Common knowledge about funeral culture

1. What are the traditional funeral customs in China

Ceremony 1. Mortuary ceremony: He was moved to the funeral bed in the bright room of the main room, under the protection of relatives Spending the last moments of your life is called "mourning".

2. Funeral ceremony: The funeral ceremony can be said to be the first ritual after death. It uses signaling to inform relatives, friends and villagers of the death. 3. Soul-calling and soul-sending rituals: The soul who died in a foreign country cannot find its way back. Unless his family "calls the soul" for him and makes him hear the voice that is looking forward to him, he can follow the voice and return.

4. Doing the 'Seven' ceremony: People believe that people do not know that they are dead until seven days after death, so "doing the Seven" is held, and there is a sacrifice every seven days, and "Seven Seven" is forty-nine. Genius over. This is mainly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism.

5. Condolence ceremony: Generally, mourners carry clothes and quilts given to the deceased, and use pins to hang a note with the words "To so and so" written in a brush on it. 6. Condolence ceremony: Encoffinment There are "big Lian" and "small Lian". Xiaolian refers to dressing the deceased, and "big coffin" refers to collecting the corpse into the coffin. It is commonly known as "gui big house" among the Han people.

7. Mourning ceremony: In the funeral ceremony, the younger generation wears mourning clothes for the elders mainly to express filial piety and condolences. This originally came from Zhou Rites and was a Confucian etiquette system. Later, it was extended to mean "exoneration" for the deceased.

8. Funeral day ceremony: According to superstition, if a person dies on a strong day, he should be buried on a soft day; if a person dies on a soft day, he should be buried on a strong day. The strong and soft days should cooperate. Good job 9. Crying ceremony: Crying is a major feature of Chinese funeral customs. The mourning ceremony runs throughout the funeral ceremony, and there are as many as several large scenes.

The crying ceremony during the funeral is the most important. 10. Burial ceremony: This is the last moment of the deceased's stay in the world, and it is usually very solemn.

When editing this paragraph, please pay attention to the original grave, seven-day burning, hundred-day burning, burning anniversary, and third-year burning anniversary. Analysis 1: Since ancient times, Chinese funeral customs include: the custom of leaving the original grave three days from the funeral date, that is: in Those who are buried in the cemetery need to go to the cemetery and go through the procedures of placing beams, placing offerings, offering incense, stepping on the yard, and burning paper. (If the urn is stored in the funeral parlor, only offerings, incense and paper are placed.)

2: From the day of death, paper should be burned every seven days. Burn it seven times, pass through the seven halls, and wait for seven to seven. Forty-nine days, this is burning seven (also called: doing seven) Or commit seven). At present, the number seven is often changed to four times, namely: one seven (replaced by the three-day original tomb), three seven, five seven, seven seven, (now only the odd number is burned, and the big seven is burned).

According to funeral customs, the first and seventh burns are mainly the sons of the deceased, which are called: head and tail; the third seven are mainly the deceased's daughter-in-law; the fifth seven are mainly the deceased's daughter. . (Burn five pots of paper flowers).

According to funeral customs, burn seven (do seven). There is something special that needs to be mentioned is Guilin Seven.

What is guilty of seven? It is calculated from the date of death based on the lunar calendar. If the seventh day coincides with the seventh, seventeenth, and twenty-seventh days of the lunar month, it is called a seven. For example, if the third seven coincides with these days, it is a three seven. There is a saying: "If the dead do not commit seven, the living will have nothing to eat." This means that committing seven is beneficial to the living, but the dead will suffer because of it. Therefore, in this situation, the living need to help the dead. To eliminate disasters and provide disaster relief, it is necessary to visit the graves and shower the dead with water.

Taking Shanxi as an example, the specific method is: use hemp paper to cut paper figures, the number of which is three more than the life span of the deceased, tie them on the grain pole, and cut an umbrella and one Build a ladder, a bridge. Make these paper figures in a circle and stick them to the grave, with umbrellas, ladders and bridges in the middle. Then pour water into a ladle filled with walnuts and dates to drench the paper figures, and devoutly recite various words to remind the deceased, such as hiding from the deceased. It rained, we crossed a bridge, it thundered, etc.

