About the old customs of funerals in Xiangtan
It is customary for dead people in Xiangtan County to be buried in wooden coffins. Before the person dies, a coffin is prepared, also known as "longevity wood". It is made of fir and also nanmu. Or other wood; the number of wood tubes for making coffins should be in pairs, with Shihe (i.e. made of ten tubes of wood) being the best. After they are made, they should be coated with tung oil and painted black; for the children to buy shrouds, divide them into pieces. Underwear, Jiaoyi, and Lanshan (outercoat), because the taboo words "寔" and "妋" have the same pronunciation, the shrouds do not have buttons, only floating bags are sewn on them. Clothing material: Except for satin (because the word "satin" is a homophonic word for "satin"), any other material will do, and the number of pieces should be an odd number. Birthday quilts and shoes are given to daughters who have daughters.
In the old burial customs, there was the habit of laying foundations and burying human graves (fake graves). Those who have old parents and old mothers must first ask "Yin Yang Sheng" to find a cemetery and prepare a good land. People firmly believe that burial When a good land is buried, a great man will be born; when a dragon's vein is buried, an emperor will be born; when a phoenix is ??buried, a queen will be born; when a pig's land is buried, the descendants will be prosperous and prosperous, etc.
When parents are sick, their children are not allowed to stay away from each other, and those who are outside are also urged to return. They all gather in front of the bed to listen to the last orders.
When a parent dies, the first thing to do is to announce the funeral. When the father dies, he will report his death to his brothers, uncles and uncles. As the saying goes: "My father is the elder uncle, and my mother is the elder uncle." If you don't announce the funeral, you will be blamed.
When the deceased dies, his relatives kneel in front of the body, block the door and kill a rooster, which is called a farewell chicken. Fire cannons, offer sacrifices and drink three bottles of wine, chant "Namo Amitabha Buddha" together, burn at least one sedan chair, burn a thread for one year according to the age of the deceased, and burn nine pounds and four liang or three pounds and sixty liang of the head paper, which is called the soul of the deceased. You need to spend money when you first arrive in the underworld, so it is also called "setting the first plate of money". But children under the age of ten do not burn the paper on their heads when they die. People believe in reincarnation and believe that the soul is immortal. After the child dies, he is reincarnated as a human immediately. It is believed that the birthmark on the baby was marked by the death of a good boy and a good girl from a certain family. This is why the birthmark appears after the child was reincarnated.
When a person dies, it is commonly known as "the mountain of flesh fell down", which means that there is an opportunity to eat and drink. There is also the saying that "if a person dies, the rice cooker is open, and he is not invited to come", it is said that the soul of the dead must be saved. It can range from seven days, ten days, forty-nine days at most, to two or three days at least.
When someone dies, an obituary should be issued to relatives, friends and neighbors. The content generally includes the deceased’s name, age, title, time of death, time of death, time and place of burial, and a title. When the father dies, the obituary is signed as "lonely son"; when the mother dies, it is called "ailing son"; when both parents die, the obituary is signed as "lonely son". The father issued an "obituary notice" to his son and daughter-in-law, and signed it as "anti-service student". If your biological mother dies and there is a stepmother, write "I mourn my son so-and-so by the order of my stepmother". When relatives and friends hear this and pay their respects to the deceased, it is originally called "Kansi". Because people are taboo with the word "death", it has become a habit over time to call it "Kanhuo". Some people send incense and candles to "Kanhuo", but generally they only pay tribute to the body or Just worship the soul. Shitan, Shebu and other districts in the county are not accustomed to calling "watching activities" as "tanyou".
When a person dies, the yin and yang life force must be invited to calculate the horoscope of the deceased. If the horoscope of the deceased and the horoscope of the descendants conflict with each other, it is called "violation of taboo". ?Taboos for offenses include offense time, offense day, offense month, offense year. If the time is violated, it is said to be unfavorable for sixty years; if it is the sun, it is unfavorable for three years; if it is the moon, it is unfavorable for a hundred years; if it is the year, it is unfavorable for one day. When the deceased expires, he must not delay the time, sun, or month within the eight characters arranged by the heavenly stems and earthly branches. The most taboo is to delay the year. If the taboo is violated, do not cry, make noise, or fire cannons. Let the family mourn after the taboo hour has passed. It is said that this can hide the "eaves boy" from the god who informs the King of Hell about the time of death of the deceased, so as to avoid the "ominous and unfavorable" future.
