Chinese people love to show off, love to show off, and love to show off their dragon gate array. If you don't pay attention, you will appear in the funeral. The Chinese call "funeral events" "white events". So do the Chinese. The difference is that if the deceased was in his 60s or an old man, or died a good death, the Chinese would put a word in the middle of the "white matter": "hi", turning the "white matter" into a "white happy matter". In this way, just like the country's constitution and the party's charter, when they become popular, they have legal basis, and it is naturally inconvenient for outsiders to make irresponsible remarks. White is form. Filial sons and grandsons wear linen, white filial piety hats, white filial piety clothes, white shoes, white couplets, white stickers, and white flowers for relatives and guests. All forms are white. In Chinese characters, white means pear blossoms in spring, sheep in summer, clouds in autumn, and snow in winter. And that word is more brilliant, brighter, purer, more transparent, more elegant, and cleaner than the word "白". Life is like a fleeting moment. Once the gray-haired old man is gone, all fame, fortune, grudges, love, hate, sorrow, women, and money will be as empty as a blank sheet of paper. Life is a piece of paper, and black-haired people should of course treat it as "blank paper". They don't expect the old man to become a Taoist or immortal, but they hope that the old man will walk cleanly and stay innocent in the world. Joy is pursuit. The old man has lived a miserable life, and this last time, he wants to make his old man famous for once! I've never ridden in a small car, so I've got one; I've never lived in a small western-style house, so I've got one; I've never seen a 29-inch color TV, so I've got one; I've never worn a black gauze hat, so I've got one; I've never been a maid, so I've got a pair of golden boys. Jade Girl: She has never spent a lot of money, so she burns hundreds of yuan coins in bundles; she has never tasted delicacies from mountains and seas, so she brought twelve bowls of dragon strips and offered them one bowl at a time. In short, the blessings and treatment that the elderly have never enjoyed in their lives can be enjoyed by them this time. This joy is only for the dead. The key is that the living people should take this opportunity to have a big banquet with guests and friends, and have fun. This kind of organization seems to go against the ancient saying that "a rich sacrifice is not as good as a poor nourishment." However, the upright Chinese people do not want to beat around the bush, so they must make the funeral grand, lively, and joyful. Be overjoyed, rejoice with all your heart, and be filial with all your heart. I really don’t understand the connection between “white mourning” and “celebration”. On one side, there is a sound of sorrow and joy, and on the other hand, there is "the shadow of wine shakes the crescent moon, and the sound of the beach whispers the sunset." How to coordinate this atmosphere? Chinese people who inherit Chinese cultural genes have their own understanding. It is in vain for you to correct and induce. The Chinese ancestors were the first to receive the influence of Buddhism. After Buddhism was introduced from the West, it was absorbed, digested, and melted in China before it was spread to the Central Plains. Since the Han Dynasty, the Chinese have fought against the Qiang people, expanded their territory, conquered the Central Plains, stirred up trouble in the Three Kingdoms, and held the emperor in power to order the princes. Their blood has always flowed with restless blood. Facing the Qilian Mountains, the snow-capped peaks, the corridor desert, the endless Gobi Desert, and the rice The crisscrossed oasis in the Liangchuan River, the thick shade of the flowing water on the Shiyang River, and the hazy smoke outside the Haizang Temple make your thinking spiritual, creating romantic fantasies like soaring in the clouds and mist. Faced with the sudden retreat of life, I always thought that I was returning to the mountains, rivers, forests, and fog, so I rejoiced, sang and danced, and the life of the deceased was completed by the vivid performances of the living. When funerals are arranged in front of happy events, they become a shadow of the vastness of time. This is not my poetic association. The Chinese wind of joy and mourning was blowing through every village along the corridor by the Han Dynasty at the latest. Anyone who has been to Wuwei must have visited the Leitai Han Tomb, the place where the bronze galloping horse, a Chinese tourist symbol, was unearthed. I don’t know if you have noticed, but above the door of the Han tomb, there is a double happiness made of blue bricks. When you enter the tomb, the surrounding walls are all covered with blue bricks. The color of the bricks used to build the wall is as light as gray, while the color of the bricks used to build the character "xi" is as dark as ink. It seems that the contrast is very sharp. And the word "Double Happiness" is exactly the same as the "Double Happiness" posted on modern new houses. Happy birthdays are posted on the tomb door and in the tomb chamber, which is unique in the country. It fully illustrates that mourning is also joyful. And it is also conclusive evidence that Double Happiness originated from the Han Dynasty. The owner of the tomb was a general named Zhang who had outstanding military exploits. He died on the battlefield with different skills. There was no complete body and there was only a leg bone in the tomb. It's so tragic and tragic, how can future generations still be happy in the tomb? Can you be happy? I think future generations are happy from the perspective of military exploits. Our ancestors fought bloody