The Superstition of Chinese People for Death

Preparation for Death
Making cerements: The way to the “Kingdom of Death” comes closer and closer as one’s age growing. Aged people never know the exact day of his or her death. It is even hard to say if he or she is still alive tomorrow. In addition, people usually die with their cerements already dressed on them. Without good preparation, how can someone get his cerements if he encounters an unforeseeable death? So, people usually make their cerements sewn when they are aged. It is also said that only after you have gone to worship Bodhisattva, can you be sure that the cerements are yours. The day of beginning to sew the cerements must be a well-chosen day among the days in the leap month of a leap year. Those materials with “Yang” in their names cannot be used because “Yang” has the same pronunciation with the word “this world” in Chinese, since the cerements are prepared for “the other world”, so it is no need to use these materials; satin also cannot be used because its pronunciation is the same with the word “no son” in Chinese; black color must not be used while red must, because after you die, you will fight in the other world, when you show your red sleeves, the fight stops. The sleeves must be long enough; otherwise your descendants will become beggars. The tailor must be paid and offered egg tea. If the cerements are sewn after the owner’s death, the payment will be doubled and a handkerchief must be offered in addition.

Making coffin: The same time as making the cerements. Firs are generally used as the wood to make coffin, while sometimes cypresses are partially used, because total use of cypresses may catch lightning. You must pay the carpenter money, which is called as “Baozi” in Chinese, and offer him well-chosen meals. The coffin cannot be moved from the place it is originally put. Otherwise, it is no good for the owner. The drier the coffin, the owner will be healthier after his rebirth. The coffin must also be pre-painted before his death; otherwise the owner will be wandering in a dark lane in the other world.

Digging a tomb: The site must be chosen with the guide of a geomancer. The tomb must also be dug within an auspicious year. The geomancer will get an extraordinary large amount of money. Of course, the people digging the tomb will also get plenty of money as well.

The Presage of Death
Hear owl tweeting during dusk or midnight. But if you hear it between midnight and dawn, it does not mean death. There is a saying that “ day tweets mean life and night tweets mean death”.

Hear dog barking or ghost wailing during midnight.

Someone dreams that he is sitting in a sedan, his son or daughter is climbing a bamboo shoot, snowing or lose his teeth.

A strong person suddenly becomes weak not because he is ill. There is a saying that “those who will die soon have no strength!”

A sick person with good temper suddenly becomes testy, treating his favorites like enemies, which mean “his heart and lever are getting cold”, “a presage of death”.

Age and Death
“Ming Jiu”: which means that ages that contain nine in their pronunciation. For example: nine, nineteen, twenty-nine and thirty-nine, etc. These ages are barriers in one’s life at which someone may die or ill even if he can pass.

“An Jiu”: which means that ages that are times of nine. For example: eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six, forty-five, etc. An Jiu is more severe than Ming Jiu, which means one is more likely to die or ill.

“Luo Cheng Barrier”: Twenty-three years old is called “Luo Cheng Barrier”. At the first year of being twenty-three, the person must put a culm on his bed. It is because a snake will come to compare length with you, if you lose, you die. You will be survived if you put it on your bed because the culm represents your length.

“Thirty-six” is the basic longevity of one’s life. If someone dies after thirty-six years old, he will live a long life; otherwise, his longevity will be shortened in his next life.

“Sixty-six” is also a barrier in one’s life. It is said that “when you get sixty-six, the Hades wants to eat meat.” Those people who have daughters send their daughters to offer the Hades sixty-six pieces of meat will pass the barrier.

At the Time of Death
When a person is dying, he should hold silver in his hands and mouth, which are called as “silver in hands” and “silver in mouth”.

The dead person will wake up and chase people if a fat cat or mouse has passed his body. You’d better get a manure spoon or a manure broom to fight him down, otherwise you will be caught and then die.

The person who informs someone’s death should always keep an umbrella regardless it is raining or not. It is because the soul of the dead person is within the umbrella. The umbrella must be held in the person’s hand, keeping the handle forward.

When someone goes to buy water for washing the body the dead, he must put the cotton used to wash on his chest.

When combing the dead person the hair, a piece of coarse paper should be prepared to collect the fallen hair, which is called as “Jie Fa”, the same pronunciation as “be wealthy” in Chinese.

The paper covering the face: The paper should be put onto the dead person’s face when all his relatives are at present, because this paper cannot be removed by a fan until the time of burial. Hands cannot be used to remove the paper. There is a slang says “ I removed your cover paper in my previous incarnation”. These words can be usually heart when two people are quarrelling, which means that I disagree with you. The paper should be covered without delay otherwise the dead person will ask a rafter, which is no good to the dead person’s family.

Rush lamp: The lamp should be kept light from the time of death to burial day without extinguishing. Because it is said the dead person is walking with the lamp in his hand, if it extinguishes, he falls down.

Dog stick: The stick that is put in the dead person’s hand when he is buried. In addition, there are a bag of lime and a bag of food, stick and rope besides the person’s body, which means that “ if a good dog comes, give him food, if an evil dog comes, fight with lime.

When covering the coffin, some people should not appear because they are regarded as inauspicious to the dead person.

When the person is lying on bed, his family cannot clean the waste around bed until the straw mat on the bed is moved away, otherwise, he will suffer from sore. The waste must be burnt with the straw mat outdoor.

When the person is lying on bed, his relatives burn paper for him only one pile a time, because it is said that at that time the paper is only for the dead person; while after he has been buried, two piles of paper are needed because he needs one more pile to bribe the bailiff in the other world.

If the dead person has a wife or husband alive, a thin pillow should be used to ensure not seeing his or her own feet when he is lying in the coffin. Otherwise, he means he or she wants the living wife or husband go with he or she together.

When the coffin is being carried into the house, the dead person’s relatives should be kneeing at the door, wailing and saying auspicious words, dressing plain and white mourning apparel.

People cannot clean the mourning hall with the coffin in it. When the time of burial comes, the waste are collected and dumped to the front of the door called “ ash pile”, through which the people to the funeral should pass.

When the coffin is being carried out of the mourning hall, people set off firecrackers in the hall. They stick red paper to a ladder, and put evergreen leaves or food in front of the ladder, which means their family will not have a funeral in the future.

Aftermath of the Death:
Those who die with blood such as childbearing, spitting blood or having blood in their stool, will fall into the “blood pool” in the other world. They cannot be reborn if nobody pays a Taoist to “save them from the blood pool” or they cannot find a replacement for themselves. Those who die due to childbearing can survive if their son or daughter can be grown up as tall as the door.

Those who often lie to others or gossiping people, their tongues will be cut off after they die.

Those who have more than one wife or husband will be divided in to parts in order to share them with the wives and husbands after they die.

Lewd people will hold a burning pillar after they die.

Those who often waste food will be forced to eat the food they have wasted as a penalty after they die.

Those who enjoy eating beef, lamb and pork, will be eaten by the animals they have eaten after they die.

Those who don’t burn joss stick to the Buddha will walk in dark after they die.

Written by www.travel-silkroad.com
Translated by www.xinghui.com
December 22, 2002

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