When a person dies, the body must be wiped. To wipe the body, you need to buy water, or ask for water. According to the age of the deceased, a herringbone straw hoop is tied at one year old, plus three hoops. A filial son wears hemp. , burn a straw hoop, beat the gong, kowtow, burn incense and hold candles, throw three copper coins to Shui Dexing, fire a cannon, put the water back into the pot with a clean pot and bowl, add mugwort leaves and cypress branches to boil, Wipe the corpse after it cools down a bit.
, blue, seven layers of clothing, and so on, with white on the inside and blue on the outside. The inner layer of clothing must be worn by the eldest son and grandson first and then put on; the socks are white, the hat is blue, two ribbons are tied behind the hat, and the soles of white shoes must be worn The ink dots, the number is the first seven points and the last nine (dots), saying: "The first seven points and the last eight points, the king of hell should be killed when the wind blows. The first seven points and the last nine points, the king of hell invites you to drink."
After the new installation, stay in bed, place the door panel on the ground in front of the bed, raise one end, spread a white sheet on top of the corpse, stuff the left hand with food, and prepare to feed the copper when crossing the Naihe Bridge. Snakes and iron dogs are eaten; a cattail leaf fan is stuffed in the right hand, which is said to be used to cross the Flame Mountain.
When entering a coffin, first wipe the coffin clean, put it on lime, kiln powder, bran ash, or gypsum powder, then layer white paper on top, and fold the white paper around the coffin into a triangle (like fish scales) , hence the name fish scale paper), and place a triangular pillow made of white cloth. Then, ask Yinsheng to make a decision about the burial time, and ask three or five Taoist priests to perform the coffin ceremony and put the body into the coffin with a white sheet. Gongs are sounded and cannons are fired, the body is covered with fish scale paper, the surroundings are packed with paper, then covered with lime, pressed and flattened, the coffin is written with charcoal wood, and the face is covered by descendants or other relatives. When a Confucian is buried, a "funeral ceremony" is performed, three sacrifices are prepared, wine and wine are prepared, the filial son kneels before the coffin, and the whole family surrounds the coffin and weeps. The atmosphere is sad, and they call "visiting and mourning." After the coffin is covered, a coffin chicken is killed, a table is placed in front of the coffin, a tea oil lamp is placed under the coffin and on the coffin head, a pair of walking shoes are placed under the coffin, and a rice sickle and a bag are placed in a bowl. The ashes are poured out, and the bedding and other taboo items used by the deceased are sent outside to be burned.
?Miliary clothing?: During the mourning period, the descendants of the deceased wear long white filial piety clothes, tied with straw ropes around the waist, and straw sandals or white shoes on the feet (white cloth is sewn on the left side of the shoes after the father's death, and white cloth is sewn on the right side after the mother's death. Both parents are dead. The shoes are all white, my grandfather sews the toes with white cloth, and my grandmother sews the back of the shoes with white cloth.) The long white filial piety clothes are put on the short clothes made of hemp belt, which is called "Phi Ma Daxiao". Wearing a white mop on the head is said to be dragging the way for the dead. Therefore, when the relatives of the deceased go to other people's homes, they should tie a mop around their bodies and hold a "mourning staff" in order to support the grieving body. When the father died, a bamboo stick was used as a mourning stick (the knot was outside), and when the mother died, a tung tree branch was used as a mourning stick (with the knot inside). The mourning stick was rolled with white paper to represent a willow branch, but the willow branch is green. The reason why it is rolled and tied with white paper is that there are white flowers everywhere, which means respecting filial piety. Wearing a "filial piety hat" (also known as "three filial crowns") on the head means: when parents die, they will burst into tears with grief. Three cotton flowers are hung on the three lin crowns, one on each side of the hat. They are used to fold tears. It is said that they are made of cotton. Folding your handkerchief or sleeves with tears is not a sign of filial piety. During the mourning period, filial piety and family members are prohibited from wearing red or green, singing, playing and dancing are prohibited, and couples are not allowed to sleep in the same bed. A dutiful son lies in bed at night with a straw pillow and firewood, which is called "keeping vigil".
