The rites and traditions associated with death are common to all peoples. However, nowhere are these issues as important as in China. Many rituals to us Europeans may seem rather strange and even frightening.
Appease the dead
The Chinese greatly respect the cult of ancestors. It is believed that the spirits of deceased relatives are capable of influencing the lives of those who remain in this world. In order for them to help in various matters, it is necessary to appease them, carefully observing all the required customs during and after the funeral. If a person is buried or remembered in the wrong way, his spirit can become angry and begin to harm living relatives. Moreover, he will not find peace in the next world.
So, in the old days, even before the burial ceremony, it was supposed to conduct a special rite of intimidation of evil spirits. For this, Buddhist and Taoist monks on the eve of the funeral walked through all the streets along which the funeral procession was to move. At the same time, they sprinkled the surroundings with consecrated water and played musical instruments.
In some regions of China, there is a custom of "cleansing the bones" even today. It is held 10 years after the death of the deceased. The burial is excavated, the remains are taken out, thoroughly washed and put into a ceramic pot, which is then buried again. This is also done in order to give the deceased due respect.
Gifts for the afterlife
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The afterlife, according to legends, is very similar to ours. For example, if a person had a high status during his lifetime, then wealth and honor await him after death. In ancient times, together with rulers and nobles, their wives and concubines, servants, and domestic animals were buried. Of course, they were killed for this - usually they were burned or buried alive in the ground. So, together with the ruler of the kingdom Qin Mugun, who lived in the 7th century. BC, buried alive 177 people, and three of them belonged to high-ranking families.
If it was about the emperors, then the tombs for them began to be built at the very beginning of their reign. They looked more like palaces than resting places. Weapons, horse harness, products and decorations made of jade and bronze traditional for China were placed in the tombs. The custom to bury the living together with the dead ceased by about the middle of the 1st millennium BC. People began to be replaced by symbolic clay figurines or images cut from paper.
It is assumed that the inhabitants of the afterlife also require money. You can pay with them to get into the next world in a more comfortable environment (in our opinion, to heaven). It is believed that if a person lived righteously, then after death he will receive quite decent savings that will help ensure a paradise life. But if there are doubts, then the relatives of the deceased should take care of the future welfare after death. Therefore, in the coffin, along with the remains of the deceased, they put a special "currency" - "money" for the afterlife, which are sold in shops and shops of ritual goods. They come in different "denominations", and you can buy them for a very real amount. The higher the denomination indicated on the pieces of paper, the more expensive this "money" is supposedly in the afterlife.
On special days of commemoration, it is customary to decorate the graves of loved ones. They leave money on them (and not only imitation of banknotes, but also real banknotes) and products that the deceased can use in the afterlife.
One of these days is called the "Day of the Spirit." Celebrating this peculiar holiday, the Chinese leave generous offerings on the graves, intended not only for the deceased, but also for the deity that controls the afterlife. This is the guarantee of prosperity in our world.
Posthumous weddings
If a person did not manage to get married before his death, then he will still need a partner, already for the afterlife. It is done like this. The relatives of the deceased find a family in which a man or woman has recently died, who could become a suitable match for the dead, and agree on a reburial. The "groom" and "bride" are buried side by side, and the "marriage" is considered concluded. But there are too many people willing to enter into such "marriages" for their deceased loved ones, and therefore problems arise with the search for posthumous "spouses". It got to the point that gangs appeared, digging up graves at night and kidnapping dead bodies, and then selling them to the relatives of the deceased bachelors.
Next to the spirits
The other world is always nearby, the people of China believe. Spirits and demons live around us, both good and evil … To attract the favor of good entities, you need to wear talismans, and amulets will save you from evil spirits. Often, the Chinese even paint images of otherworldly beings on the walls of houses for various magical purposes.
To ward off evil spirits, a special Wutu dance is performed. The dancers perform a series of rhythmic movements, holding wide white ribbons in their hands and shouting the names of the exorcised demons. After the end of the ritual, the ribbons are burned.
The Chinese call the seventh month of the lunar year "the month of ghosts." According to legend, at this time, spirits can penetrate the world of the living. In order not to have problems with them, certain rituals must be observed. So, if someone was born this month, then he should celebrate his birthday only during the day. If he arranges a holiday in the dark, he will attract representatives of evil spirits.
The Gui Da Festival is held annually in the spring. It is organized by Tibetan monks. The festival symbolizes the victory of the light forces over the dark ones. Participants in the action put on masks of spirits and demons. They try to carefully observe all the rituals that have not changed for a thousand years …