Chapter 18 The Descendants of Maoshan (2)

After "leading the way", the filial son turns the paper into mourning. After hearing the cries, the neighbors will come to help arrange the funeral. The first is to ask the Feng Shui master (usually the funeral practitioner is more professional) to inspect the funeral cemetery and the auspicious day; the second is to ask the deacon;

The third is to invite someone to announce the funeral; the fourth is to invite a cook.

At this time, the filial son is extremely sad, and everything is under the control of the funeral director, and the chef helps prepare the funeral meal. When a person with a title or meritorious service dies, a funeral party will be organized, and the department will come forward to give a eulogy for him.

There are "big lanterns" and "small lanterns" in coffins.

Xiao Lian refers to dressing the deceased. According to historical records, in ancient times, Xiao Lian was placed in the bedroom door on the morning after the death. At that time, the Xiao Lian clothes were first displayed in the room, and then the bed was laid.

A dressing ceremony is held. The host and the housewife must take off the ornaments on their heads and tie their hair on their heads. The men must show their arms, and everyone must cry non-stop to show their extreme grief.

The undertaker begins to dress the deceased. He first lays mats on the bed and then lays out the hangers. The quality of the mats depends on the status of the deceased. Regardless of whether he is high or low, the deceased should wear nineteen sets of new clothes. After dressing,

, the undertaker wrapped the body in a quilt, and then tied it tightly with a twist tie. After that, he put the cloth bag on the body, and then put the quilt on it to cover the body.

According to folk customs, it is taboo to use satin for burial clothes and quilts, because the word "satin" is homophonic to "duanzi", for fear that this will result in the death of children and grandchildren. People generally use silk, and the homophonic word for "silk" is "chouzi".

', which can bless future generations with many children and grandchildren.

It is also taboo to use fur for burial clothes. Although animal skin is a rare and precious commodity, it is of no benefit to the dead. It can be useful to the living if it is left behind. There is also a saying that if animal skin is used to make a quilt,

The dead will be reincarnated as beasts in the next life.

Another theory is to consider the "whole corpse", saying that it is feared that human corpses and animal skins are mixed together and cannot be distinguished. The cloth with the word "Yang" cannot be used for the burial clothes. The burial clothes are for the deceased.

, fabrics with foreign characters will make the burial clothes have the meaning of 'yang', which is not good for the deceased in the underworld.

After the burial clothes are put on, activities such as opening the eyes and squinting the eyes will be held in some places. After dressing the deceased, take a bowl of warm water, dip a piece of new cotton in the water, and scrub the deceased's eyes.

Scrubbing is called consecration, which is also done by filial sons. It is said that if a dead person is not consecrated, he will be blind in the next life. In areas around Quanzhou, bereaved families have to tie up animals such as chickens and dogs in the family. Because people believe that cats or

Other animals that get close to the corpse will steal it.

The corpse will jump up and cling tightly to the living person or other things. The funeral practitioner should remind the filial family members to carefully guard the corpse and coffin, perform filial piety carefully, and not treat the dead lightly.

The "big coffin" refers to the coffin that collects the corpse, which is commonly known as "gui Dawu" among the Han people. This means that the deceased is isolated from the world and wants to say goodbye to his relatives for the last time, so the coffin ceremony is very grand.

The coffin for collecting corpses is made of pine and cypress. It is taboo to use willow. Pine and cypress symbolize longevity. Willow trees do not bear seeds, which may lead to the death of heirs. In some places, cypress coffins are mixed with some fir. It is said that a coffin made entirely of cypress will

Being struck by the sky (struck by lightning). After the longevity wood is made, it cannot be moved. It is said that moving it casually will not be good for the person. The outside of the coffin is usually painted vermilion with gold letters. There are also paintings of flowers, birds and figures.

Da Lian is held on the second day of Xiao Lian, which is the third day after the death of the person, in order to wait for him to come back alive. According to folk custom, a layer of corn grass should be spread on the bottom of the coffin, and then a layer of yellow paper should be spread on it.

, meaning that the soul of the deceased can ascend high to heaven.

The seven-star board means longevity. On the seven-star board, a cotton mattress embroidered with yellow damask is spread, commonly known as gold paving. The mattress is embroidered with patterns such as the teeth of the sea and the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, which means that the souls of the deceased ascend to heaven and become immortals. In the late Qing Dynasty, Beijing

The popular Dala Sutra quilts and wish-fulfilling longevity pillows used by bereaved families all have this meaning.

When the owner "encloses the corpse in the coffin", it is the time when the filial piety of the children can best be expressed and most needed to be expressed. It is the best occasion to formalize the filial piety of relatives.

