Funeral customs of Kangba Tibetans and Tujia people in western Hunan

There are five burial methods for Tibetan compatriots after death. The form of burial is mainly determined based on the economic and social status of the deceased. The most solemn thing is the pagoda burial, followed by cremation. When a child dies or someone dies from other diseases, the body is thrown into the river to feed the fish. This is called water burial. People who have done bad things during their lifetime are buried in the ground. Tibetans believe that buried people will never be reincarnated.

Sky burial entrusts the fantasy of ascending to "heaven". Sky burial ceremonies are usually held in the early morning. In order to respect local ethnic customs, the local government has clearly stipulated that viewing sky burials without permission is not allowed, and private photography and photography are not allowed.

The funeral customs of the Tujia people in western Hunan

The funeral customs of the Tujia people in western Hunan are more particular about the elderly and elders, while the young people are more casual.

(1) Encoffining: After a person dies, the eldest son or daughter of the deceased (if there are no children, send other juniors), go to the well to get a tea can or a bamboo tube of fresh water, heat it and give it The deceased takes a bath, then puts on his shroud and red shoes, and ties a white gauze around his waist (one for one year according to the age of the deceased). He puts it in the room with a heated kang with a door panel, covers his face with a piece of white paper, and presses a piece of white gauze on his chest. Cover the tripod and light a clear oil lamp at your feet. At this time, the bed straw on which the deceased slept during his illness was burned at the crossroads outside the house. The quilts and clothes worn by the deceased while he was ill must be washed and dried. Place the coffin in the center of the main room, take fire pit ashes from seven to nine neighbors' homes, sprinkle it inside the coffin, cover it with paper, and then bury it. It will be sealed after relatives have seen it.

(2) Wearing Xiao: The deceased’s filial son, filial daughter, filial son and filial grandson must wear Xiao. Close relatives should wear white linen or white cloth headscarf, and wear unbuttoned white gowns tied with cloth strips. It's called Xiaoyi. Xiaopa must be worn continuously for three years. The biological son of the deceased does not shave his head for three months after the burial of the deceased as a sign of mourning.

(3) Funeral: Before the "return to the land", the chieftain held a funeral. After "gaituguiliu", it was changed to Taoist priests to clear roads and hold funerals. The deceased usually has to leave his coffin for three to seven days before going up the mountain and setting up a mourning hall in the main room. Within these few days, an auspicious day is chosen as the "Cremation Day" to hold a funeral, and pigs and cows are killed as a memorial to the deceased. During the day, Taoist priests or Tu Laosi are asked to "untie knots" and "save the souls of the dead".

(4) Funeral: The morning after the big funeral is the funeral. First, ask Mr. Yin and Yang to choose the place of "Suzaku in the front, Xuanwu in the back, Qinglong on the left, and White Tiger on the right" as the cemetery. When carrying a mourner out, one should throw "travel money" (superstitious paper) along the road, and put a torch at the door of someone's house. As the coffin walked, someone used a "descendant stick" (seven to nine sections of money paper tied to a bamboo pole) to hit the coffin lid, and beat gongs and drums to carry the funeral up the mountain.

(5) Burial: The coffin is carried to the tomb well. Before going down into the tomb well, the Taoist priest will first draw the Eight Diagrams with millet in the well. After sprinkling realgar wine, the coffin can be put into the pit. First, a filial son will They knelt on the coffin lid and dug three holes into the mud. Then everyone piled earth and moved rocks to dig into the tomb. A paper umbrella and a "descendant stick" should be placed on the grave, a dustpan should be placed upside down, and a "huole umbrella" (paper tied like a wreath) given by the married daughter and nieces should be placed on the grave. Then set off firecrackers to indicate that the burial is complete.

In addition, the family members of the deceased must send torches to the new tomb for three consecutive nights. After the "three dynasties" are completed, they must bring wine and "knife-head meat" to the new tomb to "catch the soul" Spiders and other small insects are caught, put into paper tubes, sealed, and taken home to be placed on the shrine, which means that the deceased has arrived at the home shrine and is living with ancestors of all generations.