Cross-strait customs are very different: Taiwan funeral customs

Death is the inevitable last event in a person's life. The funeral rituals formed by thousands of years of Chinese history and culture are designed to give peace to the living and to fulfill the last filial piety of the deceased. The whole funeral process is the last and most physical connection between the living and the deceased. So what is the difference between Taiwan's funeral customs and those of the mainland in Taiwan's culture? Let's take a look at it!

Taiwan funeral, inherited from the ancient Chinese mainland traditions, the rituals of the Zhou Dynasty as the fundamental, and mixed with Taoism, Buddhism, Yin Yang family, Feng Shui and other various sayings, self-contained, distinctive style. The whole process of funeral rites is quite tedious.

Moving store. The patient is seriously ill at the time of death, the patient must be moved to the main hall of the temporary board bed, commonly known as "moving store", if the death of the bedroom, it is said that "the soul" will be hanging on the bed can not be "super". The Taiwanese believe that the main hall is the best location in the home, if you can close the day in this, can be said to be glorious, happy. Men should move to the right side of the main hall, and women should move to the left side of the main hall.

Burning silver paper. Silver paper is for the soul of the dead in the underworld of the travel expenses, known as the "foot end money"; but also put a stove, burning incense and candles, for the dead to light the way to the underworld.

After death, there is the so-called "crying road head" custom, that is, the parents died, the daughter heard the news need to return home immediately, while crying while talking about the parents of the grace of parenting and their own grief, etc., and has to cry until someone take tea to her to drink or take a towel to wipe her face to stop. But the family wailing, taboo tear drops on the body, otherwise it is said that the person will go crazy. And the family came to the body of the deceased, the man in the deceased bed on the east side, the woman in the bed on the west side, all removed from the body of the jewelry, with plain clothes, collective crying.

Open the soul road. Please Taoist priests (commonly known as "Wu Tou Si Gong") or monks to chant. They will pray for the souls of the dead, open the way, and guide them to the netherworld. Begging for water to bathe. After the relatives put on their mourning clothes, they go to the river and line up to get water, which is called "begging for water". After coming back, please "good fortune" with a white cloth soaked in water, do for the deceased to wipe the body of the model, at the same time reciting under his breath: "you have now become a god, have been able to meet with ancestors," and so on, this is the "bath! This is the "bathing".

Coverall. For the deceased to prepare the clothes (life jacket) has five or seven pieces of up to eleven (but must be an odd number), first by the filial son set on the trial, known as the "set of clothes". Filial male wearing a good life jacket, take a scale, as if to weigh the clothes, which is to tell the deceased life jacket is bought by the children and grandchildren, to wear him to see the ancestors.

Draw life. After the "set of clothes", relatives have to eat with noodles and black sugar mixed into the food, because the noodle line is very long, symbolizing longevity, so it is called "pumping life". "Draw life" finished, to throw the hat and hoop to the roof, said the age of the deceased has been added to the children and grandchildren life, in order to extend the meaning of the life of the children and grandchildren.

Zhang wear. Filial male "set shirt", please "good life" for the deceased to wear a life jacket. Life jacket is prepared before the old man was born, some are even married off by others, some are doing 61 years old birthday gift from others, commonly known as "Zhang old shirt boy pants". In addition, the woman married white cloth shirt white cloth skirt can also be done later with the birthday suit.

Resignation. Before the body of the coffin, the deceased will have to eat the last meal in the world, on behalf of the world to say goodbye. With the "food and wine wedding table", there are 12 kinds of dishes, still by the "good fortune" to make the action of the food, the mouth should also say some auspicious words. Into the coffin (coffin). Into the coffin is an important moment of the whole funeral, must ask Mr. Bazi to choose a good day.

After the order is also very strict: the bottom of the coffin put grass wire; grass wire on top of the burnt ash; ash on the silver money; silver money on the money and put the library money; put on the writing of the seven stars of the thin plate, force "seven stars square", seven stars on behalf of the Tai Chi; put on the Peach Technology to expel the evil dogs of the netherworld; put a stone, a hard-boiled egg, A bowl of soy sauce, indicating that people can not be resurrected after death; put the "over the hill pants"; put a pillow sewn with red and white cloth, and silver paper, known as the "chicken pillow".

Put gold and precious stones next to the body, in order to encourage children and grandchildren to pick up the bones of the deceased in the future and then buried; put the "water quilt", covered with the body; put the "cover up the body streamer", which is made by the Taoist priests of the white cloth, the length of the same as the coffin, the deceased has several children, will be torn into several pieces, and the rest of the children will be torn into several pieces, and the rest will be torn into several pieces. The length of the cloth is the same as that of the coffin, so the deceased will tear it into several pieces and put the rest of the cloth in the coffin; finally, some silver money will be put in the coffin. These ceremonies are collectively known as "collect Wu".

After the coffin, the children and grandchildren who have not married will take turns to sleep next to the coffin, which is called "sleepy coffin feet", until the burial.