?Tang of Filial Piety?: On the left side of the coffin hall, in front of which there is a memorial case. On the case there is a memorial pavilion (made of paper), a memorial tablet, and the deceased’s memorial tablet (can only be composed of eleven persons). composed of words). In front of the funeral, incense and candle utensils are placed high, and on the door rails inside and outside the mourning hall, "elegiac couplets" are written on yellow or white paper.
? Turn on the street lights? It is said that if you don’t open a road, the ghosts of the dead cannot walk in the underworld. There are big roads and small roads. Dakai Road: Invite six Taoist priests to play for one to six days, use lime to draw a river in the shape of the Yellow River, nail 108 bamboo stakes, three feet and three inches high, and use ropes to lead them into eighteen "gates of hell". The Taoist priest led the filial son to wait at the "Hell Gate" and walked back and forth, chanting something, which meant to bring the soul of the deceased home from hell. This was the leader of the Yellow River. Xiaokai Road: A Taoist priest sings tunes, sets spirits, and opens five directions: the east is called Qingdi, the south is called Red Emperor, the west is called White Emperor, the north is called Black Emperor, and the center is called Yellow Emperor. After recruiting the dead, they open the way for Yu Ling and offer sacrifices to three animals, including wine, rice and tea. If you practice Confucianism, you should invite Confucian scholars (also called Lisheng) to call out the spirit-setting ceremony (calling spirits and setting up banners), the soul-calling ceremony, and the opening ceremony. Prescription rituals are divided into large prescriptions and small prescriptions. The big square calls "Five Directions Li"; the small square calls "One Hall Li", which tells Duke Wen, God of Fortune, Siming, Mencheng and Huwei inside, and the king's land and City God Bodhisattva outside.
Invite the monks to recite sutras, pray and repent, which is called "Buddhist service". Recite the sutra five times a day. If the deceased is a woman, recite the "Blood Plate Sutra". There are twenty-five scrolls in each recitation.
Pray and repent four times a day, recite one repentance and pray one repentance. If the deceased is a man, then recite the "Sutra of Saving People" and "Sutra of Saving Suffering". The opening list is: Supreme Mercy, "Three Yuans to Destroy Sin", "Water Repentance" to Save Suffering (the first, middle and second volumes), and Rebirth. Dharma confession and cross-repentance. The general idea of ??the content is to "relieve calamity" and "atone for sins" of the deceased. We set up three sacrifices and wine to thank the King of Hell, and ask the King of Hell not to see any strange things. In addition to reciting sutras, praying and repenting, one also has to pray for water, visit hells, and receive death. It is forbidden to eat meat and tofu and vegetables when doing "Buddhist rituals", so it is called "eating tofu meat". After the Buddhist rituals, the ban on eating meat is lifted.
(Tongtian Cult Leader, Yuan Tianzun, Taishang Laojun), write the soul-calling card: write the name of the deceased on white paper, burn incense, paper money, buy tea and wine, write on both sides of the name? Escape from the pain of the dark prison, ride on the attack of the white horse ?A couplet. At the end of the monastery, three animals, wine and rice wine should be set up to present to the Bodhisattva, and the blood meal of whirling (paper clothes cut from yellow paper) should be used to help the lonely ghosts. It is intended to appease the ghosts and not cause trouble. It is called "relief to the orphans".
When practicing Confucianism, you should invite a courtesy guest (also known as a ceremonial scholar or a Confucian scholar) to say three rituals in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Those who have walked for three to five days are not allowed to lift, and the person who lifts them is completely different from the Taoist and the Buddha.
?Huawu?: Burning spirit house. On the afternoon of the day when the Buddhist ceremony or the Taoist temple is completed, the spirit house with the paper makongzha is carried to the pre-built foundation of the house to be transformed, so that the soul can have something to rely on. Before burning the spirit house, a light should be laid to commemorate the spirit, and filial sons and relatives will kneel in front of it. You also need to write a "fire ticket", indicating the number of money bags, a ghost house, a foundation, a share of sesame oil, and three kinds of wine. Explain to the deceased that the ghost house is a burial object and is furnished with various furniture. (Nowadays, people build color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and install electric lights). Outside there are gardens, ponds, and family members carrying water and doing odd jobs. The couplet on the door of a spiritual house is usually "Opening eyes looks like a fairy house, but it turns out to be the door of one's own house". In addition, there are also burnt-top horses and cardboard boxes. Inside the cardboard boxes are placed money, gold, silver, and ingots made of paper. The blood of the child, the spirit of a certain person? The spirit is concentrated, and the blood is flowing. The main tablet is made of two small rectangular wooden boards, the upper one is slightly shorter and the lower one is slightly longer. First click on the connotation, then click on the cover, add black and blood, and praise: "Hehe Jue Ci, Zhuo Zhuo Jue Ling, Mian Mian melon hibernating descendants". After dotting the main symbol (elephant), he presented flowers with the following words: In spring, there are peach blossoms fragrant in the wind, in summer, there are lotus flowers filling the pond, in autumn, there are luxuriant osmanthus branches, and in winter, there are wintersweet growing against the snow.
After setting up three sacrifices and drinking wine, he went outdoors and gave the elephant to the eldest son, praising: "Today is a good day, and the elephant is a human being. I have given birth to a grandson, and I will be prosperous for a hundred generations." Preface to the West: Praise for the Sound of Incense (Lang Tao Sha): "The East Preface is well-made, the atmosphere is prosperous, the portrait of the work is generous and generous, the case and the title are now completed, and it will be prosperous for a hundred generations." Read the East Preface. Congratulations to the elephant, all relatives kowtow to the elephant, the eldest son holds the elephant to the memorial seat, and calls An Lingli to the elephant.
. The person who makes the order is to carefully recall the demeanor of the deceased during his lifetime, so he should ask the deceased's close friends to order the order. The wealthy people will ask celebrities to order the order. A judge cannot call the shots, because he often sentences prisoners with a pen. The solemn ceremony is very solemn. One person from each side of the chief minister must accompany the chief minister. The filial son takes off his mourning clothes, puts on his mourning clothes, faces the coffin with a high desk, and welcomes the chief minister to his seat. After the ceremony is completed, the filial son holds the confession and kowtows.
In the old funeral customs, there is "Singing Night Songs", and its content is very complicated: there is "You Underworld" (also known as "You Ten Palaces") which describes the underworld, and "Twenty-Four Filial Piety", which expresses filial piety, "Cao An Kills His Son" etc. Mythical ancient songs that describe the creation of the world and the creation of the world include "The Book of the Sky", "Wei Zheng Slays the Dragon", "The Trial of Three Kings", and "Liu Quan Enters the Melon". Examples of historical celebrities include "The Golden Seal" and "Eighteen Heroes".
Songs that describe local scenery include "Scenery of Xiangtan", "Hundred Fishes", "Hundred Birds", "Hundred Thoughts", "Hundred Loves", "The Grass and Trees Are Going to War" and other songs.
To bury the coffin, usually on the morning of the funeral, the coffin is carried out of the first door. According to custom, a bowl must be picked and broken. It means that after the death of the person, the evil spirit is strong, and breaking the bowl is called "destroy". The time of burial is determined by Yin and Yang. Sixteen or thirty-two people carry the coffin, fire cannons to clear the way, hold up flags to lead the way, and throw money to buy money along the way. The eldest son or grandson takes the lead in holding the portrait of the deceased, and the rest of the filial family members follow. When turning a corner or crossing a bridge, everyone pays filial piety. The family members knelt down and worshiped, while other mourners followed the coffin holding wreaths and flags. A music team played music in front of and behind the coffin. Along the way, relatives and friends from every household fired cannons to greet the loved ones, prepared three animals, wine and wine, and set up an altar to offer sacrifices, which is called a road sacrifice. The filial family members kowtow from door to door, confirming that someone will give them a white cloth (give a white cloth) to express their thanks (now they give out cigarettes and handkerchiefs). When they arrive at the cemetery, the sadness does not diminish. They unload the coffin and carry it into the Qianyan (grave), and set up three animals for sacrifice. After incineration, the underworld objects were oriented from the ground (also called "Gua Ban"), and then covered with earth and buried.