3: The significance of burning for a hundred days, burning for one anniversary, and burning for three years: After a person dies in the underworld, there will be ten royal officials (prosecutors of the underworld) and four judges. Their duties are: to interrogate the deceased on the basis of their deeds during their lifetime, whether good or bad, good or bad. There are ten royal officials in the country who are in charge of the ten palaces. They must first go through the first seven palaces: the first palace is Qin Guang. King Ming of Chujiang in the second palace, King Ming of Song Dynasty in the third palace, King Ming of Wuguan in the fourth palace, Emperor Yama in the fifth palace, King Ming of Biancheng in the sixth palace, King Ming of Taishan in the seventh palace, children burning seven, I hope their parents are in the underworld. If you can be safe and comfortable, your life will be smooth.

Do seven worships to King Ming to investigate the deeds of "Shan Xi" during his lifetime. After forty-nine days, he will be transferred to the Yincao Court for four trials. Every ten days is one ten day, and he will be interrogated once: first trial, (first ten days, fifty-ninth day) Cui Judge Shi; the second trial, (twenty tenth day, sixty-ninth day) Judge Li; the third trial, (thirtieth day, seventy-ninth day) Judge Han; the fourth trial, (fourth tenth day, eighty-nine days) Yang Judge: In another ten days, there will be ninety-nine days of burning and one hundred days (called short hundred days, long anniversary), and we will worship again. In the eighth hall, Pingzheng Mingwang will pray on the first anniversary of burning, and in the ninth palace, City Mingwang will worship on the third anniversary of burning. Queen Chakravartin decides how to be reincarnated into the next life.

2. What are the funeral etiquettes in China?

What are the funeral etiquettes in China?

1. Notify relatives and friends

If there are any family members of the deceased In his absence, the first thing those present should do is notify the family of the deceased. And notify one or two capable friends who are close to the deceased. Family members and close friends of the deceased should notify close relatives by telephone, even if they live far away. However, if the cost of calling is too expensive, friends and distant relatives can notify by telex.

2. Death certificate

The death certificate should be completed by the doctor responsible for caring for the deceased. If the death is sudden or unexpected, or if there is no doctor present at the time of death for some reason, a public doctor should conduct an examination to determine the cause of death and fill out a death certificate. This procedure must be completed immediately, as everything else cannot begin until the death certificate has been issued.

3. Publish an obituary

An obituary is a notice or document used by the funeral committee organized by the deceased's unit or when family members report the funeral to relatives, friends or relevant units. Obituaries usually include the title of the deceased, time of death, names of immediate family members, funeral time and place, etc.

4. Burial Clothing

The person responsible for arranging the funeral should, with the assistance of the family of the deceased, prepare the clothes for the deceased to wear. There are no strict requirements for burial clothes. It is stipulated that you can wear the clothes that the deceased liked during his lifetime, or the clothes that the deceased wore on formal occasions during his lifetime. Young women often wear white clothes when they die, while children wear school uniforms. The wedding ring is usually buried with the deceased, while other jewelry is removed. Nowadays, everyone is accustomed to holding condolence ceremonies and memorial services in funeral homes. The family members of the deceased often meet here to pay their respects to friends.

5. Send and send wreaths

People attending condolences and memorial services can send wreaths to express their condolences, and wreaths are usually sent to the funeral home. The family of the deceased can ask a person to be responsible for wreath-related matters and record the name and organization of the person who sent the wreath so that they can express their gratitude in the future. If the obituary already states "Wreaths with Confessions", do not send wreaths. In addition, it is also meaningful to give flowers to close friends who have lost their loved ones. Frequently sending flowers after a funeral will help the bereaved feel comforted by your lasting sympathy.

6. Condolences

Most modern funeral condolence ceremonies are held in funeral homes. The family members of the deceased also receive condolences from relatives and friends at the funeral home. In this case, the person presiding over the funeral should announce the time when the family members arrive at the funeral home to receive condolences from relatives and friends when publishing the obituary. At other times, when people want to go to express condolences but feel that their relationship with the bereaved family is not close enough to inconveniently disturb them, they can go to the reception room of the funeral home, sign on the pre-prepared signature book, and then leave.

