Questions about geography

End of life

After a person dies, the whole family mourns and moves the deceased to the coffin in front of the main room. Some funeral beds are made of ready-made wooden beds, some are built with door panels or reed foil on a bench, and some are temporarily built with adobe and covered with a sheet or mattress. The deceased's face was covered with yellow paper and his mouth contained copper coins (sometimes pearls and the like). An offering table is placed in front of the coffin bed, with a "corpse lamp" placed to prevent dogs and cats from coming in. Incense is burned and a memorial tablet is set up. A bowl of millet is provided with a pair of bamboo chopsticks on it, which is called "top rice". The children take turns guarding the deceased, which is called "waking up". Neighbors of the family help with funeral arrangements, post obituaries, and inform relatives. The leader of the funeral is called the "big boss." At the same time, we go to the Tutu Temple three times a day before breakfast, lunch, and dinner to "deliver pulp water." The pulp water is mostly mixed with raw water, flour, and millet, and is put in a pot. Some pots only contain clear water, which is also called pulp water. . Make paper carts and horses, and use black flour to bake "dog beating cakes" and "dog beating sticks", which means that the journey to the west is far away and there are vicious dogs blocking the way. Once you encounter vicious dogs, you can use sticks to beat them, and at the same time beat them. Throw the dog biscuits out to feed the dogs so they can escape. After that, there is "Guide the Way". The eldest son of the deceased stands on the bench, holds a pole in his hand, faces west and calls the deceased's name, and then says "Go to the west road to worship Buddha". He shouts four times in a row, burns paper carts and horses, and sends the deceased back to the west. ?

Condolences

Relatives and friends come to pay their respects on the day of the tomb opening and burial according to the date set in the obituary. There is a mourning shed and a memorial tablet set up in the courtyard. The filial son, dressed in linen and plain clothes, kowtows to express his gratitude to relatives, friends and neighbors who come to pay their respects. Generally, neighbors only pay for the funeral ceremony (in cash), which is called "paying favors". Dear relatives and friends first pay the libation ceremony, then place the sacrifice in front of the spirit, kneel down to the spirit, drink 3 cups of libation (4 cups in Zhangdian), and cry loudly, which is called "worship sacrifice".

Encoffining

When the deceased is placed in the coffin, it is called "encoffining". Coffins are commonly known as "longevity wood" and are mostly made of poplar, willow, elm, locust and other miscellaneous woods. Rich families use cypress wood. Some poor families only have a thin coffin and a reed mat. Before entering the coffin, incense and mattresses are spread inside the coffin, and then relatives of the deceased wipe the face of the deceased with cotton wool dipped in wine before entering the coffin. Place incense sticks, plant ashes and the deceased's loved ones beside the deceased, then close the coffin and seal it, and the burial is completed. After that, paper was burned and mourned three times a day. ?

Funeral

Usually funerals are held on the third or fifth day after the death, but some rich families also have funerals on the seventh, ninth or even the forty-ninth day. During this period, some invited monks and Taoists to set up altars to perform Buddhist services and chant sutras for salvation. If there is a spouse of the deceased who has died before him, the funeral director must hold a funeral ceremony for his/her body on the night before the funeral.

Funeral burials generally include the following procedures: burning the kang (also called tomb warming), raising spirits, sending funerals, roadside sacrifices, and burial in tombs. Before the spirit is raised (the day before the spirit is raised in Linzi), relatives of the deceased (mostly female relatives) usually go to the tomb to light a fire, which is called "burning kang". In Boshan and Linzi, they often set up fire and fry pancakes in the tomb to make a meal. "Warm the tomb". Linzi still has the habit of eating a meal of dumplings in the memorial shed before the funeral, which is called "reunion dinner", and filling the "food offering jar" while eating. Afterwards, the rice bowl in front of the soul was knocked away, and more than ten people carried the coffin to lift up the soul. The eldest son carried the coffin and laid the tiles. At this time, family members and friends followed the soul in tears and paid homage to the soul outside the door. During the funeral, the eldest son or grandson plays white flags, while the nephew plays flower flags and leads the coffin to the tomb first. The female filial piety usually sits behind the coffin and weeps instead of following the coffin to the tomb. The funeral procession has to stop at the end of the village (street) for a road festival. Tables, chairs and offerings are set up in front of the spirit, and relatives and friends pay their respects one by one. After the coffin arrives at the cemetery, the elegiac couplets are first burned and tied up (Linzi residents also put "food offering jars" into the grave). After the Xiao family inspects the tomb, they can bury the coffin and fill it with soil, and put flags and banners (some also put straw) in the coffin. On the top of the tomb, a new tomb was built. When returning, each Xiao family will share a portion of chopped steamed buns, tofu and other items. ?

