Why do you have to stay dead for three days at a funeral? What are the historical stories and related figures?

Let's take a look at the origin of the three-day mortuary custom I brought.

A person's death declares that he has left this world forever. In order to commemorate the dead, people will hold funerals to commemorate the dead. There are many details in funeral etiquette, such as the well-known "mortuary", which means that after a person dies, the body will stay for a few days before being buried.

In ancient times, it was seven days of death. In modern society, people's life has become faster and faster, and basically they only die for three days. How did the term "necromancer" come into being? Why do people stop for three days after death? Let's reveal the mysterious answer for everyone.

Photo: Remembering the stills of the deceased

First of all, let me introduce the origin of "mortuary".

During the Spring and Autumn Period, medical conditions and treatment methods were very limited, and usually a slight illness could kill people. At this time, Prince Guo suddenly died for some unknown reason. Guo's monarch was very sad about this, but he was still ready to bury the prince's body.

When traveling here, he was very skeptical when he heard the news of Prince Guo's sudden death. He suspected that it was just suspended animation, so he immediately went to the palace to diagnose the prince. With the consent of the monarch, he immediately touched the body of Prince Guo and found that it was still warm, which further confirmed his guess.

Later, Bian Que used acupuncture combined with drugs to treat it. The dead prince suddenly woke up and sat up straight. After a few days of rest, I can get well again, just like ordinary people.

Photo: Diagnosing the stills of Prince Guo.

It turns out that the prince of Guo suffered from "corpse syncope", which will make people suddenly faint, which is not much different from death. If you don't distinguish it carefully, you really can't detect it. Fortunately, Bian Que got timely treatment, otherwise the prince Guo would be buried alive.

Since then, Bian Que has warned people here that if someone dies, don't bury him immediately. Leave the body for three days to ensure that it is not suspended animation before burial. Slowly, the folk evolved into the custom of "mortuary".

Photo: Stills of leaving the body for three days.

In addition, there is a legend. According to legend, in ancient times, a scholar named Zhao married this wife. He gave birth to three children. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiucai died before the three children grew up.

After her husband died, the burden of life suddenly fell on her. One day, she found that the old hen that laid eggs at home was lost, and there was still no trace after searching hard. At that time, the fire hit the heart and the family was ruined.

The children are very sad that their mother has passed away, but they must pull themselves together and hold a funeral for their mother. After burying his mother, she really came back to life. It turned out that she was also "suspended animation". However, in this narrow grave, Yan really suffocated.

After the three children found out, they felt very sorry and hanged themselves in the tree in front of the grave. The story spread among neighbors and had a great influence on people. After that, anyone who dies will leave the body for three days, or longer.

Photo: mother's funeral stills

Second, some places will put a yellow paper on the face of the corpse.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the King of Wu defeated Gou Jian, who became a prisoner. At that time, some ministers suggested that Gou Jian should be released to show his broad mind and make the world submit.

The prince of Wu thought it made sense and agreed. Wu Zixu, on the other hand, stood up and resolutely opposed it, thinking that it might "set the tiger back to the mountain" and cause endless future trouble. The prince of Wu believed that Wu Zixu deliberately disturbed the morale of the army, sentenced him to treason and ordered his death.

Before his execution, Wu Zixu shouted, "Gou Jian, the king of Yue, will surely defeat the king of Wu in the future." . Later, as Wu Zixu expected, Gou Jian did his best to defeat the State of Wu.

At this point, the prince of Wu just woke up. He was wrong about Wu Zixu and was ashamed of him. So he ordered: cover your face with yellow cloth after death to show your guilt. This practice has also spread among the people. It is believed that people who made mistakes during their lifetime will hide their faces to show their apologies after death.

Photo: Goujian Wang comics.

Later, it evolved into covering the face with yellow paper, and it can also be judged whether the deceased was faking his death. Because the yellow paper is very thin, if it is suspended animation, that person will have breathing, and can observe through the yellow paper to prevent the living from being buried.

In addition, there is a saying that after death, there will be changes in the face, such as corpse spots, so as not to scare people and cover them with yellow paper.

As can be seen from the above, the original purpose of ancient people's meditation was to prevent the dead from faking their own deaths, which gradually evolved into a custom and became an indispensable part of funeral etiquette.

In addition, in ancient times, people believed in the theory of "returning to the soul" and believed that after death, the soul would return to the place where it was before death on the seventh day. So in order to let the deceased leave with peace of mind, there will be a funeral and seven days of mourning.

Of course, this statement is superstitious and unrealistic. But surprisingly, there are still some rural areas that are still superstitious about this statement.

Image from the Internet: Yellow Book

In modern times, medical conditions have been very advanced. If the doctor judges that the person has died, there is basically no possibility of "suspended animation". So what is the modern three-day "morgue" like?

Because "San" is known as "Xiao San Yang" in traditional culture, it means that the soul of the deceased can rest in peace after three days of parking. In addition, parking for three days is also a reflection of remembering the dead. You know, after the body is buried, you can only remember the deceased through carriers such as photos.

To put it bluntly, it is to spend more time with the deceased and cherish the memory of the deceased. In addition, leaving the body for three days can make relatives far away from home come back in time to see the last side of the deceased. This is also a tradition. China people have a strong "family concept".

If you don't see the last side of the deceased, the living will feel sorry and unwilling, and may feel guilty for a long time. Therefore, the funeral custom of "stopping the spirit" has been circulating since ancient times.

Photos: Still photos of buried bodies.

Third, why is it shortened from "seven days" to "three days"?

The main reason is that transportation is much more convenient now than in ancient times, and it can be reached quickly even if it is far away. In addition, people have looked down on "death" a lot, and it is not as extravagant as before. Moreover, people also have their own things to do, and it is most appropriate to stop for three days.

In rural areas all over the country, people generally "stop dying" after death, but the difference is that the number of days to stop dying is slightly different. Although modern countries advocate simplifying funeral forms, it has little effect in rural areas, and it is still the same as before.

However, it cannot be said that this is a bad thing. It is a form of cultural inheritance besides family support. What do you think, gentlemen?