7. Memorial service and its ceremony

Regardless of city or village, regardless of work unit or family, when a person dies, holding a memorial service to express grief is a common practice that people should advocate now. A new type of funeral. Holding a memorial service not only commemorates the deceased, but also reflects social civilization, and is gradually accepted by people.

8. Farewell Ceremony

In recent years, except for those extremely accomplished celebrities and scholars who hold memorial services to express their condolences to the deceased, most people only perform farewell ceremonies after their death. ceremony.

9. Funeral

All family members of the deceased should attend the funeral as soon as they know the funeral time. If the obituary states "family memorial", the friends of the deceased do not need to attend the funeral. Unless otherwise notified by the family of the deceased requesting that they attend the funeral. If the obituary mentions the time and place of the funeral, it can be considered a formal invitation to attend the funeral. Whether you want to participate or not is up to you. Of course, if you are a frequent visitor to the deceased's home or a close friend of the deceased's family, it would be considered heartless not to attend the funeral.

10. Ceremony of placing ashes

The ceremony of placing the urn is usually carried out in the cemetery. Cemeteries usually have tombstones. The front of the tombstone is engraved with the name of the person in the tomb, the person who erected the tombstone, and the time when the tombstone was erected. There is no inscription on the back of the monument. Relatives of the deceased stand in front of the tomb, and the mourners (children of the person in the tomb) hold the urn and slowly put it into the tomb. Then seal the cave and cap the roof. After sealing the grave, the relatives in front of the tombstone presented wreaths, fresh fruits, and saluted in condolences.

11. Wear mourning

my country's traditional mourning dress etiquette is relatively complicated, and it emphasizes "wearing a white belt to mourn". Different relatives and friends wear different mourning clothes, and the wearing period varies. Nowadays, funeral ceremonies and mourning attire have been greatly simplified. Most people try their best to grieve as little as possible and avoid letting their sadness affect others. Wearing mourning clothes can easily remind people of the past. Moreover, wearing mourning clothes often hinders the wearer from living a normal life.

3. Ancient funeral customs

The entire funeral process is a dialogue between the living and the dead. There is a strong knot between the two - remembering ancestors and cherishing relatives.

Ancient Chinese funeral customs: 1. Before taking his last breath during the mortuary ceremony, relatives should move him to the bier in the bright room of the main house to protect him during the last moments of his life. This is called "Quite sad". At the moment of death, the deceased must wear a shroud.

The shroud must be of a traditional style. Even if dynasties change and times change, the traditional costumes of the nation are no longer worn. On the day of death, the original costume must be restored. 2. Bathing and dressing Before the patient dies, his family members must bathe and change him.

This was actually the first cosmetic surgery performed on a deceased person. The front and back of clothes, like the odd and even numbers of clothing, are the last dressing ceremony held by people in the "change" of life where life and death, yin and yang hand over.

This custom, known as "counter-decoration", is to change the style of the deceased's shroud so that his soul will not be able to stay in the mortal world. At the same time, it also means that the world of yin and yang is reversed anyway, because in people's minds, people in the yin and yang world also view things completely upside down.

The shroud has become a code for the soul in people’s soul concept. 3. Buy water. The water used to wash the corpse is usually bought, commonly known as "buying water".

It is a ritual that can exist independently, a transformation ritual that turns "yang water" into "yin water". The money used to buy water is mainly yin money: burning incense and turning into paper, that is, paper money.

This kind of money has value only in the underworld and can only be enjoyed by the soul, while in the human world it is just a pile of waste paper. The purpose of "buying water" to bathe the dead is not only to "wash away the sins of the deceased with water and eliminate the sins committed by the deceased during his lifetime", but also to let the soul of the deceased know that this is not bathing the living, but It is to allow the deceased to reach the underworld cleanly and be accepted by the ancestors.

4. Leading the spirit After bathing and changing clothes of the deceased, relatives should immediately move the body to the funeral bed. At the same time, some rituals must be taken to lead the soul of the deceased to the funeral bed.