Thank you guests

At dawn the next day after the funeral, the children and grandchildren of the deceased wear mourning clothes and go to the mourner's home to express their gratitude. They usually just shout "Thank you" in front of the door. When the host hears it, they can echo " "hear" means knowing the ritual.

Sacrifice

On the third day after the funeral (sometimes on the second day), relatives of the deceased wear mourning clothes and go to the cemetery to offer sacrifices. They circle the grave three times, scatter grains, and add new soil. , called "round grave".

The thirty-fifth day after a person's death is called "Wu Qi" and the 100 days are called "Hundred Days". At that time, the filial family will go to the grave to offer sacrifices. Usually, when doing "Wu Qi" and "Hundred Days" graves, the former is advanced. The latter is postponed, which is called "a hundred days long and a short five-seven". Zhoucun usually goes to the graves in the middle of the night to offer sacrifices. When going to the "Wu Qi Tomb", relatives of the deceased should bring paper bundles and offerings such as gold and silver mountains, money trees, and cornucopias to offer sacrifices.

Keep taking it

It is also called eating and taking it. After the burial, the family members of the deceased should wear mourning clothes and observe mourning, which is called "holding the clothes". The service period is three years for children and one year for nephews and grandnephews. During this period, children generally do not have haircuts and do not care about worldly affairs.

In the 1930s and 1940s, some village communities generally established "old people's associations" (also called "filial piety hat associations", "shelf associations", etc.). Anyone with an elderly person in their family can join. When there is a funeral, members raise funds to help each other. Those who have money will contribute money, and those who have no money will provide help. When every family of members has experienced a funeral, the organization will be dissolved. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the old people's association organization quickly disappeared. The old funeral ceremonies have also been gradually reformed, and things with feudal superstitions such as setting up altars to pray, delivering water, and giving directions have been basically eradicated. In the event of a funeral, the deceased is simply put in a shroud, placed in a coffin, and buried. Relatives and friends send funeral rites, kowtow to worship, and send him to the cemetery for burial. He wears mourning clothes and observes mourning. After the 1960s, except for the Hui people, the cremation system began to be implemented in urban and rural areas, and urn storage rooms were established. Relatives wore black veils or mourning badges, and neighbors sent wreaths and pulled curtains to express their condolences. However, many families in rural areas still bury the ashes. The "three-day", "five-seven" and "hundred-day" sacrifices are still retained to express grief.

Funeral

1. Farewell When an elderly person is dying, his children and other immediate family members will stay by his side and listen to his last words until the death of the relative. This is called "sentence" in custom. Farewell is a big event. Being able to bid farewell to the elderly shows that one's children have fulfilled their final filial piety. Failing to bid farewell to the elderly often becomes a major regret in people's lives. Whether or not there are children to see the deceased to death and whether all of the children are present to see him to death is another criterion for determining whether an elderly person is blessed. When an old man is in danger, his family will move him from his bedroom to a temporary plank bed in the main courtyard. In poorer places, the plank bed is made of temporarily removed door panels. Because folk custom believes that if a person dies in bed. The soul will be hung in the bed and cannot be transcended. In some places, whether the deceased old man died on the bed is regarded as whether the children have fulfilled the standard of filial piety. If the old man dies on the bed, the children will often be criticized. For those who died young, although their families would not move them into the main courtyard, they would move them to the ground in front of their beds. If there are elders above the deceased, they will not be moved into the main court when they die. In many places, after a person dies, family members will burn paper money, which is called "burning the first paper". In some places, it is more clear, and it is called "burning the first paper". In addition, people also set off firecrackers, firstly to indicate that the deceased has returned to the west, and secondly to announce the funeral to neighbors. After a person dies, the family members must gather around the deceased to mourn. While the person is still alive, crying is prohibited.

