The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
Text/Literature and History Charging Station
Editor/Literature and History Charging Station
Chinese culture is divided into a variety of categories, including literature and art, philosophy and religion, funeral rites, language, food, etc., and different customs and cultures come together to create 56 ethnic groups with different living habits. [China Like]
In a funeral activity, in order for the deceased to be able to rest in peace, most of them will choose coffins, urns, urns and other containers to place the deceased's soul in accordance with the deceased's wishes.
As an important element in the funeral culture, the coffin has rich and diverse historical and cultural connotations, from the ancient wooden coffin, sarcophagus, to the modern metal coffin and crystal coffin, the material and form of the coffin are constantly evolving with the changes of the times.
The coffin is often seen as the resting place of the deceased, symbolizing protection and eternal life. Different regions and ethnic groups also have their own unique coffin-making techniques and decorative styles, such as the dragon and phoenix coffins of the Miao nationality and the copper drum coffins of the Zhuang nationality.
01
Add "nails" to make a fortune
Before the deceased is buried, people will put 7 nails on the coffin, and some friends will think that these nails are just to fix the coffin lid, but in fact, the nails are much more than that.
In ancient times, due to the limitations of technology and materials, the closure of the coffin was not tight, and the ancients used nails to strengthen the coffin in order to prevent the deceased from moving or spilling out in the coffin, and the ancients also believed that the nails could "seal" the soul of the deceased so that it would not return to the yang world.
As the times changed, the design and materials of the coffin continued to improve, but the role of the nail as a fixing and protection remained the same. In ancient China, nails were made of shapes and materials.
For example, during the Ming Dynasty, the nails on the coffin were called "shou nails", meaning that the deceased lived a long life, and these shou nails were usually made of copper or iron and were round or hexahedron in shape, while during the Qing dynasty, the nails on the coffin were more ornate and often inlaid with jade or gold and silver to show the status and wealth of the deceased.
After entering the modern society, although the funeral culture is constantly evolving with the times, the position of the nail on the coffin is still unshakable.
Modern coffins are mostly made of wood or metal, and their closure and sturdiness have been greatly improved. At this time, in order to meet the traditional concepts and psychological needs of some people, nails are still widely used on coffins.
Traditionally speaking, there are usually 7 nails in the coffin, and these 7 nails represent different meanings, people use 7 nails to express the spiritual sustenance of the deceased, and use these 7 nails to appreciate the life of the deceased.
The first nail means "first birth", which represents the first step in life when the deceased was born, which is the witness of every life coming to the world, as an important starting point, symbolizing the hope that the deceased can start a new cycle smoothly.
The second longevity nail means "ideal", there will always be one thing in this life that leads life, which is also the spiritual pillar of the individual and the driving force of life, which is the ideal that the deceased has been pursuing during his lifetime, symbolizing that the deceased has not forgotten his ideals.
The third longevity nail means "family", the family is an indispensable existence around everyone's life, and the warmth brought by the family is something that other things cannot give, symbolizing the invisible companionship of the deceased.
The fourth longevity nail means "friendship", it is a very beautiful thing to have three or five close friends in the world, these friends who are not related by blood are equivalent to their own hand-selected "family", symbolizing the hope that the deceased will not feel lonely in another world.
The fifth longevity nail means "love", a beautiful love is equivalent to a flash in the pan in a person's life, and the harvest of a sweet love is not in vain through the world, symbolizing the hope that the deceased can be treated gently although the yin and yang are separated.
The sixth longevity nail means "career", a perfect life must be a double harvest of love and career, no one wants to do nothing in their ordinary life, symbolizing the descendants wish the deceased on the other side not to be depressed, to "live".
The seventh nail is "rest", there will be an end to a new beginning, after his life has experienced countless scenery, struggled, worked hard and enjoyed, this last nail is equivalent to the life of the deceased to draw a successful end, symbolizing the descendants sincerely hope that the soul of the deceased will be at peace, and to say goodbye.
02
Dodge nails
Shou nails are also known as "descendants of the nail", linking the Big Dipper, praying that although the deceased is like this, but the descendants of the family will be prosperous; another saying is that the seven Shou nails are represented
The purpose of these 7 evils is to make the deceased suffer less in Elysium.
At the same time, there is also the saying of "dodging nails", which used to be one of the links in the process of burial ceremonies.
Due to the different customs and habits of each region, the funeral rites vary greatly, and this example is not exhaustive.
