CHOI SEN arrives!

If Santa Claus is the more secular symbol of Christmas in the West, Choi Sen is the same for the Chinese New Year.  Choi Sen is a god of fortune in the Chinese folk worship.  “Choi Sen” should be put in plurals for there are the civilian (BI and FAN) and military (ZHAO and GUAN) gods of fortune, which is the case in China.  For Hong Kong and Taiwan, which are Chinese-dominated countries, people also take the god of land (TODI) as a god of fortune.  Actually, in Hong Kong, for reasons of practicality and simplicity, the god of fortune is a blend of all.

R0012590 (Large) Most non-religious Hongkongers still follow the tradition to receive the god of fortune at the Chinese New Year’s eve, giving a chance to adults and kids alike to make money.  Well, it is like the treat-or-trick visit in the Halloween.  These opportunists write the Chinese Characters “Choi Sen” on a tiny piece of red paper, and go from door to door.  Sometimes in pairs, they press the door bell while calling out, “Receive Choi Sen.”  The household should anwser the door, give money to the deliverers and receive the piece of red paper.

Of course, you may say “I’ve got Choi Sen already” to give an excuse to turn away the deliverers at your own risk of losing money for the year.

(A popular version of Choi Sen in HK
adorning the wall in homes and shops
during the Chinese New Year)

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