The custom in Linyi, Shandong Province is to use a white cloth to drape it from a beam, then use a white rooster to drag it on the hospital bed a few times, and then pass the white cloth from the beam to the outer room next to the deceased. Walking around in a circle and then killing the rooster is called "soul-inducing". 5. Containing rice. According to the old rules, after the ceremony of bathing and changing clothes, a ceremony of containing rice is also held.

Rice inclusion refers to putting things such as rice clams, corn clams and rice in the mouth of the deceased. This is to prevent the deceased from going to the underworld to suffer with an empty mouth and hungry stomach, and become a starving ghost.

6. Funeral Ceremony After the coffin has been suspended for a period of time and everything is ready, it is time to choose a day to announce the funeral. Funeral announcement can be said to be the first ritual after death.

The funeral ceremony had already been formed as early as the Zhou Dynasty. It uses signaling to tell relatives, friends and villagers the news of someone's death. Even relatives and friends who already know the news have to go there to report the funeral as usual.

In the old days, funeral obituaries in Beijing were relatively strict. After a person dies, relatives must tell the news to relatives and friends.

Obituaries for funerals generally only include the official title and rank of the deceased, but do not include the deceased’s resume and life story.

For example, "The sin of being unfilial to so-and-so is serious, and he will not perish on his own. The misfortune will be delayed. A certain doctor, the king of his palace, died in pain on a certain year, month, day, and hour. He was born on a certain year, month, day, and lived for a certain number of years." , unfilial so-and-so is waiting by your side, personally watching the burial, and obeying the etiquette. I would like to choose to be buried on a certain year, month and day, and pay tribute to my hometown, school, family, Yin, relatives, friendship, and decline this obituary.

< p> On a certain day, I will recite scriptures on a certain day. "Finally, at the end of the obituary, you should write something like "The orphan so-and-so wept with blood."

7. Soul-calling and soul-sending ceremony After the corpse of the deceased has been arranged, a soul-calling ceremony will be held. It is said that the soul of a guest who dies in a foreign land cannot find a way home.

This soul will stay in a foreign land like his corpse, suffering endless misery. Nor can he enjoy the offerings of cigarettes, the offerings of food, and the salvation of scriptures.

This lonely soul will become the most miserable hungry ghost, forever reincarnated in a different place, wandering for a long time, without any hope of reincarnation. Unless his family "calls the spirit" for him and makes him hear the voice that is looking forward to him, he can follow the voice and return.

A suitable day must be chosen for the soul-calling ceremony. On that day, the bereaved family will set up soul-calling flags or hang soul silk in front of the door.

In some places, relatives even go to the rooftops to call for the souls of the deceased to come home. It is said that this is a legacy of the Manchus and other nomadic peoples. On the grassland, if you see a big flag erected in front of a tent, you will know which family has died, and everyone will come to express their condolences and help with the funeral arrangements.

8. Guidance After death, the soul will of course leave the body. But where do we go from here in the vast underworld? So the next step is for a living person to "show the way" to him.

"Guiding the way" means guiding ghosts on the way to heaven. In the world of the dead in some northern religions, the "return" of the dead requires the help and guidance of wizards.

First of all, go up one path and continue walking forward. There will be many forked paths. These are paths set up according to the different genders of the deceased. The souls of the dead walked on the road of their clan and had to cross a river where there were many bones.

In this way, it is said that the river can be crossed safely. Soul-calling and soul-sending rituals reflect people's two contradictory folk mentality.

On the one hand, we hope that the soul of the deceased will come back to life, and on the other hand, we want to tell the soul of the deceased to leave quickly. 9. Perform the "Seven" Ceremony. According to ancient funeral customs, the coffin must remain dormant for at least three days.

It is said that it is the hope that the dead will come back to life. If he couldn't be revived after three days, his hope was completely lost.

In fact, the long period of coffin suspension was due to the complicated funeral rites at that time, especially for the princes of the emperor, which required huge mausoleums and a large number of funerary objects, which required a lot of manpower and time. In addition, parents should be buried together after their death.