The funeral is usually performed by monks and Taoist priests. The date of the funeral is decided by the priest who chooses the date of the funeral.

The funeral procession is also spectacular. At the time of burial, the coffin is escorted by relatives to the mountain for burial and is lined up according to traditional customs. In the procession, there are whole pigs, goats, road-opening gods, placing silver money and paper, inscribed flags, filial piety lamps, auspicious lamps, blowing drum teams, colorful flags, feng shui masters, cool umbrellas, wreaths, singing troupes, twenty-four filial piety floats, bier gleaming officials, Taoist priests, monks, golden children, paper streamers, caskets, male survivors' teams, female survivors' teams, and relatives and friends of the mourners, and so on, **** **About 50 kinds.

Mourning clothes are also very elaborate. All the relatives in the bereaved family have to wear funeral clothes. Men wear straw shoes, women's shoes should be sewn on the funeral cloth, follow the funeral parade while walking and crying. Generally, the relatives, friends and guests who come to the funeral will find a proper place to stop after following for a certain period of time. Coffin also stopped, by the owner of the funeral kneeling to answer, pleading friends and relatives, and to express gratitude, so "thank you step". Then, the funeral relatives and friends will say goodbye to the casket, and children and grandchildren and close relatives have been sent to the burial until.

Taiwan folk are still prevalent burial (except in big cities), the choice of cemetery is very concerned about the "feng shui", and do not hesitate to hire a Feng Shui master to look for the "lucky place". In Taiwan, there is a lot of rain, and the shape of the tomb is similar to that of the Fujian and Guangdong regions, mostly made of masonry in the shape of a "chair", with cement or lime on the outside.

Burial. This is the final stage. The graves in the cemetery are dug in advance by a "tugong" (a person who buries and washes bones), and when the coffins arrive, the coverings are removed from the coffins, and the men kneel on the left side of the coffins, while the women kneel on the right side of the coffins, and cry out in a loud voice to say goodbye.

After the monks and Taoist priests finished reciting the sutra, they began to "put the bolt", that is, in a certain part of the coffin hole, and then play into the water bolt. The purpose is to let the air inside the coffin, in order to early materialization. Finally, with the soil public and other people to put the coffin into the grave, by the owner of the coffin first to bury on, in order to show filial piety.

Finally, they burn gold paper for the landlord and silver paper for the grave, and take back all the sacrificial offerings, so the funeral is complete.

After the funeral, the eldest grandson will put the tablet in the "soul palanquin" and bring it back to his home for worship, which is called "returning to the master". The funeral is a funeral service, but the return is an auspicious event, so the eldest grandson has to take off his mourning clothes and put on a light yellow long coat. When they return home, they serve the mourners with pre-prepared dishes. At the same time, the Lord God's tablet in the main hall, monks burn incense, paper, reading scripture, family members also burn incense, worship, crying, known as "An Ling".

Three to seven days after the funeral ceremony, filial son and close relatives to prepare gifts to the cemetery worship, called "patrol" domain "ash", "thank you for the soil". Later on, they have to choose an auspicious day to hold the ceremony of completing the grave. After that, there are many other ceremonies, such as "do ten days", "do merit" and other rituals.

The "Dojun" is an offering made every seven days after the death of the deceased. On these days, "filial rice" is made in the morning and evening and served on the spiritual table, the survivors burn silver paper and incense, and the women kneel down to cry and wail. If it is a rich family, the monks and Taoist priests are invited to "do merit".

The last to do ten days is called "tail ten days", which depends on how many clothes are worn in the funeral "set of clothes". If you wear seven layers, it is called the "seven days" and lasts for 79 days; if you wear eleven layers, it is called the "eleven days" and lasts for 77 days.

After that, they have to do a hundred days, that is, a hundred days after the death of the sacrifice. Rich people have to invite monks or Taoist priests to their homes, and hold grand offerings of puja. But the average family only needs to make offerings on the spiritual table, and the children and grandchildren can pay homage.

One year after the death of the deceased, to "do the right year". At this time, the daughters of the deceased married daughters, must come back to offer sacrificial offerings. After this day's ceremony, the daughters and their distant relatives can "get rid of filial piety".

After that, it is to choose an auspicious day to remove the "soul silk" and incense burner, which is called "push the spirit".

The furnace. That is, at the end of the deceased's mourning period, part of the ashes of the incense burner, put into the incense burner of the ancestral tablets, by which time the tablets of the deceased and the ancestral tablets can be offered together. Some people also cremated the deceased's new tablets, only in the successive generations of ancestors on the big card written into the name of the deceased.

The new taboo. The first taboo day after the combined furnace called "do new taboo", and from then on every year in this day of ancestor worship.

Sweep the tomb. Also known as tomb cultivation, on the tomb, generally in the Qingming Festival before and after ten days. Sweeping the grave to remove the weeds on the grave, the word on the tombstone to wash clear, and then in front of the tomb for the red turtle barley, hair cake, livestock sweet worship. After worshipping, you should put rectangular colorful paper called "tomb paper" on the head of the grave and around the grave.