Tu Di Gong, also known as Tu Di or Tu Gong, is an indigenous earth god worshipped in East Asia, whose roots stem from China. A popular deity, he is worshipped by Chinese folk religion worshippers and Taoists. A formal name for Tu Di Gong is simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: F'ud'e zh`engsh'en, meaning the earth god of wealth and merit. In China, every village had a shrine to Tu Di Gong. It was this deity who was in charge of administering the affairs of a particular village. In traditional times, village concerns were primarily agricultural or weather-related. This god was not all-powerful, but was a modest heavenly bureaucrat to whom individual villagers could turn in times of drought or famine. Today, he is still worshipped by most Chinese, with many housing small shrines with his image, commonly located under the main altar, or below the house door. Many worships make prayers to him for wealth and their well being. He is also traditionally worshipped before the burial of deceased persons to thank him for using his land to return their bodies to the earth. Commoners often called Tu Di Gong "Grandpa," which reflects his close relationship to the common people. Tu Di Gong is portrayed as an elderly man with a long white beard, a black or gold hat and a red or yellow robe, which signifies his position as a bureaucrat. He carries a wooden staff in his right hand and a golden ingot on the left.
Keywords: threefold goddess earth body goddess grace death deity baba yaga grim reaper lunar deity goddess demeter philosophers stone wiccan rituals witchcraft history cool magic poetry testamentum
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