Therefore, family members beat their chests, stamp their feet, and cry loudly. Before closing the coffin, they also put some funeral objects into the coffin. The folk tradition is to let the deceased hold gold in his left hand and silver in his right hand. Most of the time, the deceased should hold a one or two in his left hand.

A heavy small gold ingot; in the right hand, a small silver ingot or silver coin weighing one or two weights; and the poor had to put some copper coins, or coins commonly used in society at that time, such as large copper coins, small steel plates, etc. In the worst case, they had to be given to the deceased.

Put a handkerchief inside.

Therefore, the tombs of the past dynasties have been robbed. Especially in the tombs of emperors, most of the funerary objects are rare treasures, which have attracted countless coveters.

In order to ensure that the body of the deceased remains intact, it is said that all things that fell off the body of the deceased during his lifetime should be buried in the coffin. For example, teeth that fell out in old age, and nails that were cut off when the coffin was bathed. This

At this time, the family members must put them into the coffin. Also, the genitals that were cut off by eunuchs in the past for "purification" must also be put into the coffin at this time, saying that "the next life will be a complete rebirth."

body".

After the corpse and burial objects are placed, the undertaker then nails the coffin lid, which is called "nail nailing" among the people. Seven nails are usually used to nail the coffin, which is commonly known as "descendant nails". It is said that this can make future generations prosperous.

After the burial, the coffin is placed in the rain. Otherwise, it is thought that future generations will suffer from poverty. Before and after the burial, the coffin is kept in the hall until the funeral.

Old Zhaotou said that the funeral rituals are as vast as the sea of ​​clouds, and there is a lot of knowledge in them. Even if you study them for a lifetime, it may be difficult to master them all.

"Let me ask you again, have you ever regretted it?" His voice was still like gold and stone, every word.

After listening to Old Zhaotou's words, Yin Hui's expression kept changing. First he was confused, then pained, then hesitant, and finally with a look of determination: "No, I have never regretted it, because it was Master who led me to practice Taoism.

It made me understand a lot of truths that I couldn't understand before. As the saying goes, all living beings suffer, but what are all living beings?"

"I'm glad that I understand this truth. It's precisely because I have nothing that I understand the value of living an ordinary life. If I can live that kind of life in the future, I believe

, I should cherish it more than others. It is said that God gives great responsibility to people. Maybe this is the truth! I can't keep escaping. Some things always need someone to do it. Since God has chosen me, then I

I have to use my own hands to protect my family and this land. I believe this should be the meaning of our profession!"

After listening to Yin Hui's words, Old Zhaotou finally smiled happily: "Good boy, I didn't miss you at first. You really have something that many people don't have. In fact, as a teacher, I have thought about it countless times over the years. Now

Many ancient things have disappeared. The main reason may be that they can no longer keep up with the relationship of this society. Therefore, we mortuary masters are bound to follow this path in the future and disappear from the stage of history. Disciples, as teachers

I know your suffering, and these burdens are weighing on you. It is really too heavy. If one day, Taoism really reaches this point, you must live well. You must know that the so-called highest state of Taoism, Zhou

"Tian Yi Qi" means being upright and honest. Do you understand?"

Yin Hui nodded heavily and took Old Zhaotou's words to heart.

When Old Zhaotou saw that Yin Hui had written it down, he said to him with some relief: "Wait a moment, my master's ordination ceremony has been prepared for you for a year!" After that, he entered the bedroom.

There was only a rumbling inside, and after a while, Lao Zhaotou came out holding a long box. The outside of this box was tied with several layers of thick black cloth, and it was spotless.

Old Zhaotou washed his hands and untied the black cloth with a solemn expression. When he opened the box, he saw a money sword that was entirely green in color. After taking a closer look, he realized that this color was not inherent in the sword body.

, but there were rust stains on those copper coins, and some of them had condensed into many small pimples. Yin Hui had studied chemistry and knew that this was a chemical reaction, but he couldn't tell the specific amount of iron oxide. Anyway, it should be

An old antique with a long history. Next to the money sword, there are two small things lying quietly. One is a small white leather bag, which is very inconspicuous and I don’t know what it is for. The other is a strange-colored

The light flows inside the beads, as if there is some kind of indescribable liquid hidden inside.

Old Zhao twirled his goat's beard and said: "The ancestors have eight treasures in total, which coincide with the eight trigrams. Each has its own merits. Unfortunately, dynasties have changed and wars have continued. Only five can be passed down. A year ago, I

I have given you the Soul-Calling Bell and the North Compass, and now I will give you the rest, namely the Money Sword, the Baina Bag, and the Mysterious Pearl, and I hope you can do it yourself."

"Yes!" Yin Hui knew very well that his fate with Lao Zhaotou was over. He also knew very well that his life would never be able to escape the mark of this man...
Chapter completed!