Manchu Funeral Customs

Preparing materials, in the old man over 50 years old, children for the old man on the mountain to cut wood, generally fruit pine (red pine), please carpenters to do two Tartar purse (coffin) ready, commonly known as the "flag material". The city generally do not prepare material, people die, directly to the coffin store to buy.

Funeral ceremonies

Funeral ceremonies, early Manchus pay attention to funeral rites. When the deceased in the family when the time comes, it is easier to new clothes, commonly known as "wearing birthday clothes". The spirit bed is placed in front of the south kang, head west foot east. At the time of death, the whole family is not allowed to cry and wait quietly for the old man to leave this world. After death, white cloth (paper) face, with white thread tied feet, which is called tripping wire (open in the coffin), but also let the deceased clutch two coins in both hands, said the death of money to spend. Also put a rooster with a hand pinch, placed in front of the head of the deceased, called the "inverted chicken". At this time, we began to cry, crying with sound and rhyme, crying content are the advantages of the deceased's life benefits, which is called "crying nine field". Manchu elders died, children wear white mourning clothes. Filial shirt generally after seven days before taking off, wait until a hundred days and then wear the mourning shirt to the grave to burn paper, and then take off the filial piety.

Hanging Cloth Streamers

Hanging Cloth Streamers, the old man a gas, first in the southwest of the yard firm up a seven-meter-long wooden pole, the top of the wooden pole hanging red cloth streamers, commonly known as the "soul of the streamer". Once the streamer was hung out, friends and relatives came in droves. After kowtowing in front of the spirit, men on the left and women on the right, on both sides, until the night. Friends and relatives also take turns to "keep vigil" in front of the spirit. The people on the "vigil" cannot sleep, and when it is cold, they gather around a fire to keep warm. The family should prepare wine and food for the people on the "vigil" to drink.

Coffin

Coffin, choose an auspicious day and time to hold a coffin ceremony. Coffin placed under the south window, the coffin paper, and then the sifted soil in the bottom layer, the soil and then a layer of yellow paper, put on the seven copper coins, which is called "pad back money". Corpses lifted out of the house, not allowed to day light dead, not allowed to lift out the dead from the door, because the door is the living walk, taboo dead people pass by. So into the coffin, with a cover to support the shed. The body is carried out by the window, the eldest son heads, other sons hold feet, loaded into the coffin is called into the coffin.

Suspension of spirit

Suspension of spirit, suspension of spirit according to the family's financial situation. People die in the spirit of a seven, three seven, five seven, seven seven and so on. Families living in affluence, the elders can be suspended for seven seventy-nine days after death, families living in difficult times after death at any time of the funeral. In recent years, the spirit is usually suspended for three days, divided into three major and three minor. Small three refers to the evening when the death is counted as a day, three refers to the evening death is not counted as a day, and into the coffin and funeral at the same time. Stopping the spirit, "filial son" can not leave the hearth, night and day to keep the spirit.

Funeral and burial

Funeral and burial, Manchu funeral must choose a single day, said the double day of the funeral means the death of two people, unlucky. Early that morning, to send people to the ancestral gravesite "wells", first by the outsiders to take out the spade soil on one side, ready to be buried when used, and then we all dig down, digging to two feet eight inches deep, not digging down. The casket is called "funeral". At the beginning of the funeral, first of all, the cloth streamer should be taken down from the wooden pole, and the filial son or grandson should hold up the cloth streamer and walk in front of the casket as a guide. After the coffin is raised, the mourning pots are dropped, the trumpet is blown, the red cloth streamer leads the way in front, and all kinds of paper things (paper people, paper horses, etc.) follow behind, scattering paper money as they go. When they arrive at the cemetery, they first place two short logs on the ground and place the spirit center on the logs. After that, everyone starts to grab and tear the piece of cloth streamer, and since there are so many people, all of them deserve a piece by ritual, so it is torn to pieces. The hunting dogs and bows and arrows that were raised in life are also incinerated in the fire, and the ashes are buried under the feet of the spirit.