2. Announcement of death: After the deceased passes away, family members should send out funeral notices to relatives and friends as soon as possible, or visit the door to announce the death. For relatives and friends far away, they should inform them of the date of hanging and burial. The filial son who announces the funeral must wear filial piety clothes and a filial hat. When arriving at other people's homes, they are not allowed to enter. When someone comes to greet them, they must kowtow, no matter how old or young they are.

3. Encoffining: Before the deceased is placed in the coffin, he must undergo plastic surgery, such as shaving his head, shaving his face, changing his body and body scrub, wearing a shroud, etc., and then covering his face with white silk (paper money is also used in some places). According to folk custom, the deceased should not be given leather clothes and leather trousers, otherwise the deceased will be reincarnated as an animal; when dressing the deceased, do not drop tears on the deceased, otherwise you will not be able to see the deceased in dreams in the future. Some places require that the deceased be equipped with a wooden comb and a mirror. Within twenty-four hours after the death of the deceased, a designated person must choose a good time to formally move the body into the coffin. When entering the coffin, the deceased is usually with his head facing in and feet facing out.

4. Keeping the shop. From the time the deceased person dies to the time when the old man is officially placed in the coffin, the deceased’s family members must take turns guarding the deceased’s shop day and night to show their filial piety, which is called “keeping the shop”. After the deceased is placed in the coffin, the family members guard and sleep beside the coffin, which is called "wake-up" or "trapped in the coffin".

5. Coffin placement: Because it is necessary to choose an auspicious day and an auspicious place to bury the deceased, the deceased may be buried at home, which is called "coffin placement" or "coffin suspension".

The custom of "laying the coffin" was common in ancient times. It usually lasted for seven days, and some even kept the coffin for more than ten days or several months. Nowadays, it is not common. Even if the coffin is left, the time is not long.

6. Mourning: Mourning means that the descendants of the deceased’s family begin mourning when the deceased died. Men do not wear gorgeous clothes and wear straw sandals (not common now); women have to take off their decorations and colorful clothes. Men and women wear mourning clothes and religious hats according to their relationship with the deceased. During the mourning period (usually one month or a hundred days), a filial son cannot have a haircut, have sex, meet relatives and friends, attend banquets, or enter temples, etc. Especially before burial, these customs must be strictly observed, otherwise it will be unlucky.

7. Condolences are an important part of funeral customs, and the methods of condolence vary according to local customs. When expressing condolences, the etiquette and methods of expressing condolences vary depending on the distance of the relationship with the deceased. After receiving the news, the deceased's children should first mourn, then ask about the cause of death, and make every effort to go to the funeral as soon as possible. When you come home, you should "look at your hometown and cry." Some married daughters even cry all the way. After arriving home, you should first kneel down in front of the spirit and cry in mourning. You should not stop until someone comforts you. Relatives, friends, and neighbors may not be as sad as the filial son, but they should try to appear more sad. When relatives and friends come to express their condolences, a filial son should protect the motherland to pick them up and accompany them. Relatives and friends who are relatively close usually have to mourn formally in front of the soul until someone comforts them. If you are not a close relative or friend, you can burn a few pieces of paper money in front of the deceased. When relatives and friends go to express their condolences, they usually bring gifts or cash. The gift money is sealed with yellow and blue signatures, and on the blue signature in the middle, write "off offering × yuan". The words "Dian Jing × Yuan". Gifts include plaques, elegiac couplets, curtains, incense candles, paper money, etc.

8. Pick three Pick three is also called "welcome three" and "send three". Folk custom believes that after three days after a person's death, his soul will officially go to the underworld, or be greeted by gods, Buddhas, or messengers from gods and Buddhas. Not everyone can enter heaven after death, but if three days after the death of the deceased, when the soul leaves, he invites monks to recite sutras and repent for him or set off flames to save evil ghosts, the deceased can atone for his sins and accumulate merit and enter heaven. . Relative to God, it is to welcome the souls of the deceased into heaven; relative to relatives and friends of the deceased, it is to send the souls of the deceased into heaven. Therefore, this ceremony is called "Welcome Three", also called "Send Three". When delivering the deceased, some carriages and horses should be tied up with paper for the deceased to use when he goes on the road. Setting off flames is the most important custom in Jie San Middle School. It is said that Yankou is a hungry ghost, suffering in hell. Folks hold ceremonies and place the Three Treasures, namely Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, so that hungry ghosts can be saved and escape from the sea of ​​suffering. There is a Buddhist "Yoga Flame Mouth" for flame mouth, which is more commonly used. There is also the Taoist "Crock Jar Flame Mouth". During the funeral ceremony, there are also dojos. Its function is similar to that of setting off flames. This kind of dojo is often done by monks and Taoist priests together.

