Traditionally, Mayang show filial piety and respect to the elderly and seniors, no matter they are alive or deceased. Those under the age of 50 or those who suffer casualties are considered mournful funerals, while those above the age of 60 are considered joyful ones. After the death of an elderly person, the ritual is very grand. Only by strictly following procedures can sons and daughters fulfill their filial piety.
Funeral Service
Ten procedures are followed in the funeral service.
1. Burn paper money for the last gasp On the edge of life and death, filial sons and daughters take turns guarding the elderly around the clock. Some elderly people remove mosquito curtain before they breathe their last, and others build a tentative bed on the upper right side of the main hall without mosquito curtain. It is a taboo for Mayang people to die in the mosquito curtain. In that case, it is assumed that the deceased would be shrouded in a net of heaven and earth and never get himself free. Therefore, on the verge of death, it is required to remove the mosquito curtain. When the elderly person takes the last gasp, the incense and paper money are burned and firecrackers are set off. Filial sons, daughters and grandchildren would wail over the remains and cry their eyes out, commonly known as “see a parent off at the end”.
2. Bathe and Dress After the elderly person takes the last gasp, it needs assistance for bathing, shaving, and wearing. The male deceased has his head shaved and the female one merely needs some combing. An old set of clothes of the deceased is offered to the assistants as reward.
3. Dangle Corpse on a Panel The deceased was dangled on a panel for a few days in case of resurrection, so a dangling panel is set up. In the middle of the main hall, the panel is placed with two benches below, spread with a piece of white cloth, where lies the deceased wrapped in shrouds. For the shrouds, the outer layer is black while inner layer is red, either for the male’s cotton robes, or for the female’s cotton clothes. This bespeaks that the descendants are best blessed with rewards. A white cloth pillow is placed under the head of the deceased, inside with the ash of “paper money for the last gasp”. Around the chest of the deceased is tied with a purse of two layers, white outside and red inside, buried with some locust seeds (blessing descendants) or tea rice. The upper body is wrapped with white threads with exact number according to the age of the deceased. The mouth is inserted with a piece of ancient coin penetrated with a thread, as a token of the reunion with the current spouse in the afterlife. In each hand is gripped with a dipping cake, on their head is wrapped in a black silk handkerchief, on their face is covered with money paper, and on the body is covered with a piece of 40 cm red cloth, commonly known as the “facial shield”. Only on the occasion of encoffining, the shield is taken off and torn into pieces granting filial sons, daughters, and grandchildren. It is tied on the buttons of the clothes, commonly known as “filial mourning”. For the mourners, they would cover the deceased with a blanket layer by layer based on close or distant order. An oil lamp is lit up under the panel, covered with a bamboo basket, commonly known as the “underground lamp”. A bowl of fried eggs and a dipping cake are required to be placed under the feet.
4. Announce the Death The filial son appoints an acquaintance to announce the death to the filial daughter. Relatives and friends rush to mourn with funeral gifts, for instance, the incense and money paper, and gold and silver foil, in the past. A square table is carried forward by the son-in-law, placed with a pig’s head, chicken, fish, rice cake, wine and vegetables, covered with white paper flowers, as well as a mock boy and girl, a banner umbrella, and a coffin cover. On the top is insert with a crane to indicate that the deceased has surmounted the crane and ascended to the Heaven.
5. Report to the Temple It is required to report to the Chenghuang Temple and the Public Security Temple after sticking a piece of white paper on the shrine. The filial males wear a long linen garment, with a filial cloth strip wrapped around the head and the rest pulled down to the ground. A reversely-made straw rope is tied around the waist with white shoes on the feet. The filial females are still entirely in white, including clothes, trousers, and shoes, with a pointed corner wrapped around the head and the rest of filial cloth strip pulled down. All of them wear straw sandals, which is called full filial piety. For the relatives and friends, they are simply wrapped with filial cloth strip, which is called “half filial piety”. For the wealthy families, the filial cloth strip of several feet would be granted to those who attend the funeral ceremony. The filial males, each with a mourning stick in hand, carrying a pack of cigarette and match and sacrificial offerings, would be in charge of the reporting affairs in temples, while the females take the responsibility to stand as guards at the bier. In the meanwhile, the bedding of the deceased are put into the fire outside the village.
6. Set Up a Mourning Hall A mat is hung in front of the panel, stuck with a memorial tablet. In its middle is the name of the deceased, labeled with “late father” or “late mother”, whose date of birth and death, as well as the experiences and sufferings, is usually briefed in six, eleven, or sixteen characters. The date of birth is on the left and the date of death on the right. The couplets usually read “The sun sets and still rises; the river flows but never returns”. “Anguish of Sorrow” is pasted above the gate. A square table is placed in front of the tablet, on which offerings are served, oil lamps are lit, and a mini-tablet is made to be inserted on a liter of rice, hung with a banner of soul. A small basin or iron pot is prepared under the table for burning money paper.
