We went to see it in the afternoon. Anyway, there were so many people, and no one noticed us following us.
A very strange folklore activity. The person who died had a wife and younger brother at home, but no children.
His younger brother found a Taoist priest and two apprentices from somewhere. The Taoist priest was about forty years old, a little fat, with a red face. He wore a red and yellow silk robe and a hat similar to Jigong's on his head.
, made of cloth.
In the early years, feudalism was more serious in remote mountainous areas, probably because of abnormal deaths. The ritual ceremony was divided into two sessions. People can watch the whole process. Anyone who can help will take care of the food. The first ritual ceremony starts at 12:45 noon.
, the second half starts around 9 p.m.
I think there is a reason for choosing this time. 12:45 noon is exactly the third quarter of noon in ancient times. Even though it is daytime, according to relevant sayings, this is the time of day when Yin energy is at its strongest. Yin is strong and Yang is declining.
, many people take a nap during this time.
By the pond.
The Taoist apprentice looked at his watch and shouted in a singing tone: "The time has come... let's go..."
Immediately, a villager picked up the leather bucket. The outer surface of the leather bucket was painted with a layer of lime. The bucket was filled with half a bucket of pond water. A piece of paper money with a square hole was also thrown in. After the paper money got soaked, it slowly sank to the bottom of the bucket.
Seeing that the paper money had sunk to the bottom, the man carrying the bucket scooped up some water with a wooden ladle and sprinkled it on the ground. He muttered something. I can only guess what he meant was: "Let's go home."
"
"Boom!"
The villagers clapped their hands against the big copper scrapers, and some carried drums on their backs, played drums, played suonas, and started walking.
The mother-in-law and brother of the deceased man were dressed in white. They walked in the middle and sobbed. From time to time they called the deceased's name several times, which should be Tang Gui.
As we walked from the pond to the entrance of the village, I asked Dou Sprout in a low voice, "Why are you crying?"
Dou Sprout pretended to wipe his tears and whispered: "Didn't you see that the people in front of you were crying? If we follow suit, others will think that we are descendants and will not attract attention. Are you making me laugh?"
I shook my head, too lazy to talk to him.
Before entering the house, the pond water in the leather bucket was poured at the door of the house, and the Taoist priest with a moustache held up a cloth prayer flag and waved it several times in the air.
After entering the courtyard, an offering table was placed in the main hall of the house, and incense burners and tributes were all available.
A large black-painted coffin was placed in the corner of the room. Two stools were used to support the bottom of the coffin, which was about one meter above the ground. Tang Gui should be lying in the coffin.
The Taoist priest with a mustache waved cloth prayer flags at the altar table, and the suona player and drum player played in the room for half an hour. The first half of the ritual was completed, and then he handed out bowls to the helpers for dinner.
What I ate was steamed buns and fatty pork stew. I didn't really want to eat them, so I only took a little bit. I filled a full bowl of bean sprouts and had four steamed buns skewered on my chopsticks.
"Hey, I'm doing the dojo. I haven't got any sea sand for seven meals. I'll get a paparazzi stool for Han."
"What? Are you talking to me?" I pointed at myself.
The person who spoke to me was a young man in his twenties. He looked at me for a few seconds and said in Mandarin: "Who are you? You are not from our village, why are you here to eat."
I said who are you and why are you here for dinner?
He said: "I am a relative of Uncle Tang, so of course I have to eat."
"I am also a relative of his, a distant relative. Haha, what did you just say? I didn't understand." I laughed.
He held the bowl and said, "I said the rice was too bland, so I asked you to take that stool to me."
"Oh, I think it's a bit weak too," I handed him the little matza.
He took the little mazza and sat down to eat. I smiled and chatted with this man, making insinuations and asking about Tang Gui's family situation and interpersonal relationships.
At this time, Dou Sprout took a bite of steamed bun and two bites of vegetables, and listened with his ears perked up.