If the father dies without knowing the mother’s grave, and the mother dies without knowing the father’s grave, the deceased must be buried temporarily until the father’s or mother’s grave is found. In this way, it is difficult to say how long the coffin will be parked.

After modern times, coffins are generally buried after the "Seventh Day". People believe that people do not know that they are dead until seven days after death, so they have to hold "doing seven". There is a sacrifice every seven days, and the "seven seven" does not end until forty-nine days.

This is mainly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. 10. Opening ceremony.

In Zhejiang, the bereaved family has to set up a "mourning drum" at the gate.

4. What to pay attention to in funeral etiquette

1. Clothing: Both men and women should wear dark clothing such as black or blue. Men can wear white shirts or dark-colored shirts. Women should not wear lipstick or brightly colored scarves.

2. Jewelry: Try not to wear jewelry. If you need to wear jewelry, consider plain-colored jewelry or try not to leak it. Never wear gold that is leaking to the outside. This is a great disrespect for the deceased. 3. Sentences of condolences: Care and comfort are very necessary for the relatives of the deceased. Some excessive lifting such as crying should be avoided as much as possible. Pay attention to the wording. As a sentence of condolences, you can generally say: "This happened. This thing really makes me sad, please have my condolences" or "This incident is too sudden, please take care of yourself".

4. Wording and behavior: You must pay attention to the wording at the funeral, and do not use words such as "death" and "miserable" that are reminiscent of misfortune; solemn condolences at the funeral should restrain themselves and refrain from high-spirited speeches. If you are bringing children, do not let them laugh or play, speak as low as possible, and behave gently and steadily to show sincerity.

Extended information: Choice of condolence gifts: 1. At the memorial service, people often give some gifts. This is an agreed and commonly known social gift, and it is also a piece of your heart. After all, you are leaving. Memorial services always require costs and expenses, and your gift can ease their financial burden. Remember, this gift must not be wrapped in red paper. It is best to wrap it in a white or plain paper envelope. Write "Mourning Ceremony", "Silk Gold" and other black characters on the envelope and sign it.

2. The scrolls, scrolls and foreheads are also called ritual banners. The inscriptions are informal and usually have more than four characters, mostly written straight. Those written horizontally are called "windows" 3. Memorial gifts Such as offering incense candles, paper money, firecrackers, "three animals", fruits and other sacrificial supplies, and attaching a gift slip with the sacrifices. 4. Wreath or flower basket.

Either flowers or paper flowers can be used, with a belt written on them and an upper and lower paragraph. The upper paragraph contains the title of the deceased and a very brief eulogy to express the memory of the deceased. However, the flowers you send are also somewhat particular, because each type of flower expresses different meanings. Generally speaking, the flowers sent in memory are mainly yellow and white. Do not send flowers that are too bright.

The main flowers that can be sent are: (1) Yellow chrysanthemums and white chrysanthemums tied together to express solemn condolences. (2) White chrysanthemum expresses true condolences.

(3) Aster expresses remembrance and mourning. (4) Yellow and white carnations represent nostalgia and wish the deceased to go well.

(5) White dahlias can be used to decorate mourning halls and hearses to convey grief. (6) White lily means mourning for the dead in India.

5. What is traditional Chinese funeral culture?

Funeral culture is a complex of various idiosyncratic cultures in social activities created by humans related to death, and its contents include Physical objects, beliefs, psychology, ethics, morals, and art have been extended to form such things as hospice care, will culture, death education, death concepts, funeral customs, funeral culture, burial culture, sacrificial culture, funeral economy, Funeral technology and other related activities.

Different ethnic groups and different cultures in China have resulted in different burial methods and styles in various places, as well as different burial systems. Burial methods and styles are greatly affected by the natural environment, survival, form, and religious beliefs, while burial systems are mainly affected by social forms and social consciousness. This makes our country’s funeral culture diverse.