7. Fetch Water It is believed to beg for water from the Dragon Palace for the deceased. When fetching water, the wizard first performs rites in front of the tablet to release the spirit of the deceased. Then a “service tray” is prepared with chicken, fish, beef, mutton, pork, tofu, wine, and fragrant paper. A small crock is ready to fetch water from the riverside or well. The wizard is dressed in a black robe and headgear, keeps muttering with the tunk of a brass cymbal along the way. The wizard is closely followed with filial males. Among them, the eldest filial son carries the mini-tablet, the eldest grandson holds up the banner of soul. They are followed with the filial females, all holding mourning sticks. When they arrive at the river or well, the wizard resumes his performance of rites. After burning paper money, pouring wine, lighting up cigarettes and setting off firecrackers, an assistant fetches water into the crock, sealed with white paper and tied tightly with seven wires (three black and four white) before putting back to the service tray. On the way back, the filial females take the lead of the procession, with a long white cloth strip closely connected as to build an “Overpass in the Heaven”, which means tiding the deceased over to the Western Paradise. After returning home, the white cloth strips are taken off. The filial females enter the house, while the filial males linger outside, and the wizard resumes to perform the rites. The filial son kneels and bows, and ends the rites by putting down the mourning stick. On the way to and from the waterside, it proceeds with gongs and drums, firecrackers, cannons, and blunderbuss.
8. Perform Taoist Rites Roughly, coffin winding rituals are performed in the way of “blaze a trail”, “repentance”, and “blessings”. Specifically, “inviting gods”, “reciting scriptures”, “searching the Five Directions”, “dispersing flowers”, and “treating the deceased” . Three cups of wine are served with the lyrics in the following:
First toast to the immortal-to-be!
Second toast to the long-lived life!
Third toast to the immortal in the heaven!
On its completion, the incense and paper money prepared before hand by the filial are burned outside the village, commonly known as the “sacrifice to the ancestors”.
9. Hold a Memorial Service Generally, the memorial service is practiced in the wealthy families, served respectively by the host and the guests. With sacrificial offerings in the house, the wizard is responsible for the service. The filial sons kneel three times and kowtow nine times, with the memorial text announced by the wizard. The memorial service attempts firstly to eulogize virtues of the deceased during his lifetime, and secondly to convey the anguish of sorrow to the deceased. The memorial service follows a sequential order, with filial sons and daughters first and relatives and friends next.
10. Sing Funeral Songs In some places, funeral songs are served with drum plays. The songs last for two consecutive nights, with lyrics consisting of seven quatrains. Starting with one person, the immortal singer or the God of songs, another person resumes the song according to the gender and identity of the deceased. The people of Mayang have a strong sense of unity. No matter who has died, people from far and near come to attend the funeral rites and sit up late at night, consoling their loved ones, especially on the night of the memorial service. On the last night of the funeral songs, a reward is demanded. According to the name list of the filial males and females, the reward is offered one by one, even with a night snack. A part of the reward would be shared by the cooks. To bring the funeral rites to the end, the “God of Songs” is performed, commonly known as “sending the deceased to the Heaven”.
Release a Coffin
After the death of an elderly person, they are usually buried in the third morning. For wealthy families, an auspicious day is selected and monks are invited to recite scriptures, performing funeral rites for seven weeks. As to release a coffin, eight procedures are followed strictly.
1. Select a Tomb Site Rich families acquire long before the Feng Shui Treasure Land from the geomancer as their private tomb site. Generally, it is only determined after a person’s death, following the principle of “the grave favoring a steep mountain”, thus setting up a compass to fix the direction and wooden stakes.
2. Dig a Well When the deceased is dangled on the panel, a well is to be dug out at the determined tomb site. First, a piece of topsoil from the head is excavated and placed aside. When burying, this topsoil is placed on the head of the coffin. The length of the well is measured by the digger’s toes facing the heels and walking forward nine steps. The width is limited to hands akimbo, and the depth is measured by the person squatting down to shoulder level. In the case of rocks beneath, blasting is avoided by using a hoe or axe.
3. Encoffin For the deceased is usually buried in the countryside in the third morning, the encoffin is conducted at 5-7 p.m. (at the sunset) one day before. In that case, the corpse is smoothly flattened into the coffin, setting the deceased in his right place. The filial males and females on the both side of the coffin keep crying the names of the deceased. When the coffin cover is placed, a slot above the deceased’s head is lingered for the filial’s last glance.
