The deities of Huaxia currently involved in this text
(1) Social Deity
The City God is a natural deity; wherever there are cities, there are temples dedicated to the City God
The City God, also a local guardian deity, serves as the protector of the city, overseeing the good and evil of the people and determining their fortunes and misfortunes, ensuring that neither the living nor the dead can escape judgment. The City God possesses a system for monitoring the underworld, tasked with eliminating malevolent forces and governing the souls of the deceased
In this world, the Earth God is assumed by those who possess virtue or by practitioners after their death. Every month on the 2nd and 16th, offerings must be made to the Earth God.
At the same time, the land deity possesses a certain power to regulate land production
As early as the Zhou Dynasty, after the harvest, on New Year's Eve, people would hold a sacrificial ceremony for the Eight Gods of the Earth and the God of Books. Among them, the seventh deity is the God of Water and City, where 'water' refers to the moats and 'city' refers to the city itself, thus the God of Water and City is the City God.
(2) Land Deity
In ancient times, after all beings died, their souls scattered. Seeing this, the Earth Mother felt compassion and thus transformed herself into the Six Realms to protect the souls. This is the origin of the Underworld, where she has always been revered as the goddess of supreme compassion, the highest deity governing the land and the realm of the dead
The responsibilities of the Land God: The Land God is a deity at the grassroots level, subordinate to the City God, responsible for the registration of deceased individuals in the locality, serving as an administrative deity of the underworld
The female deity who governs the mountains and rivers of the earth, the Earth Mother in Huaxia mythology, is the mother of all life on land and the supreme goddess of all land deities, possessing a divine status of imperial caliber
(4) Houtu
Popular in regions inhabited by the Huaxia ethnic group and in certain areas influenced by Huaxia culture
The deity of a household, usually an ancestral spirit, must be conferred by the land deity. It does not belong to the category of primary deities, yet serves as a preparatory class for them. Its function is to protect the safety of the household and to repel the intrusion of malevolent spirits
The City God is generally considered to be the superior deity of the Earth God. As cities are centers of economic activity, the City God can bless merchants with prosperous business dealings and ensure the safety of travelers and those on journeys. He possesses the abilities of the God of Wealth
The coverage of land deities in Asia is quite extensive, while the Americas also have a significant number of land deities, and Europe has the least
City God
The customs of the Huaxia ethnic group dictate that upon birth, each individual is registered with the local land deity—specifically, the corresponding land temple—similar to one's place of origin. Upon a person's death, during the ritual of transference, a memorial ceremony is held at the respective land temple. The family of the deceased will go to the land deity temple to report the deceased's name, date of birth, and other relevant information, seeking the land deity's guidance for the departed.
Also known as "Tudi Gong," he is one of the most commonly worshipped deities in folk beliefs. Every town and village has this god, and the area controlled by a land deity varies.
The Earth God is a local protective deity, and wherever there are communities of the Huaxia ethnic group, there exists an Earth God. Worshiping the Earth God is equivalent to worshiping the land, and in modern times, it primarily signifies prayers for blessings, safety, and bountiful harvests.
The Land God can bless agricultural harvests, ensure smooth business operations for merchants, guarantee safe travels for travelers, and even protect graves from disturbances by evil spirits. The Land God is a deity with a highly functional role, serving as the guardian of a specific village or locality
The Land God Temple, a place where the "Land God" is worshipped by the public, is one of the most widely distributed types of sacrificial buildings. These temples can be found throughout rural areas, covering an area that is not large. People visit the Land God Temple to burn incense on the first day and the fifteenth day of each lunar month
In the past, when burying the deceased and constructing graves, it was also necessary to establish a temple for the land deity in the burial area. Nowadays, more spirit towers are built. If someone in the family passes away, it is essential to report the death at the land temple. The elder of the village, holding a white lantern, leads the male descendants of the deceased, dressed in mourning attire, to the land deity temple to report the death. After cremation, the ashes are placed in the spirit tower.
During the Tang Dynasty, the belief in the City God had become quite widespread, and many literati and scholars composed poems and writings to honor the City God
Since the Three Kingdoms period, there have been City God Temples in the folk tradition, with the earliest recorded City God Temple established by Sun Quan in Wuhu, Anhui. By the Sui Dynasty, there was already a custom of sacrificing animals to the City God.