The memorial ceremony after death is very particular. "Burning Seven" means that every seven days from the death of the deceased is a memorial day, which is called the first seven days, the last seven days, the third seven days, the fourth seven days, the fifth seven days, the sixth seven days and the last seven days (broken seven days). Folks say that people have three souls and seven spirits. After death, one soul is scattered for one year, one spirit is lost for seven days, one spirit is exhausted for three years, and seven spirits are exhausted. Therefore, we have to go through the "seven issues" and the third anniversary, and some have a hundred days and anniversaries.
Among them, "Sanqi" and "the last seven" are the most important. The soul of the dead will go home in the first seven, that is, the ghost night of the first seven. Family members should prepare a meal for the soul of the deceased before the soul comes back, and then they must avoid it. 35 days -49 days, officially entered the reincarnation. The period from death to reincarnation is what Buddhism calls "Yin body".
First, the first seven levels:
1. The old custom holds that the soul still exists after death. 7749 days ago, the ghost of the deceased had to go home once, and the specific time was calculated by the Taoist priest. At that time, the funeral home will arrange incense and wine, and lay a layer of charcoal ash or plant ash on the floor to test the footprints of the deceased. With a bamboo pole and a sticker on each foot, stand on the doorstep or insert it under the eaves of dead people. It is said that ghosts will enter the house when they see this.
2. Put a boiled egg in the clay pot in the corner of the house to bribe the evil spirits (commonly known as the chicken feet god) and let the ghost of the deceased stay at home for a period of time. At this time, the whole family is in the distance. After the specified time, throw a string of firecrackers into the house first, and then you can enter the house after the explosion. On centennial and anniversary days, paper will be burned to pay homage. Half a year or a year after death, do another Dojo for the deceased.
3. There is a folk custom of "observing seven". Since the death of the deceased, his family members have to sacrifice 1 time every seven days until the 49th day, commonly known as "breaking seven". Among them, "the first seven" and "the sixth seven" (or "the fifth seven") are the most grand.
4. Sacrifice the dead on the night of "the first seven days", close relatives and friends get together all night, eat "the first seven days wonton" in the middle of the night, and send people to other people's fields to "steal vegetables" in order to be cursed by stealing. It is said that the fiercer the curse, the faster the wealth will be made. The stolen family will be aware of the secrecy of the nearby family "burning the first seven" and be silent. This folk custom still exists. On the fifth or sixth anniversary of the death of the deceased, his family invited monks or Taoist priests to cross over, which was called "June 7th", and invited relatives and friends to participate in the sacrifice.
The married daughter of the deceased bought three animals and fruits for sacrifice the night before June 7th, which is called "burning six or seven soup rice". This sacrificial table has been placed until the afternoon of June 7 th anniversary. After the "seven breaks", the funeral ended.
6. There is another folk saying. It is said that from the date of death, the deceased will be interrogated every seven days for 49 days, so the "seven periods" are also called "seven disasters". The first seven people set up a memorial at home, burning incense and lighting candles for wine and food as a souvenir, and the remaining six or seven people went to the cemetery to spend paper money.
7. The funeral didn't end until "Breaking Seven". The deceased completely cut off the relationship with the world and there is no possibility of returning to the sun. After this ceremony, you can burn flowers, black gauze and so on.
Second, five points for attention in the first seven ghost nights in folklore:
1. After the deceased died, he didn't know that he died within July 7th Memorial Day, nor was he a "ghost". Therefore, we must remember our ancestors on the night of resurrection, and we must not quarrel over family trifles, so that the deceased will feel sad and sorry and will not leave.
In the first seven years, there will be a bull's head, a horse's face, two ghosts and four ghost soldiers to escort the souls of the dead and let them return to their dead homes. Tributes can be kept at home, but beef, horse meat and dog meat are forbidden. The richer the meat, the better. Reward the four ghosts, making it difficult for them to suppress the dead.
3. When I was young, I put a bowl of water and a bowl of food in front of my filial family, so that my ancestors could wash away the dust and avoid disasters and suffocation. The next morning, clear water was sprinkled at the door, and the grain was thrown into the running water that day. The first seven nights, tributes, paper and silver tickets. Remove from the stone sea and burn and fast at the crossroads.
4. Don't go to the cemetery for sacrifice. On this day, the ancestral god of the family temple will officially record the magnetic field of the deceased's dark house and come to inspect it. At the same time, it is also a time to exhale evil spirits and catch your body. So, seven days ago, I rushed to the cemetery to offer sacrifices. On the one hand, I will make the temple gods and the deceased lust after the world of mortals, death and other sacrifices, and the living will be forced to avoid evil spirits.
5. In the first seven ghost nights, if there are people with confinement and four eyes at home, they should avoid them so as not to bump into the dead and all kinds of yin soldiers. After the first seven days, our ancestors will board Wangxiangtai and start the road of sweeping graves, which is gone forever!
The first is the funeral custom. It is customary to think that "the first seven" refers to the seventh day after death. It is generally believed that the soul of the deceased will go home in the first seven days, and the family should prepare a meal for the soul of the deceased before it comes back, and then it must be avoided. The best way is to sleep. If you can't sleep, hide under the covers. If the soul of the deceased sees his family, it will make him miss and affect his reincarnation.
According to records and other materials, scholars believe that the custom of seven things originated from the theory of origin, which was formed during the period when Buddhism spread to the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and broke through the range of believers from the early Tang Dynasty to secularization.
Why should "seven" be specified as the date of death? They say there are six roads in life. Between a person's death and life, there is a "yin body" stage, such as the shape of a teenager, seeking fate in the underworld, with seven days as a period; If you still can't find fate by the end of seven days, you can continue for seven days, and by the end of the seventh seven days, you will have a place (see yoga). Therefore, in these 7749 days, we will turn over every seven days to pay homage.
This custom of doing seven things, which was born out of Buddhism's "Fate Theory", was formed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and naturally it should be regarded as the product of Buddhism prevailing at that time.
Li Ao, a native of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote "On Going to Buddha's Lent", which refuted the custom of making seven times and its theoretical basis. One of its bases is "injury ceremony", which is not in line with the Confucian emphasis on human feelings, sorrow and joy, and it can also be disproved that doing it seven times is a Buddhist thing.
It is generally believed that the soul of the deceased will go home in the first seven days. Family members should prepare a meal for the dead before their souls come back, and then they must avoid it. The best way is to sleep. If you can't sleep, you should hide under the bed. If the soul of the deceased sees his family, it will make him miss and affect his reincarnation.
It is also said that the soul will wander around before the "first seven" after death. When they go home at noon on the first seven days, their families will burn a ladder-shaped thing at home and let their souls go up to heaven along this ladder.
It is also said that when you go home on the seventh day, your family should burn a ladder-like thing at home and let your soul follow this ladder to heaven.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia-Top Seven