What does "funeral" mean?

The old folk funeral custom in Jingchu began when the deceased stopped breathing, that is, there was a whole set of procedures, as follows:

Burning "gas paper": that is, the immediate family members of the deceased, when the death of the deceased has been confirmed, put a pottery jar in front of the coffin bed and burn money or paper money in the jar, which means that the deceased can "take money on the road".

Cleanliness addiction: the immediate family members of the deceased hit a basin of clear water and wiped the body of the deceased with a white cloth handkerchief, usually limited to "three handkerchiefs", that is, when wiping, the cloth handkerchief was soaked in water and wrung dry three times, which was called "three handkerchiefs". One wipes his face, two wipes his chest and abdomen, and three wipes his feet and legs. Cleanliness addiction is also called "washing funeral".

Change clothes: put clean clothes, shoes and socks on the deceased. Young adults who die with their parents should wear black gauze on their arms; Old people's belts are all tied with white cotton strands, and the number of cotton strands depends on their age. Old people change clothes, which is called "wearing shroud".

Open the crane; Carry the dead to the coffin bed and put it behind the white curtain of the coffin hall. There are candlesticks, incense pots and portraits of the dead on the table. The wife of the immediate family told the story of the deceased while crying. Most of the stories are about the hardships of the devil in the life of the dead. The tone is sad and moving, and it is called "Crying Spirit". Relatives and friends came to pay homage, set off firecrackers in front of the door and set off firecrackers in response to the funeral. Guests are usually limited to three drops of incense, or bow down or kowtow. The male direct descendants of the relatives of the deceased bowed down on the left side of the mourning hall, which is called "filial thanks". Rest time is limited to an odd number, ranging from three days, five days and seven days. When the crane opens, some ask monks and Taoist priests to do things that cross over the dead; In the evening, special folk artists are invited to sing "Mourning the Drum", and most of the drum words are folk myths. Most of the "sacrificial rites" sent by hangers are cloth, which must be written and hung on both sides of the mourning hall, which is called "hanging sacrificial accounts".

Funeral: The beginning of sending the dead to the cemetery and carrying them onto the road is called "waking up". When he wakes up, the dutiful son needs to throw the clay pot that burns paper money on the memorial table, which is called "throwing the pot". Car beds are mostly eight lean men, and relatives of the deceased must be excluded. Funeral is also called "mourning". Some asked Taoist priests to "clear the way" with peach swords in their hands, the dutiful son wore linen, and Dai Xiao walked in front of the coffin bed (or coffin) to lead the way. All relatives and friends sent him all the way to the cemetery. On the way to the funeral, if relatives and friends set up a "road sacrifice" on the roadside, the dutiful son must kneel down and salute.

Setting a spirit and a round grave: after the deceased is buried, a spirit should be set in the home on the left side of the mourning hall, which is called "setting a spirit"; Three days later, relatives went to the grave to pay homage, which was called "round grave". From the date of the death of the deceased, relatives should light candles and burn incense in front of the coffin every seven days and hold a memorial ceremony until the fifth "seventh day", which is called "doing May 7th". After three years of filial piety, the coffin was incinerated, which was called "removing the spirit".

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the funeral customs in the past changed with the change of customs and the promotion of funeral reform.