4. Take a Sacrificial Oath On the early morning of the day of burial, the first call is made by the gongs. Thus the helpers rush to the coffin. Working together, they remove the tablet and altar, nail down the coffin cover with three legged pliers, place a tile on the coffin cover, and remove the underground lamp and eggs. The wizard recites a spell and breaks the tiles. The “eight giants” help to move the coffin outside the house and dangle it on two benches. At the same time, the two torches turn up, one lit out from the house and the other lit in from outside. Two firecrackers are set off, one from inside the house and the other from outside. It is followed with two stone grindings, one rolling inward from the entrance, and the other rolling outward from under the shrine. It ends with two brooms, one sweeping inward and the other sweeping outward, a large bonfire in the middle of the house with doors fast, betokening the peace of both the nether world and this world.
5. Lift the Coffin After the coffin is moved outside the house, the “eight giants” tie the support poles with ropes and insert the hand poles. With the coffin covered with a red carpet (for some with coffin shade), the large gong starts working with two benches pushed to the ground, the eight giants put the coffin onto their shoulders and strike up in unison! With the sound of bands and artillery, it is carried towards the tomb site. The filial males headed the procession, females in the back, and the coffin in the middle. The filial males and the one with banner of soul take the lead, and they need to bow back a couple of times after taking a few steps forward. On the way, one distributes paper money, commonly known as “money to buy a pass” on the occasion of the bridge and road deities and ghosts. When the coffin is carried to the tomb site, the filial males take off their white cloth strips to pad it in the well, and place the coffin on top of the strips. Then the rest of the mourners remove the strips and throw it over the top of the coffin.
6. Sacrifice to the Tomb Site The geomancer observes whether the tomb site is proper in advance by placing the compass on the rice. If there are no errors, an Eight Diagrams is drawn in the middle of the well. Rice should also be placed in the four corners, cinnabar should be placed in the five directions, and wine should be poured underneath. Money paper and sesame sticks should be burned inside to prevent roots of trees and grass from sticking into the coffin.
7. Lower the Coffin After determining the orientation, the persons carrying the coffin first insert four hands into the well, support the coffin, and then pull the cable and gently move the coffin into the well. After checking with a compass again, the cable and lever are pulled out. The filial sons kneel in front of the tomb and cry his father (or mother) three times. The geomancer (or wizard) throws the compass rice into the filial son’s pocket with bless, commonly known as “a bless for affluent clothing, food, and rice”, which means the last reward granted by the deceased to his descendants, indicating that future generations will flourish for ever. When the rice is brought home, it is cooked and shared by the whole family in the third morning. Then, the wizard takes the blood of a rooster and drips it on the four corners of the coffin. After blessing the filial sons, he throws the rooster towards the grave. It is assumed that the filial sons would have a rapid promotion if they rush upward on this occasion.
8. Pile Soil Up After receiving the compass rice, the filial males and females take off their white cloth strips, kick off their straw sandals, and pick up some firewood into their hands to pray for their wealth and return home to entertain guests. The filial males also need to pick up some fine soil and place it on the niche hall. The pile of soil is completed by the coffin carrier. First, the primary surface soil is placed at the head of the coffin cover, and the small jar containing water is placed at the foot of the coffin. Then, everyone starts to fill the soil together to ensure that the coffin is not visible. Then the banner of soul is inserted on the head of the grave, the mourning sticks at the foot of the grave, completing the rites with incense paper burned and artillery fired.
Sacrifice in the Third Morning On the next morning of the burial (the third morning since the last gasp of the deceased), the filial sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters sacrifice beef, mutton, and pork to the tomb piled up with more soil, commonly known as the “sacrifice in the third morning”.
Seal a Soul Tablet On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the year after the old man’s death, the soul tablet is sealed in the tomb with the same words in the memorial hall, whereas the couplet is slightly different. On the green paper is written with white characters. The green symbolizes good luck, and the white represents filial piety. The offerings are the same as before. On this occasion, everything is settled with the candles lighted up, paper money burned, and artillery fired. The first to third days of the first lunar month are the mourning days for filial sons, and they must wear filial uniforms. Relatives and friends come to visit the soul tablet for a memorial service, with sacrificial offerings in hands and the white cloth strips wrapped on the head. After the memorial service, a bowl of sweet wine is shared. On the fourth day of the first lunar month in the third year, the soul tablet is burned away.
Position a Gravestone It is usually positioned during the Tomb-Sweeping Day after the elderly person’s death for three years, and some positioned in the funeral service. The filial males and daughters attend the memorial service from the 23rd to 28th of the twelfth lunar month during the first three years after the old man’s death.
Funeral Taboos
Mayang County has several taboos in funeral service:
Firstly, the pregnant filial is not allowed to touch the clothes, shoes, or towels of the deceased. In the mourning time, dripping tears are avoided on the deceased.
Secondly, it is not acceptable for the filial to paste couplets and remove dust, or engage in any amusements at home until the fourth Spring Festival.
Thirdly, for those abnormal death, the coffins are not allowed to be placed and sacrificed in the house. They are forbidden to join the ancestral burial ground.
Fourthly, sacrificial offerings favor the odd numbers.
(Translated by Tian Xia)