Will Chaoshan’s worship culture gradually become desolate after 2000? Why?
The etiquette and customs of burying the deceased originated from the "soul theory". Because people do not understand some physiological phenomena such as dreams, they think that after death, the soul will turn into a ghost.
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People believe that when a person is alive in the world, the possessed soul controls the person's life activities, but does not pose a threat to others or play a protective role. However, once a person dies, the ghost transformed by the soul has extraordinary abilities and functions. It can have a good or bad impact on relatives, friends or other people.
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In order to pray for ghosts, avoid disasters and seek blessings, people no longer dare to leave the remains indifferently. In this way, funeral customs came into being.
With the strengthening of people’s concept of kinship, funeral customs have become an important part of feudal ethics. It is also an important aspect to examine whether a person meets the standard of "filial piety" and how well he follows funeral customs. Because of this, funeral customs have received widespread attention among the people and have been passed down to this day. The same is true in Chaoshan.
1. Building a residence for life
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Influx people believe in "Feng Shui", and they often choose Feng Shui treasured places to "build a residence for life" before they die. The so-called "living residence" is a tomb built for the undead people.
Why do people need to build tombs before they die?
It is generally believed that the feng shui of a cemetery will be related to the happiness and disaster of a family's descendants. This is the so-called "wealth and official status are caused by burial; longevity is also caused by the graves." . Therefore, people are always very cautious when choosing "Feng Shui" and must invite a "Feng Shui Mr."
After the Feng Shui treasure land is selected, the construction of the "life residence" can be started. After the construction of the "life residence" is completed, the tombstone can be erected. Generally, the words on the inscriptions of a person's death are painted with green paint, while the words on the inscriptions of a person's residence are painted with red paint to show that the person has not yet died.
2. Pre-purchase coffins and shrouds
In addition to selecting a cemetery in advance, some also prepare coffins and shrouds in advance.
Coffins are usually made of fine, strong, high-quality woods such as catalpa, camphor, and cypress. The coffins used for folk funerals depend on the wealth of the family. The rich spend a lot of money on their coffins, which are exquisitely carved and painted with colors, and are extremely luxurious; the poor are simple and rough with thin boards and white coffins. The shroud must be made on a selected day, and after it is made, it must be stored separately and cannot be weighed down by other clothing. On the sixth day of June every year, you should take it out to bask in the sun to get rid of mold.