"Dodging nails" is a saying in some places in old China when nailing coffins, the coffin is placed with the head facing south and feet facing north, and the younger generations of the deceased usually kneel in front of the coffin and cry when the coffin is closed, and the louder the crying, the more filial piety.
When the coffin is covered, the filial sons and filial women who wear linen and filial piety will take off a few strands of their own hair to wrap around the tip of the shou nail, and some will take a small handful of hair, and then wrap them in yellow paper, and then put it on the shou nail part.
When it is the turn of the coffin to nail the "main nail", it is necessary to ask the uncle or cousin to complete it, and in order to let the deceased not worry about the life of the descendants, the uncle has to use this to point out the unfilial descendants of the family, and at the same time to design some slightly more difficult topics.
The filial sons must answer the correct answer according to the questions raised by the uncle, once the answer is wrong, this "main nail" will not be wedged, just because the filial son did not answer the correct answer so that the coffin is missing the main nail, how can it work, in fact, people also have a relative solution to this dilemma.
When the filial son does not answer the right question, he will invite the elders with a relatively high reputation in the family to intercede, at this time, as long as the filial son sincerely realizes his mistake and kneels on the ground and kowtows to apologize, the uncle can still choose to agree to continue to wedge the nail.
In some areas, if the deceased is a man, the elders who are also men will hold the axe and wedge the "shou nail", and conversely, if the deceased is a woman, the female elders will start the work.
In order to tell the deceased in the coffin to avoid being frightened, if the nails are all nailed on the left, the family members will shout that the deceased is "dodging the nails" to the right, and if the nails are to be wedged from the right, the family members will shout at the deceased to "dodge the nails" to the left.
After the nail hiding ceremony is completed, the coffin can be prepared, and people will also bring some funeral goods and some small objects that the deceased liked during his lifetime to be buried in the loess along with the coffin, in order to show care for the deceased.
03
Seeing the coffin to make a fortune, good luck
People always have to follow the natural law of birth, old age, sickness and death in their lives, but there are also many people who think that it is a very unfortunate thing to meet white things on the road or to meet the funeral procession on the road.
Many people will feel mixed with some feudal superstitions when they hear the saying that they see the coffin and make a fortune, so where does this mysterious saying come from?
In fact, there is no relevant historical material that clearly records the origin of "seeing the coffin to make a fortune", in the final analysis, the origin of this saying is a psychological suggestion of people to sad things, and there are many different versions of explanations and legends for "seeing the coffin to make a fortune".
In ancient China, the coffin can only be used by high-ranking officials and nobles, and the rich people in order to show their wealth, some people will book the coffin in advance, and after choosing their favorite elements and materials, they will deliberately put the coffin in a more conspicuous position to show their status, so people naturally associate the coffin with wealth.
Another version says that this proverb began to circulate in the Qing Dynasty, when some funeral shops would place their signature coffins at the door of the store in order to better promote their products, and at the same time, the shops would beat gongs and drums to attract the attention of passers-by, accompanied by the advertising slogan "see the coffin and make a fortune", and over time, this proverb spread in the mouths of the masses.
Nowadays, "see the coffin to make a fortune, good luck" has become a blessing in the funeral culture, for the coffin this kind of funeral items, it directly hits the "death" that people dare not face in their hearts, so that people have palpitations when they encounter the coffin in their daily life.
"Coffin" is the same as "official", which means that the coffin will soon be promoted, which is a very good omen for the career of the seeker, which will make the seeker think that the work will be smoother in the near future, and the difficulties encountered in the work can be easily solved.
"Material" is the same as "wealth", which means that seeing the coffin will improve the fortune of the seeker, and the chance encounter with the funeral procession is a rare event, and there is also a saying that "when you meet the coffin, there will be a windfall", people are willing to believe in good things, so instead of being prejudiced against the coffin, it is better to classify the coffin as an auspicious meaning.
Because of this, people associate the word "coffin" with the words "official" and "wealth" and give it some auspicious meanings, so as to alleviate people's inner prejudice and achieve a self-soothing effect.
People often say that death is not terrible, what is really frightening is to be forgotten by the people who care, just like Mr. Yu Hua described in the book, "The loss of relatives is not a rainstorm, but the long dampness of this life, I am forever trapped in this dampness, in every undisturbed day, set off a storm."
Bibliography:
[1] Baidu Encyclopedia: Burial Ceremony
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%85%A5%E6%AE%93%E4%BB%AA%E5%BC%8F/16841462?fromModule=search-result_lemma-recommend
[2] Baidu Encyclopedia: Funeral Culture
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%A7%E8%91%AC%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96/1873041?fr=ge_ala