Liang Wujun's "Records of Continuing Qi Harmony" says: "Qu Yuan died on may 5 from throwing himself miluo, and the Chu people mourned, and every day on this day, they stored rice in bamboo tubes and threw water to sacrifice it." In 278 BC, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River. In order to commemorate this poet who "mourned the many difficulties of the people's livelihood", the Chu people used bamboo tubes to hold rice into the river, and gradually formed a custom. The customs and rituals handed down by Gai are actually traceable.
People will persistently pursue many things in their lives. Fame, health, love, and career are all valued by people, and the basis for pursuing all good wishes is life. Life and death is the most critical event in a person's life, without life, there is no key to the future.
In life, it is often seen that life and death are parted. The loss of a life can bring sadness to family, loved ones and friends. If a person knows that he is about to die, he also has to face the fear of the unknown. Therefore, in all the dynasties, especially the princes and nobles, they all wanted to pursue longevity, and the most important thing they wanted to pursue was eternal life, and they were afraid of losing their rights and wealth. Ordinary people also have an instinctive sense of love for life, after all, life is only once for everyone. Therefore, people will feel sad and sorry for the lives that have been lost.
In order to express the mourning of the living and express respect for the deceased, many funeral rites have been derived. These rituals are more or less pinned on people's mourning, respect for the deceased, and include people's thinking about life. Coupled with the inheritance of traditional customs, funeral rites are usually carefully formulated specifications, observed etiquette, and cannot be neglected.
Whether in real life or in film and television dramas, people often see that after a person dies, his relatives or doctors will cover the face of the deceased with a cloth. Why should a person cover his face with a cloth after death? It is not superstition, but it is actually based on science. The significance of this is due to a number of reasons, one of which is that the deceased is great, and in order to show respect for the deceased, it is necessary to cover his face with a cloth. Doing so means to let the deceased rest in peace, to let him officially say goodbye to the world and go to another world.
In addition to this, another reason is also considered, that is, people are usually not buried immediately after death, but are mortified for a few days. In the process, families prepare for the funeral, and many relatives and friends come to attend and mourn the deceased. After death, some changes will occur in the facial body, and due to blood clotting, the face will become pale and the face will become stiff. After the family members see it, it is inevitable that they will cause sad emotions again, and those who come to mourn will inevitably feel afraid. Therefore, covering the face of the deceased can ease the emotions of the family.
Covering the face of the deceased with a cloth or tissue paper also has the effect of confirming whether the deceased is really dead. In ancient times, medical technology was not perfect in some aspects, so the phenomenon of suspended animation sometimes occurred. Sometimes a person dies, and the people around them can't tell if they are really dead. So a very thin piece of paper or cloth was used to cover the face of the deceased, which would not be very ventilated. At intervals, observe whether the paper or cloth is undulating and whether there are any signs of wetness. If it is suspended, it will exhale gas and wet cloth and paper towels. From this, it can be judged whether the deceased has really died and avoid burying people because of suspended death.
It is said that this ritual is related to Wu Zixu, a noble minister of the State of Wu in the late Spring and Autumn Period. Wu Zixu was a courtier of the State of Wu for two generations, and when Wu WangFucha was about to be crown prince, Wu Zixu tried to protect Fuchai to inherit the throne of the new king. After Fu Cha became a dynasty, Wu Zixu continued to advise him and help him stabilize the country. Wu Yue was at war, and the State of Yue was defeated by the State of Wu, and Wu Zixu requested another blow to destroy the State of Yue and proposed to unite with the State of Qi. Fu Cha was bent on attacking Qi, and ignored Wu Zixu's words.
There are villains who want to bring down Wu Zixu and say that Wu Zixu's attempt to collude with the State of Qi will be detrimental to the State of Wu. Fu Cha listened to the villain's words and ordered wu Zixu to be given a sword to kill himself. Wu Zixu was so disappointed in King Wu that he left a last word before committing suicide, asking his family to gouge out his eyes and hang them on the walls of the State of Wu. He wanted to see for himself how the King of Yue had destroyed the State of Wu.
Fu Cha was very angry when he heard these words, and threw Wu Zixu, who had given him death, into the river. Of course, fu cha, who was lying on his back and listening to the villain, finally ushered in the result of being destroyed by the Yue King, and he blindfolded his eyes with a white cloth before committing suicide. The reason why Fu Cha blindfolded himself was because he was consciously ashamed to see Wu Zixu, and regretted not listening to the advice of his original courtiers and putting him to death. Since then, there has also been a funeral ritual of covering the face of the deceased with a white cloth.
Whether it is out of humanistic sentiment or science, in fact, some traditional etiquette has a certain truth. Although some of the etiquette has been gradually lost, those practices that have been preserved that reflect respect for life should see the values and concepts behind them.
Resources:
"Continuing qi harmony"