9. Funeral. Funeral is also called "going out of the mountain". Before the funeral, you must first ask Mr. Yin and Yang to choose an auspicious day and time, which is called "kaibanbang". Before the funeral, one must first say goodbye. The "stuffing jar" is first put into the porcelain jar, and the food for the last memorial ceremony is put into the porcelain jar. During the funeral, it is held by the eldest daughter-in-law and finally buried in front of the coffin. Then there is "sweeping the coffin", that is, lifting the coffin head, the filial son puts some copper coins under the coffin, and then uses a new broom and dustpan to sweep away the loose soil on the coffin lid, and pours it under the kang mat, which means "bringing money to get an official position" . The procedure of the funeral is: first turn the coffin, move the coffin out of the door, then lift the head of the coffin, prepare the sacrificial mouth, the ceremony will be presided over by the ceremony, and the mourner will kneel down and worship. After the ceremony has read the sacrificial text, the monk will guide the filial man. The woman "twirled the coffin" and walked around the coffin three times, then tied the coffin with ropes and closed the lid. The coffin-carrying is about to start, and the funeral procession must be prepared. Generally, the eldest son holds a flag in front, the second son holds a memorial tablet, the filial relatives below the second son hold a "mourning stick" wrapped in white paper, and the eldest daughter-in-law holds a "stuffing can" ". After preparations are complete, the gong can be raised. Along with the gong, there are two etiquettes: one is to dismantle the pillow used by the deceased and burn the buckwheat husks and pillowcases inside; the other is to " "Break the basin", that is, smash the clay basin used for offering sacrifices and burning paper in front of the spirit. This basin is called "Yin Yang basin", commonly known as "mourning basin", but it is also called "auspicious basin".

This ceremony is very important. The person who breaks the pot is usually the eldest son or grandson of the deceased, who is a very close relationship. If there are no children or grandchildren, and someone else has to break the pot, this ritual will change the relationship between the person who throws the pot and the deceased. Get closer and even establish property inheritance relationships. When breaking a basin, it is important to break it once, and the more broken it is, the better, because according to custom, this basin is the pot of the deceased, and the more broken it is, the easier it is for the deceased to carry it. As soon as the earthen basin fell, the pole bearer lifted up the pole and the funeral was officially carried out. A funeral procession followed. The order of the funeral is generally: grass dragon - inscription flag - filial piety lamp - auspicious lamp - release cage - inscription banner - incense pavilion - image pavilion - soul sedan chair - paper bridge - band - coffin --The bereaved family--the monks and Taoists--the golden boy and the beautiful girl--the funeral of relatives and friends. Of course, customs vary from place to place, and the queues and forms of funerals also vary. The rituals of wealthy families are grand and elaborate, and the funeral utensils are complete, while the funerals of poor families may be much simpler and less elaborate. There are several rituals on the traditional funeral route. Such as raising paper money, setting up a tea table as a road festival, etc. Raising paper money is to scatter paper money made of white paper that looks like copper coins. It is usually thrown by a special person in front of the filial son. After setting up the pole, paper money must be scattered when there are road sacrifices, when passing crossroads, riversides, bridges, temples, city gates, and during burials. Tea tables and road memorial tents are mostly decorated for relatives and friends of the bereaved family to express condolences and condolences to the bereaved family. The tea table is for filial sons and relatives and friends to drink water, and filial sons have to run down and kowtow their thanks. Road sacrifices refer to setting up altars or tents along the route of the funeral procession to pay homage to the souls of the deceased. When there is a road sacrifice, the funeral procession usually stops at the coffin to pay homage and express gratitude. After the memorial service is completed, the coffin is lifted and the procession continues.

10. After the burial arrives at the cemetery, the tomb is tidied up again, and the buried food jars and everlasting lamps are placed in the niches on the walls of the tomb. The footprints are swept away, and then the coffin is slowly lowered, and Mr. Yin and Yang A compass is used to correct the direction, and the mourner shovels earth to cover the coffin and piles earth into a grave.