On the eve of the burial, his descendants bundled three handfuls of straw, called "cigarette packets", and burned them in the cemetery. After that, "seven packages" are burned every seven days, seven packages are burned each time, and the money in each package is "17" for one piece, "27" for two pieces, and so on, until burning seven times, this is called So that the deceased will not be lonely. Burn anniversary bags for every anniversary, no limit to how many. From then on, people will live a long life every ten years according to their birth date, up to a hundred years.
, after the Buddhist ceremony, move to the shrine. There are also those who perform Buddhist rituals and leave the Lord alone for a hundred days before going to the shrine.
At home, a thank you ceremony was made at the cemetery.
When a baby dies, it is buried in a wooden box (also called a ring), and its mother has to have seven days and seven nights of milk delivered to the grave. When a girl around fifteen years old died, Huanzi pretended to bury her, saying that the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl died and went to the god of death. (If you get lost while walking at night, and you turn around and back to the same place, you think that the god of forks in the road has forked the road).
Abnormal deaths such as hanging, immersion, crushing, dystocia, etc. all become ghosts who died in vain. Those who say they die in vain have to find a substitute. There is a saying that "a drowned ghost looks for a substitute for his relatives". If the deceased did not end his life but died outside, the dead body cannot be carried into the house. When it is carried into the back of the house, a hut can only be built outside, and a monk or Taoist priest can be asked to recite the 7749-day Sutra to save the wasted death and to pray for the deceased. Atonement. Those who have died in vain do not burn paper money, but only burn robes and precepts (called money spent in vain). The underworld house is built like a chicken shed, and an umbrella is tied on the roof to facilitate relocation. A "relief" is added when doing Buddhist services.
Things to note when using land for burials
First, there are ten things you don’t want to do with the land:
First, don’t reincarnate your body for burial, second, don’t stick your ears into the sky, and third, don’t use shrimp whiskers. Crab eyes, four, don't hover left and right, five, don't stop up and down three times,,
Six, don't sand the feet, it's better to turn, seven, don't open the account in the open hall, eight, don't open the water mouth, nine, don't open the hall to welcome the morning, ten, don't nine The twists and turns.
Second, there are ten things that are not buried in the earth:
The first is not to bury rough rocks, the second is not to bury the beachheads of rushing water, the third is not to bury the ditches in desperate situations, the fourth is not to bury the lonely hills. Five don’t bury the gods in front of and behind the temple, six don’t bury the left and right prisoners, seven don’t bury the hills and hills, eight don’t bury the feng shui sadness, nine don’t bury people who sit low and small, and ten don’t bury dragons and tigers with pointed heads. .
Thirdly, there are ten rich people in the land:
The first rich has a tall and bright hall, the second rich has a host and guest, the third rich subdues the dragon and subdues the tiger, the fourth rich has red birds hanging bells, the fifth rich has towering mountains,
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The six riches and four rivers return to the court, the seven rich mountains turn their feet, the eight rich ridges are round and abundant, the nine rich dragons are high and the tigers hug them, and the ten riches have many water mouths.
Fourth, the land has ten nobles:
The first noble is the double embrace of the blue dragon, the second noble is the towering dragon and tiger, the third noble is Chang'e's delicate beauty, the fourth noble is the flag drum and the round peak, the fifth noble is the pen stand in front of the inkstone ,
The six noble officials write the bell, the seventh noble official is a white tiger, the eighth noble man writes a green dragon, the ninth noble officer moves the horse on the screen, and the ten noble noble officials are full of water mouths.
