The rural areas of northwest Hubei province have a folk custom of meeting the God of Wealth on the eve of the New Year.

Folk customs of northwest Hubei -- meeting the God of Wealth

The ritual of meeting the God of Wealth starts after the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. The door is open and an altar is set in the courtyard. Candles are kindled on the table and firecrackers are set off. The head of the family worships on bent knees to greet the God of Wealth into the house.

The woman of the house will ask, "Have you greeted the God of Wealth?" The head of the family should answer immediately, "Yes, I have. We have the God of Wealth with us!" At this moment, a man must carry a bundle of firewood from outdoors. The woman of the house will ask, "Have you carried firewood (a homophone of ‘wealth') with you?" The firewood carrier should happily reply, "Yes, I have!"

The youngest child must lie under their quilt in advance. The head of the family will ask, "Has the kid (a homophone of ‘easy life of a small family') got up?" The child should instantly sit up under the quilt, replying aloud, "Yes, the kid has got up!"

The woman of the house will then begin to cook stuffed dumplings for New Year's Eve to greet the God of Wealth. She will cook a few dumplings that are broken on purpose. The head of the family will ask, "Have you earned it?" The woman should answer, "Yes, I've earned it!" A homophone of "earning money", cooking dumplings broken betokens good omens. The family will then set the table and sit around it to enjoy the New Year's Eve with plates of dumplings.