battles, sacrificed their lives for the country, their bones were broken into pieces, and their military exploits were outstanding. Isn’t this a great joy? In this way, the mighty style and heroic spirit of Wuwei people will always shine in this happy word. "White weddings" naturally involve setting up a "white wine banquet" to entertain relatives, friends and neighbors. Wine is the matchmaker of joy, a lively hook-up, and a good medicine for excitement. Only with wine can you be happy. The deceased was laid in the mourning hall, while the living lit firecrackers, sang Qin opera a cappella, drank wine and boxed, and played with the deceased for seven days and seven nights, playing the wind and beating, making a great deal of noise before they were sent to the Gumohuangqian crematorium. In such a lively scene, the deceased should be satisfied and smiling. Sometimes, there are also "red happy events" and "white happy events" coming together. It's called "Wedding and White Events". Death is like a lamp going out, and it will be too late to add fuel and twists. The old man knew that he couldn't bear it anymore, so he urged his engaged children and grandchildren to choose an auspicious day and get married quickly. It is said that in this way, "happiness" can counteract "evil", and maybe the old man can be patient for a little longer. Even though he couldn't hold it any longer, the old man heard and witnessed the lively happy events of his children and grandchildren, and left with a smile on his face. The children and grandchildren have just celebrated the "red happy event" and then the "white happy event". They not only pray for the health of the elderly, but also add joy to the newlyweds. It can be said that there is no delay in doing both. Otherwise, if the white wedding comes first, the red wedding will not be done within one year after the white wedding. The funeral scene was in good condition, with large thermal barrels containing Laofu tea, and in poor condition, teapots and thermoses were placed in rows, generous tables, and long benches. It was obvious at a glance that a funeral was being held here.

When a family holds a funeral, the whole village is happy. It is a place where you can drink tea to quench your thirst, smoke to relax, and drink wine to cheer you up. Those who come to attend the funeral, those who come to help, and those who watch the fun can sit there for half a day or a day as they please. Entering the house, a square red lacquered Kang table was placed on the Kang, which was specially furnished for the elderly. Old women and old men, half sitting and half lying down, recalling old friends, arranging household chores, wiping old tears when they are emotional, and laughing loudly when they are happy. The filial sons and grandsons followed the Tao Master's trumpet in and out, kneeling up and down. They looked very miserable, but the Tao Master's suona sound was not sad. The master left only those few tunes. During the three days and three nights at the execution site, in addition to chanting sutras, we couldn't repeat the old tunes. We had to play something else. It wasn't the folk tunes "Cut the Coriander" or "Brother Wang Herding the Sheep". , just follow the popular music. Which tune to play depends on Taoist preferences. Those who love their mother will play "Only Mother is Good in the World", those who love Chuanjiang's trumpets will play "The Tracker's Love", and those who love their wife will play "The Husband and Wife Return the Home". Young people The little Taoist also likes to play "Whose Tears Are Flying" and "A Thousand Years of Waiting". Fortunately, at Chinese funerals, Taoists only play tunes but do not sing lyrics. Many people only listen to the sound of the suona and have no idea what it means. Once, a colleague's father passed away, and we went to pay tribute. As soon as we entered the entrance of the village, the sound of Taoist suona swirled into our ears like light smoke. The suona sound was "Today is a good day". I couldn't help but smile, no matter how happy the "white thing" is, it shouldn't be a good day. The main theme of Chinese funerals promotes joy and bustle. The highest level is to invite opera troupes to perform big plays, sing Qin opera, make social fire, and dance Yangko. This style was still popular during the Qing Dynasty. When some wealthy families die, they will specially invite Qin Opera troupes, social fire troupes, and yangko troupes to set up colorful houses and sing and make noise for the whole village for three days and three nights. Even if it doesn't work, I'll have to sing all day and all night. Famous actors from the troupe often make guest appearances. The more famous the actors hired by each family, the more face they will gain. If a small family cannot afford a big theatrical troupe, they will hire three or two actors, and then three or five others to play the role of "silly young man", "ugly woman" or "plasterer". They dance with their hands, make a fool of themselves, add to the fun, and add some excitement to the happy event. Drums and gongs are beating, and laughter and laughter are thrown across the village and over the high wall, and are floating on the land of China. Such a festival-like fun must be backed by a solid material foundation. China has exactly such conditions. China is not a wasteland. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, when the world was in chaos, China became a refuge for people from all over the world because of its prosperity. A large number of people from the Central Plains took refuge in China. The Chinese people are wealthy and will not reject anyone who comes. They add counties and villages and resettle refugees. During the Tang Dynasty, China was the most prosperous place west of Chang'an. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, although China's vitality was severely damaged by the wars in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it was still rich in Jialongyou and better than Hexi. "Wuwei County Chronicles" written by Chinese Zhang [Wang Zhao] states: "Although Wuliang is located on the edge of the country, the richness of the land and the blessings of the people are actually a beautiful area in Hexi...the customs are extravagant and don't know how to be thrifty." In such a good place, just relying on the Spring Festival and happy events is far from being able to satisfy people's desire for joy. Some women have even begun to pursue sexual happiness, "If you don't have to worry about food and clothing, you just have to worry about getting wet." In this way, it is natural to do happy things for free and happy things for funerals. Zhang Meiru's "Wuwei County Chronicles and Customs" of the Qing Dynasty also makes it clear: Chinese people "must use a feast to entertain guests when holding funerals, and often use colorful buildings to raise social fires when attending funerals, or hold yangko and sing as a precursor." Of course, at that time, people who could be so "playing mourners" were "only rich people". Modern Chinese people's "funeral fun" is far behind the Qing Dynasty people's "funeral fun". At least, no one can afford to invite opera troupes, social fire, and yangko to celebrate the funeral. I had no choice but to do the next best thing and give up the flowing water banquet and have a big banquet for guests and friends. If it is in the countryside and the funeral home is empty and wide, the neighbors will quickly set up a "one-stop funeral" unlimited liability company to handle it on site. Men will set up the mourning hall, cook the stove, and borrow bowls. , those who borrow tables and stools. The mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law washed the vegetables, chopped the meat, rolled the noodles, cooked the meals, and went all out to prepare for the banquet. When holding a banquet, as long as there are neighbors, the whole family, old and young, can come and eat without courtesy. The family of the deceased was very happy. Because you cheered them up, joined in the fun, and added to the atmosphere. After you've eaten and drank enough, if your boss doesn't arrange anything, you can just wipe your lips soaked in oil and leave happily. When the time comes for the funeral to take place and the coffin to be carried, it will be enough to come and watch the funeral and it will be popular. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese Zhang [Wang Zhaomei] looked down upon the waste of his own family, and wrote the "Wuwei County Chronicle" to criticize the Chinese in his family: "Those who are more polite than extravagant are better to be thrifty; mournful. It is better to live in peace. The customs are still complicated. Once the funeral is over, there are many monks and vocal music... After drinking for a while, the cups and plates are in a mess. "I think Zhang [Wang Zhaomei] can only go to the county magistrate. Let’s talk about it here, but if someone is happily drinking wine and eating meat, if you tell them to their face that the Chinese are extravagant and wasteful, wouldn’t you spoil their fun? The last way the Chinese people play mourning is to let their sons-in-law and children have a drunken time. Because in China, enlivening the funeral atmosphere and creating a lively scene is an important responsibility of sons-in-law. If the son-in-law is worried about other things during the funeral, will anyone care? Does anyone care about other hearts? Are there any other guests? It's just a matter of eating carrots and not worrying about it. There is already a boss who has to cook properly. On the night before the funeral, the lively place where the sons-in-law live does not count if it is inside the house or where others cannot see or hear it. It must be placed on the street in front of the mourning hall, under the head of the deceased.

When the time comes, the Eight Immortals table is set up, and tobacco, wine, tea and appetizers are prepared. The sons-in-law sit in front of the deceased's head, muster up their energy, punch loudly to their heart's content, drink wine from large bowls, eat meat with large mouthfuls, and use the car's throat to make loud noises, rowing passers-by. Stop and watch, the noise makes the neighbors unable to sleep, and the effect is achieved from nightfall to dawn the next day. In such a place, the more sons-in-law, nieces-in-law, nephews-in-law, and prospective sons-in-law, the better. Those who can't drink drink half a catty, and those who can drink half a catty drink a catty. The more people make noise, the crazier and busier they are. Relatives and neighbors The happier you are, the more face you have. The purpose of the son-in-law's quarrel is to let the dead know that the children and grandchildren are filial, the family tradition is pure, and the house is full of guests, you can go away in peace and contentment. But today's Chinese sons-in-law have also learned to be traitors, thieves, and slippers. Most of them have become thieves, ghosts, and slippers. When drinking, one only hears the sound of the drink being loud, but does not hear the sound of the wine being drunk. In the end, those who drink too much are so drunk that they have holes in their stomachs and cracks in their heads. Those who sleep in front of the dead man’s head with a wine vat are often honest and courteous sons-in-law. baby. Chinese folk song: "A son cries for money, a daughter cries for tears. The son-in-law sleeps in a wine vat while the daughter-in-law holds a wine vat, and the daughter-in-law holds a jingle party."

"That's the effect you want!