The concept of ghosts in China has been around for a long time. Mozi’s "Ming Gui" chapter mentioned that people become ghosts after death and believe in the existence of ghosts and gods. Funeral culture is a way for future generations to express their grief. We should not regard it as feudal dross, nor should we look at it from a superstitious perspective. It is also part of our traditional culture. In the Han Dynasty, the Chinese people had the concept of "death is like life". The ancients built living rooms, kitchens, toilets, sheds for raising livestock, and warehouses for storing food in tombs. The tombs were also engraved with the sun, moon, and stars. , Chen, mythological stories, mythical animals and birds, fairy clouds and grass and other patterns.

The funeral rituals formed by people over thousands of years are not only to bring peace to the dead, but also to satisfy the living. Throughout the funeral process, there is a dialogue between the living and the dead, and there is a strong knot between the two - remembering ancestors and cherishing relatives. This knot is manifested in the physical connection between the living and the dead, and also in the spiritual connection between the two. "Destroying the Four Olds" has shaken the existing traditional funeral culture and its interpretation system; it has also used religious superstition and witchcraft to explain and characterize it; instead, it has used rational and economical methods of handling funerals. But in rural areas, people still yearn for some traditional funeral methods as a kind of education for future generations and the inheritance of traditional customs and culture. Funeral culture is a culture that lives in the lives of Chinese people. It is a down-to-earth culture that is full of life. It is more real than words written on paper and embodies the actual connotation of Chinese culture - a passionate attitude towards life.

For example:

Guanzhong is the birthplace of the ancestors of the Yan and Huang Dynasties, and has a long and rich funeral culture. Funerals belong to the "unfortunate rites" among the "Five Rites" in ancient times. For a long time, people have followed the ancient maxim of "life should be done with reason, death, burial with etiquette, and sacrifices with reason". "Funeral rituals, sacrifices with sincerity" ". The family affection, filial piety, morality, customs, laws, worship, etc. of the agricultural era are fully demonstrated in the funeral culture of Guanzhong.

Taboos and Attachments in Funeral Culture

The red tape in old rituals contains elements of superstition, but this does not rule out the cultural background and scientific truth of some of the etiquette.

In the funeral customs of Guanzhong, one cannot say death after a person has died, but should say "died", "gone", "fallen head", "Yan Jia", "dying", etc. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the deceased. The first thing after a person dies is to pay his respects. Funeral announcements in Guanzhong are "as urgent as sparks of fire", regardless of whether it is rain or shine. A funeral news should be reported face-to-face by several people according to the direction, and cannot be reported by mail. At the same time, paper flags and door signs are hung outside the main house to notify people in neighboring villages that there is a funeral and that they do not need to be disturbed by visits.

After a person dies, the direct descendants must wear hemp and mourning to show the filial piety and mourning of the deceased. This custom originated from Zhou rites. After a person falls, a spiritual throne must be set up. According to Guanzhong funeral customs, an ever-burning lamp is lit at the feet of the deceased and remains burning until the burial. Before a person dies, he must shave his head, wash his face, purify his body, and wear "old clothes" in the shape of a robe and mandarin jacket that he has prepared in advance. The reason for wearing old-style clothes is that the deceased is going to meet their ancient ancestors, and they are afraid that the ancestors will not recognize the new clothes and will not allow the deceased to recognize their ancestors. Avoid satin and fur in old clothes. "Satin" means "cutting off descendants", and fur is because of concerns about being reborn as an animal in the next life. After a person dies, his or her face must be covered with a piece of hemp paper, commonly known as thatch paper. One is that he is afraid that people will see the pain on the face of the deceased, and the other is that he hopes that people can be resurrected, because as soon as he breathes, it will appear on the paper. People in Guanzhong are allowed to be released for at least 3 days after death, also taking into account the situation of suspended animation. When a male deceased is buried, his family members must be present to supervise whether the death was normal. Similarly, when a woman is buried, her natal family must be present. Burying people in Guanzhong is not called burial, but "settling", which means respecting. In addition, the filial sons surrounded the coffin and cried bitterly, and no tears fell into the coffin. They said it was not good for the deceased, but in fact it was a disguised form of urging people to mourn. Another example is that on the way home after being buried, a filial son should not look back, which means that the soul of the deceased will follow him back. In fact, it also advises the filial son to leave the cemetery as soon as possible and not to be overly sad.