Fifth, there are ten kinds of poverty in the land:
The first poverty is that the water breaks the direct current, the second poverty is that the water falls into the sky, the third poverty is that the city ring is leaky, the fourth poverty is that the water outlet is diverted, and the fifth poverty is that the roof is built behind ,
The six poor and four water are ruthless, the seven poor are water-breaking, the eight poor are gurgling and smiling, the nine poor are unable to care about others, and the ten poor are solitary and lonely.
Sixth, there are ten bases in the earth:
One base and eight winds blow at the cave, the second base is a red bird that disappears, the third base is a blue dragon flying away, the fourth base is divided into water mouths, and the fifth base is swinging its head around At the end,
The wind blows behind the Liujian Pass, the Seventh Mountain is flying and the water is flowing away, the Eighth Mountain is empty on the left and right, the Nineth Mountain collapses and the ground is split, and the Tenth Mountain has its master but no guests.
Basic process of funeral processing
Issue certificate: issue "Medical Certificate of Death" and "Resident Death and Burial Certificate"
1. Died of illness at home. You must obtain a "Medical Death Certificate" from the health department (nearest health center or hospital), then go to the health and epidemic prevention station in the jurisdiction to exchange for a "Resident Funeral Certificate", and then bring the "Resident Funeral Certificate" and the deceased's household registration and ID card to the jurisdiction police station To cancel the account, the police station shall sign and seal the "Resident Funeral Certificate".
2. Died of illness in the hospital. The hospital will issue a "Medical Certificate of Death", and then go to the health and epidemic prevention station in the jurisdiction to exchange for the "Resident Funeral Certificate". Then bring the "Resident Funeral Certificate" and the deceased's household registration and ID card to the police station in the jurisdiction to cancel the account. The police station will issue the "Resident Funeral Certificate". Signature and seal on the certificate.
Contact the funeral director and get dressed: Let the deceased walk the last journey cleanly and neatly
Understand the processes, services and products involved in funerals.
Learn about the service details such as handling, preservation, make-up, encoffining and cremation of body disposal; learn about the ritual specifications of funeral ceremonies, hall layout and other service details.
Agree on service items and determine service items and funeral supplies.
Notify the funeral service to pick up the body.
Memorial ceremony: arrange the mourning hall, select funeral supplies, notify the funeral to pick up the body
Receiving and refrigerated storage of the body: when the body enters the hall, record the time and check whether the condition of the body exists Corruption and damage, and determine the relevant information of the deceased to the bereaved family, store it in the cold storage, adjust the temperature according to the condition of the body and seasonal temperature differences, maintain temperature checks 4 times a day and keep records.
Farewell hall layout: The layout of the ceremony hall is arranged according to needs, and generally maintains standard, solemn, neat and hygienic specifications.
Other ancillary services: play mourning music, turn on the air conditioner, provide hot water, rest room, entertainment room and other service needs of the bereaved family, and contact the amateur performance activity team in the society.
Hold a farewell ceremony: inspect the refrigerators, speakers, microphones and other equipment in the hall, and have a dedicated person responsible for service.
Cremation and storage of ashes: Receive ashes, "Ashes Storage Certificate" and cremation certificate
Determine the date of cremation: After the date is determined, the participants will be notified in a timely manner. According to funeral customs, the body should be stored for 3 days before cremation and burial. This number of days refers to an imaginary number, not the actual full day (24 hours x 3 days).
Reception and negotiation: Inspect the ashes container, provide civilized service during the inspection, and check whether the ashes container meets the storage conditions. Valuables, perishable, perishable items, flammable, explosive and other dangerous items should not be placed in the container. .
Go through the deposit procedures: fill in the relevant contents of the deposit certificate and the registration card for reference. The contents must be consistent and numbered.
Storage of ashes: Check the name of the deceased marked on the ashes container and related procedures.
Purchasing a cemetery and burial:
According to the customer's needs, choose a cemetery or funeral parlor that satisfies you. Paste the portrait and leave a message on the urn for future collection. The ashes can be buried in commercial cemeteries or on an auspicious day.