We Chinese have attached great importance to death since ancient times, especially to the handling of the aftermath of the dead. One of the most common is that as long as someone dies, the family will prepare a birthday jacket and change this set of birthday clothes for the patient when his life is in danger, so that it can be regarded as the end of life, otherwise it is equivalent to "walking naked". So, where does this custom come from, and why is there such a custom?
Shou yi, that is, the funeral clothes of the deceased, were formerly known as yu clothes. In ancient China, funeral rites were emphasized, first small funerals (changing into birthday clothes), and then large funerals (buried in coffins). Usually, the higher the status, the more and more expensive the small burial clothes. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, special birthday clothes such as jade masks and jade clothes appeared. The jade clothes of the emperors and nobles of the Han Dynasty were derived from this, and were divided into three grades: gold, silver and bronze jade clothes. Modern Han Shouyi follows the Qing Dynasty winter coat matching method, with 5 pieces of clothing, 1 hat, 1 pair of shoes, and a pillow.
It is said that the design of traditional Chinese shou clothes is the same as that of the Ming Dynasty, because when Wu Sangui surrendered to the Qing army at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he specifically asked the Manchu Qing to allow Han Chinese to wear Qing clothes when they were alive and Ming clothes when they died. Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes "ending life" and "going into the soil for safety". When the patient's life is in danger, the relatives must take off his new clothes inside and outside; otherwise, he will "go naked", and the relatives will feel very sorry and guilty. Before the patient swallows his last breath, his relatives move him to the spiritual bed in the middle of the main room to guard him through the last moments of his life, which is called "quite mournful".
The elderly should make the clothes to be worn after death before they die, which is called shou clothes, which means health and longevity. There are also many exquisite things to do with shou clothes, such as the outer cloth is made of red cloth, and the descendants will be red; the hat is embellished with a red top, which also symbolizes the red fire of the children and grandchildren of the descendants; the outside of the man's shou robe is mostly apricot yellow, and the woman's outer coat is mostly blue and bronze; the shou clothes, regardless of the inner and outer clothes, do not use buttons, only use small strips of cloth belts; replace the buttons with belts, metaphorically bringing sons, and successors.
In some places, the deceased is also given a black hat with a red bump on it. It is said that this is used to drive away the qi, which is more beneficial to future generations, in the ancient traditional concept of our country, the deceased can protect the descendants, often after some people develop, people will say that he "smokes on the grave of the ancestors". In addition, after putting on the birthday robe, the hands of the deceased cannot be exposed outside the sleeves, otherwise the descendants will become the ones who want to eat, although it sounds absurd, but it is a kind of ardent expectation for future generations.
Shouyi is a cotton coat, because folklore says that after death as a ghost, ghosts live in the hades, dark day, yin wind gusts, for the deceased to wear cotton clothes, and then provide food, is the hope that the deceased in the hades can eat and wear warmth. Shou clothes are generally not made of fur and satin, for fear of becoming beasts and cutting off children and grandchildren in the next life, mostly made of silk cotton, taking the meaning of "attachment" and "remembrance".
After the death of Chinese, they must wear a life jacket, which means that the life is at the end of life, generally speaking, China's life clothes are similar to ancient clothes before, and China's traditional funeral culture is very particular about the end of life. What allusions have you heard about shouyi? Welcome to leave a message and publish your high opinion!