6. Funeral customs in various parts of my country

1. Doing the Seven Ceremony: People believe that a person does not know he is dead until seven days after death, so the Doing of Seven is held every seven days One sacrifice takes seven, seven forty-nine days to end.

This is mainly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. 2. Condolence ceremony: Generally, condolences carry the clothes and quilts presented to the deceased, and use pins to hang a note with a calligraphy pen on it with the words "someone" written in writing.

3. Encoffining ceremony: Encoffining can be divided into large and small. The small coffin refers to dressing the deceased, and the large coffin refers to the body being placed in the coffin. It is commonly known as Gui Dawu among the Han people.

4. Mourning ceremony: In the funeral ceremony, the younger generation wears filial piety on their elders mainly to express filial piety and condolences. This originally came from Zhou Rites and was a Confucian etiquette system. Later, it was extended to mean the death penalty.

5. Crying ceremony: Crying is a major feature of Chinese funeral customs. The mourning ceremony runs throughout the funeral ceremony, and there are as many as several large scenes.

The crying ceremony during the funeral is the most important, so in some places there is a custom of asking people to help cry.

7. Common sense about funerals

It seems that the only three legal funeral companies are "Renben", "Tongxin" and "Anron". The other funeral companies are all illegal. Those who have obtained legal status, and many of them are two or three people who work together to set up a funeral company! Among them, "Humanism" funeral company is the best, which is the product of the cooperation between Hefei City Funeral Department and Hefei Dashushan Cultural Cemetery! I remember that my friend’s grandmother passed away last year. When the person was still alive, there were funeral companies guarding the door of the hospital. They were annoyed. Later, I chose Tongxin Funeral Company. Those people only knew how to sell funeral supplies and didn’t know anything else. It’s called a funeral! I don’t even know some basic funeral knowledge, so the farewell ceremony was just a formality, so poorly done! Professor Xu from the Department of Mathematics at Ann University passed away some time ago. He was served by Renben Funeral Company. It was very different from Tongxin Funeral Company. The service was so good that there was nothing to say. The entire funeral event was written in the form of a planning document. , especially the farewell ceremony, used one of Professor Xu's favorite "farewell" songs during his lifetime. The scene was tear-jerking and moved everyone present.

8. What are the funeral customs in ancient China

Mortuary ceremony

China’s traditional funeral culture attaches great importance to the end of life. Before a patient takes his last breath, relatives will move him to the funeral bed in the bright room of the main room to protect him during the last moments of his life. This is called "mourning."

During the dying moments, the deceased must wear a shroud. Before the patient dies, his family members must bathe and change him. After bathing and dressing the deceased, relatives should immediately move the body to the coffin.

At the same time, some rituals must be taken to lead the soul of the deceased to the coffin.

At the same time, the family will also put a copper coin in the mouth of the deceased, which is called "mouth money". In the rural areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is also popular to burn paper ingots, tinfoil and other tokens for the dead, which is "burning floor paper".

Funeral Ceremony

After the coffin has been suspended for a period of time and everything is ready, it is time to choose a day to announce the funeral. The funeral can be said to be the first ritual after death. The funeral ceremony had already been formed as early as the Zhou Dynasty. It uses signaling to tell relatives, friends and villagers the news of someone's death. Even relatives and friends who already know the news have to go there to report the funeral as usual.

In the old days, funeral obituaries in Beijing were relatively strict. After a person dies, relatives must tell relatives and friends the news. Obituaries for funerals generally only include the official title and rank of the deceased, but do not include the deceased’s resume and life story. In the Han people's concept, mourning is not only a formal etiquette, but also a way to share grief with relatives and family members.

Soul-calling and soul-sending ceremony

After the corpse of the deceased has been arranged, a soul-calling ceremony will be held. The bereaved family sets up soul-calling flags or hangs soul silk in front of their door.

Performing the ‘Seven’ Ceremony

According to ancient funeral customs, the coffin must stay for at least three days. It is said that it is the hope that the dead will come back to life. If he couldn't be revived after three days, his hope was completely lost. After modern times, coffins are generally buried after the "Seventh Day". People believe that people do not know that they are dead until seven days after death, so they have to hold "doing seven". There is a sacrifice every seven days, and the "seven seven" does not end until forty-nine days.

