Guangdong ancient traditional funeral custom

Except for some ethnic minorities, the traditional funeral in China is usually burial or cremation. In most urban areas, cremation is now used to bid farewell to the deceased relatives, while in rural areas, burial is still very popular, and people think that the deceased should stay healthy. So what are the traditional funeral customs in Guangdong? Let's learn about Guangdong culture together.

Take care of a dying elder in the family

It is the elders who are sick. On the deathbed, all the children and grandchildren in the family have to wait for "death" in front of the sickbed. After his death, he burned incense and candles in front of his bed, melted paper money, lit a ever-burning lamp (using peanut oil or kerosene as fuel) by his bed, played a black umbrella, and gave the deceased a rice ball in each hand, indicating that the deceased could go to the underworld safely.

Declare sb. dead

The son went to his uncle's house to report the funeral, and the dutiful son had to wear mourning clothes and a straw hat. When you see the recipient, you should kneel down and cry to the other person about the date of death, cause of death and date of funeral, and then leave all the time.

Knock sb.

Na Xin Wabao, the eldest son of bereavement, led his family to fetch water from the stream or pond near the door (called "Water Dragon King buys water"), and showered, washed and dressed the deceased. The number of shirts and trousers is 3-5, and many of them are buried in coffins. Don't button your clothes (cut them off if there are buttons). Some mountain customs put fried eggs in the mouth of the deceased, while in the north of the county, hard coins are put in the mouth (meaning filial piety).

After the coffin, the deceased was carried to the open space outside the door and parked (villagers in some towns and blocks, mainland China and Baini used to park the coffin in the hall inside the house). On the day of the funeral, undertaker, big and small, placed rice and incense in the morning and evening, and knelt down to cry. Bed boards and benches used by the deceased were thrown into ponds or puddles for soaking.

Carry the coffin to the cemetery

All the families in the village send people to the funeral regardless of their surnames. Before burial, Taoist priests are usually asked to do Taoist things to cross over the dead. Some rich families pay more attention to it, and ask Taoist priests to "chant Buddhist scripture" and "fast" 1-3 days. Relatives of the female family of the deceased came to offer their condolences. The main members of bereaved families should wear mourning clothes, kneel outside the door with mourning sticks, and wait for their relatives to press their backs (to show sympathy and soothe their grief) before getting up. At the time of the funeral, it was in full swing, and the Taoist priest blew his horn and his voice was sad. When the coffin was carried up the mountain, Dai Xiao, a man and a woman who lost their family, wore a funeral stick and cried with the funeral. Fired guns along the way, scattered paper money and chaff, commonly known as "money for roads", as a contribution to the underworld. The rest of undertaker is given a piece of white cloth by the host family, with the man tying his left arm and the woman tying his forehead, so he can return halfway. Relatives of the deceased should be sent directly to the cemetery and returned after burial. The people who attended the funeral went back to the main house for dinner, and the son of the main house thanked them. The next day, the tomb will be restored, and after the tomb is repaired, a memorial ceremony will be held.

Anling

After the master's family was buried, the mourning hall was in the main hall of the main house, burning incense in the morning and evening. Starting from the mourning day, paper is burned every seven days to pay homage. On March 7th and May 7th, a Taoist priest was invited to make a Dojo, and then on July 7th (forty-nine days), everything in the mourning hall was moved outside the door and burned. The utensils and clothes of the deceased were burned uselessly, while the useful ones were in the "flame" of mourning. The host family took off their mourning clothes, updated their clothes, changed red ropes for women, and prepared red dates, cakes and fruits. Taoist sent the "soul" of the deceased to the ancestral temple, which was called "the ancestor". At this point, the funeral is over.

Some elderly people died, saying it was "good luck". Some undertakers like to take home a rice bowl for funeral, which is said to prolong life. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, after the death of parents, they kept the system for three years, which was called Ding You. Those with official positions have to leave their posts, and Confucian scholars are not allowed to take exams. They don't put up red paper couplets at home, hold weddings, wear gorgeous clothes or travel far. This is called keeping discipline, also called filial piety.

After liberation, the old funeral customs have been gradually simplified or faded, especially after the 1970s, when a memorial service was held, relatives and friends sent scrolls and wreaths to both sides of the memorial hall, and the portrait of the deceased was hung in the center of the hall, and the host read the eulogy. However, quite a few rural areas still follow the old customs.