Chinese funeral rituals

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Chinese funerary rituals consist of a set of traditions widely linked to Chinese people's religion, with different rituals depending on the age of the deceased, the cause of death, and the deceased marriage and social status. Different rituals are performed in different parts of China, and many contemporary Chinese perform funerals according to various religions such as Buddhism or Christianity. However, in general, the funeral itself was performed for seven days, and the mourners wore burial clothing according to their relationship with the deceased. Traditionally, white clothing is a symbol of the dead, while red is usually not worn, as it is traditionally a symbolic color of happiness imposed on Chinese marriage. Number three is significant, with many customary movements being performed three times.

While traditionally grazing is popular, today the dead are often cremated rather than buried, especially in the big cities of China. According to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), of 9.77 million deaths in 2014, 4.46 million, or 45.6%, were cremated.

Video Chinese funeral rituals

History

Throughout history, the Chinese had performed a complex burial ceremony, with the graves of early rulers rivaling ancient Egyptian tombs in their funerary art and supplies for the dead in the afterlife. At the end of the 3rd century BC, the Terracotta Army contained about 9,000 terracotta sculptures buried to protect Qin Shi Huang, the first Chinese Emperor.

Traditional burial practices show a strong belief in life after death and the need for ancestor worship among the living; Confucian philosophy calls for honoring one's ancestors as a filial act (? xiÃÆ' o ). These ideals still inform the funeral ceremony for many Chinese people today.

Maps Chinese funeral rituals

Practice

It is a habit for relatives to keep the awareness of the dying, to accompany them until the last moment before entering the afterlife. This process, called shou ling (??), is a way for a loved one to show piety and allegiance to the deceased. Family members thus take turns to keep an eye on a relative on their deathbed.

It is common to place a white banner above the household door to indicate that death has occurred. Families will usually gather to carry out funeral rituals, so they both honor the dead and strengthen the bonds of the kin group. Those who have close relationships with the dead (ie sons and daughters) wear white clothes, while distant relatives wear clothing in a different color than white, black, blue and green. The colors red, yellow, and brown are traditionally not used during the period of mourning, which can last up to three years. Before the funeral, obituary notices (??) are usually sent to relatives and friends who announce the date and time of the funeral procession. Dates are usually chosen as one that is profitable according to Chinese luck calendar (??? i> tong sheng ).

The deceased wore a clean funeral gown (??) in preparation for their departure from the world (???? rÃÆ' Â © n shÃÆ'¬ ) and journey to the afterlife (?? lei shÃÆ'¬ ). DÃÆ' liÃÆ' n (??) is a ritual of removing the corpse to the coffin (?? mÃÆ'¹ mÃÆ'¹ ), which will rest in the hall decorated with four idioms of characters (?? < i> cheng yu ) before burial or cremation. Before the funeral procession, ji? jÃÆ'¬ (??) was held. According to the proximity and status of family members, they will pay respect (?) To the deceased.

According to Chinese custom, an elder should never show respect to someone younger. So, if the deceased is a young bachelor, for example, his body can not be taken home and must remain in the cemetery. His parents also can not offer prayers to their sons. Since she was not married, she did not have a child who could perform the same ritual for her. (This is why the body can not enter the family home.) If an infant or child dies, no funeral ceremony is done either because respect can not be shown to a younger person. The child is buried in silence.

The funeral procession (?? f? Y? N ) is the process of bringing the hearse to a funeral site or cremation site. During the funeral, food offerings, incense, and joss paper are usually presented. Joss food and paper offerings indicate the ongoing interdependence between the deceased and the descendants of their lives. Taoist or Buddhist prayer is sometimes performed by monks, to help the deceased soul to find peace and escape from destiny to "anxious ghost."

Every year at the Qing Ming Festival (???), people respect their ancestors by visiting their graves and smoothing their tombstones. The next generation is invited to participate through this ancestral process of honor (?

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See also

• Lamentations of marriage
• Ancestor worship in China
• Colors in Chinese culture

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia