Red and white customs

In view of the great differences in customs among different nationalities and regions, the so-called "ten miles of different customs" means funerals and happy events:

Funeral:

The old tradition of Han funeral is to pay attention to heavy burial, which is mixed with many superstitious customs. Coffin burial has been popular in Han nationality since ancient times, and the funeral is grand and divided into three stages: burial, burial and burial. The funeral is to dress the body and put it under the coffin. Before people die, they should summon spirits and bathe the dead. Funeral is divided into two steps: small funeral and large funeral. A small undertaker is a cloth used to wrap his body, silk is for the rich and jade is for the royal family. Great-coat is to put the body in the coffin. Coffins are called "longevity materials", male coffins are engraved with the word "longevity", female coffins are engraved with the word "blessing", and some coffins are engraved with the combination of the words "Fu Lushou". When he was dying, he put rice in the mouth of the dead man. This rich family owns jade, pearls, etc. , the royal family contains jade, modern silver, are called "rice".

A funeral is to stay in the funeral palace after the funeral. The mourning period varies from 3 days to 30 days, mainly depending on the mourners. In ancient times, coffins were buried for three months, up to seven months. According to the traditional customs of the Han nationality, children should mourn when their parents die, otherwise it is unfilial. Relatives and friends will mourn and pay homage to the deceased in the future, which is called "mourning" or "condolence". All mourners should mourn. It is made of coarse linen and fine linen, and wears different mourning clothes according to the relationship between relatives and friends. It is called "Pima Dai Xiao". In modern times, white cloth is often used for mourning. Modern cities generally wear white flowers on their chests and black gauze on their arms.

Burying is burying the body of the dead, that is, burying the coffin. Before burial, the old custom often depends on geomantic omen and chooses a cemetery, which is called "choosing good luck". Funeral is also called funeral. At the funeral, the ancient Han people were generally "dutiful sons", and undertaker sang an elegy. Elegy has evolved into elegy in modern times. Relatives and friends wrote elegiac couplets or funeral elegiac couplets, which evolved into wreaths of elegiac couplets in modern times.

After the funeral, there are memorial ceremonies for the seventh, seventh, centenary and anniversary, and the memorial tablet belongs to the ancestral hall, which has changed from a ceremony for people at the funeral to a ceremony for "ghosts" and "ancestors".

In addition, the Han nationality also has the custom of "returning to burial", that is, transporting the bodies that died in other places back to their original places.

During the funeral, the relatives of the deceased should wear mourning clothes and wake in the mourning hall. In the ancient etiquette system of China, filial piety was divided into five grades according to the kinship with the deceased. There is also a word "five clothes" in modern Chinese to express the distance of blood relationship.

After the death of the elder, children and grandchildren should stay at home for 27 months, during which time they should stop socializing and entertaining. Officials must also leave their jobs and go home to be filial to show their condolences to their relatives. This is the so-called "shouzhi".

marry

Guo: One month before the wedding, combine the time and personality of both men and women and set a date for the man's family to bring a "three-drink ceremony" to the woman's family.

Gifts: The man chooses auspicious day and brings gifts and cakes, coconuts, tea, betel nuts, seafood, three animals (including two pairs of chickens, two pairs of geese and two pig spleens), lotus seeds, sesame seeds, lilies, red dates, dried longan, glutinous rice flour, sugar chips, wine, a pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets, wedding rings and gold chains to the woman's house. When a woman receives a big gift, she will give some back to that man. This is called a "return gift". Usually half or more of the above items, plus a pair of lotus roots, a pair of taro, a pair of pomegranates, a pair of four-season oranges, a handkerchief, a son-in-law suit, a belt, a gift, a wallet and a paper fan, are written with the words "five generations under one roof, a hundred children and a thousand grandchildren".

Dowry: ancient women needed a big orange and a small orange to the man's house as a dowry, which contained 72 clothes, accompanied by cypress, lotus seeds, longan and lily; There is also a "Butterfly Qi Fei" that is relatively cut; "fertile land" bedding such as feet, dragon and phoenix quilts, pillows and sheets; Two pairs of slippers, two sets of pajamas and underwear; Children's bucket (spittoon) contains a pair of red eggs, two sweets, ten red chopsticks, two ginger and an umbrella.

Top: The top ceremony will be held on the morning of the wedding, and the time must be chosen. The man should leave half an hour earlier than the woman (the difference is about one hour), and the "good luck man" and "good luck woman" will hold it for both men and women in their respective homes. Both men and women should wear pajamas, and the woman should do it in the open window where she can see the moonlight. The so-called "lucky guy" and "lucky woman" are male and female elders. They choose their parents and children to live and have a harmonious marriage. Once upon a time, a woman was not allowed to walk on the ground after she reached the top. When she got into a sedan chair, she had to be carried by Sister Daikin. At the top, "lucky guy" and "lucky woman" will comb and say, "comb it, comb it to the end; Two combs, Qi Mei with white hair; Three combs, comb to future generations. "

Go out on a sunny day: opening the red umbrella means spreading the branches and leaves. Sprinkle red beans, mung beans and rice on the top of the umbrella to ward off evil spirits.

Return from the Three Dynasties: A newly married couple prepared the following items for their daughter's home: two golden pigs, a pot of wine, a pair of chickens, two boxes of cakes, two baskets of fruits, two boxes of noodles, pork bellies and two Jin of pork. The woman's family wants to raise her daughter and son-in-law for dinner. After returning home, the woman's family returned as usual, with cakes, bamboo poles, chicken, lettuce, celery, pig's head and pig's tail. Due to the progress of the times, everything is simple, and the gifts above can be replaced by benefits. Instead of pork, it is called pork gold. It's not cake, it's cake gold.

Taboo: Pregnant women and undertaker are not allowed to witness the couple go out and enter the house, and they are not allowed to touch the couple's clothes and everything in the new house. If the newlyweds want to "climb their heads" to get married, they must pass through the crotch of their unmarried brothers before they can go out.

This is the previous rule, which is still in use in some places and has been changed in some places.