For Chinese New Year, Alice found a nice door for everyone. These photos were taken in a temple at Stanley. The two deities were the Door Gods...the military and the civil door gods. The one with a paler complexion is the civil door god (presumably because he is studying indoor)! The darker complexion one is the military door god (tanned from the outdoor activities)!
Chinese people like to put up images of door gods (must be in pair) to guard the home against evil spirits and bad luck. The gods' faces should thus face outward, and they must never be put back-to-back.
There are so many different portrayals of the door gods. They could be holding different weapons or wearing different armours. But the intention of putting up the door gods is the same: protection.
Now, this house is protected! May the new Year of Ox bring you good fortune and health. Kung Hey Fat Choy!
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11 years ago
1 comments:
Hi Alice, thanks for visiting. It's funny, the door to the orphanage where I lived as a little girl seemed gigantic to me then and now when I see it, it seems so unassuming.
I find the Chinese Door goods fascinating. What an interesting post!
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