11. Bereavement During the period of time after the death of a loved one, it is necessary to exercise restraint in many aspects of life to express condolences and longing for the loved one. This is mourning. The etiquette of mourning is more stringent for filial sons. In ancient times, a filial son had to stay in mourning for three years. Why three years? Because according to custom, a child will not leave his mother's arms for three years after birth. Therefore, after the death of his parents, a filial son should mourn for three years as a reward. There will be many small rituals during the three years. The rituals are numerous and strict. In modern times, people's life pace is accelerated and their work is busy, but some people still have to mourn, but it is much shorter than in ancient times.

Traditional funeral rituals have become increasingly popular in people’s minds, and many of the old funeral rituals are no longer followed. However, the death of the elderly will continue. As a major event in the family, funerals must also have certain etiquette. So what are the new funeral rituals? New funerals generally have the following procedures:

1. Relocation Corpse: If the old man is confirmed to have died, his body can be moved to the hall or mourning hall. Generally, firecrackers are set off and incense and candles are lit.

2. Funeral notification: After the death of a loved one, the family of the deceased should notify relatives and friends through various channels as soon as possible. The notification method can be telegram, phone call, obituary or in person.

3. Plastic surgery: scrub the body of the deceased, comb the hair, put on neater clothes, and move the deceased into the coffin.

4. Obituary: Use the form of obituary to inform relatives, friends and neighbors.

5. Hold a memorial service. Memorial services are usually held in the mourning hall set up by the bereaved family. First of all, the mourning hall must be decorated: the mourning hall must be solemn and solemn, and a "flower card" should be embossed on the wall directly behind it, usually with dark green as the background color and yellow flower patterns. Place the coffin table in front of the flower card, place the portrait of the deceased in the center behind the coffin table, and place yellow flowers around it. Plain flowers can be placed on the coffin table, and the coffin tablet is placed in the middle. A black or blue banner is hung in the center of the venue, with the words "×××Memorial Service" written in black and white on white paper. The elegiac couplets of the filial piety family are hung on the flower plate directly behind the portrait, and the exchange couplets and curtains given by guests can be hung on the walls on both sides of the mourning hall. Wreaths and flower baskets are placed on both sides of the door inside the house. Long tables can be placed on the left and right sides of the mourning hall, equipped with seats and tables, and tea can be rotated to prepare the mourners for rest. There are two long tables on both sides of the mourning hall door, one for receiving gifts and one for signing signatures.

The memorial service is usually held in the original mourning hall, or another venue can be found. The urn of the deceased should be placed on the table in the middle of the mourning hall. If the body has not been cremated, it can be placed in the middle of the mourning hall. At a memorial service, relatives generally stand on the left, with the main relatives in the front row, and the mourners stand in the middle, facing the portrait or body of the deceased. The host stood on the left side of the front row, turning sideways, half facing the family of the deceased and half facing the mourners.

The ceremony of the memorial service is roughly as follows:

①Welcome relatives, friends and guests at the entrance of the venue, and issue white flowers and black veils. The greeters are usually relatives and friends entrusted by the bereaved family.

② Announce the start of the memorial service and play mourning music.

③Read the eulogy.

④The guest delivers a farewell speech or speech, and reads out a message or letter of condolence.

⑤Everyone walked around the body to say goodbye.

⑥Condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

⑦The memorial service is over.

Condolers should pay attention to their dress and conversation. They should not wear red or green, or wear heavy makeup. They should not gather in groups, whisper, or look around carelessly. When saluting, their movements should be sincere and natural. 6. Mourning Clothes Nowadays, it is advocated not to wear white clothes for funerals, but to wear a black cloth on the left arm with the word "filial piety" written on it, indicating that the old man has passed away and that one is in mourning. It also expresses mourning for the deceased. Generally, when a memorial meeting is held after the death of a leading cadre of a party or government agency, the comrades present will also wear a black cloth on their left arm to express condolences for the deceased, but do not write the word "jiao". Finally, it should be emphasized that cremation is now strongly promoted, so there are some changes to some traditional funeral rituals.

Nowadays, all the rules are not too particular, but during the funeral process, the coffin must not touch the ground. If this happens, it is a big deal! The host family will be angry, and if it is serious, it will A violent incident occurred!

As you said, the coffin hit the ground and the person couldn't get up immediately! I personally think it's too suspenseful! But I didn't see it with my own eyes, so I don't dare to judge!