Condolence ceremony

A condolence ceremony should be performed while "doing seven". Condolence means that relatives and friends pay condolences after receiving the obituary notice and express condolences to the family of the deceased. The family members of the deceased should cry over the body in the room, kneel down to express gratitude to those who come to express condolences, and greet and send gifts as gifts. Generally, mourners carry clothes and quilts given to the deceased, and hang a note with a pin on it with the words "To so and so" written in a brush.

First of all, the mourning hall must be decorated and the ever-lasting lamp lit. The hanging ceremony will be held next. Nowadays, condolence ceremonies in cities have been greatly simplified. They mainly involve bidding farewell to the body and holding memorial services.

Enthronement Ceremony

After the condolence ceremony is completed, the burial ceremony will be carried out for the deceased. After the burial clothes are put on, activities such as opening the eyes and tightening the eyes are held in some places. There are "big Lian" and "small Lian" burials. Xiao Lian means dressing the deceased. "Big coffin" refers to the coffin in which corpses are collected. It is commonly known as "gui big house" among Han people. This means that the deceased is isolated from the world and has the last farewell to his relatives, so the funeral ceremony is very grand.

After the corpse and burial objects are placed, the coffin lid must be nailed, which is called "nailing" among the people. Seven nails are generally used to hold down the nails, commonly known as "descendant nails". It is said that this can make future generations prosperous. After the burial, the coffin was laid in the rain. Otherwise, future generations will suffer from poverty. Before and after the burial, the coffin remains in the hall until the funeral.

Mourning Ceremony

In all these funeral customs, the bereaved family must wear mourning clothes. In funerals, the younger generation wears filial piety on their elders mainly to express filial piety and condolence. In addition to the five types of mourning, there was also a lighter way of mourning in ancient times, called "qifan".

Funeral Ceremony

After the body is collected, the coffin must be sent to the burial place for burial. This is called funeral, also called "funeral", commonly known as "burial". After the mortuary and sacrificial activities, the funeral can be carried out and buried. In many ethnic groups, the date of funeral must be chosen carefully. The ritual of choosing a day for a funeral is very simple. Sometimes you only need to look through the imperial calendar or ask "Mr. Yin and Yang".

Crying ceremony

Crying is a major feature of Chinese funeral customs. The mourning ceremony runs throughout the funeral ceremony, with as many as several large scenes. The crying ceremony during the funeral is the most important.

Burial Ceremony

After the initial mourning, mourning, mourning, funeral and other ceremonies, the last step is the burial. This is the last moment of the deceased's stay in the world, and it is generally very solemn.

The burial ceremony is very particular and cumbersome. The people who carry the coffin are called "Eight Immortals", and the people who dig the coffin are called "hole digging". Before drilling the acupuncture points, sacrifices must be made to Kaishan, and filial sons must burn incense and light candles to perform the Kaishan ceremony. In some places, it is necessary to invite earth immortals and draw Tai Sui. When opening mountains, avoid the direction of Tai Sui. Otherwise, "Tai Sui's head is disturbed" and the bereaved family will suffer disaster.

When digging the mountain, wooden stakes should be driven before and after the tomb, and then the filial son should dig three times with a hoe within the area of ??the pile.

Finally

Folk customs believe that the soul of a person after death may escape from the grave at any time and follow the living person home. Therefore, the buried person must circle the tomb three times, and it is strictly forbidden to look back on the way home. Otherwise, it would be detrimental to both parties to see traces of the souls of the deceased in the underworld. In fact, this is also a measure of condolences. Otherwise, it would be difficult to persuade the relatives of the deceased who would keep looking back and be reluctant to leave.

After burial, people must wash their hands, and some even use wine to wash them. This means that no one will die in the future and is used to drive away bad luck. Then the bereaved family thanks the drummer and the guests. Afterwards, a funeral ceremony will be held to worship the deceased's soul. In some places, after the deceased's death, as long as they are relatives, they have to have a meal together. This is called "grabbing the last meal".