At four o'clock in the morning, the sound of wailing began.

Unexpectedly, he sat and fell asleep, Bao Xiaoxing opened his eyes and trembled, and saw that the old people in the eldest aunt's room began to put on shoes and coats one after another.

"Aunt, what's wrong?" Hyosung asked his aunt.

"I'm going to burn paper."

Hearing this, Bao Xiaoxing hurriedly got off the kang and wore linen and filial piety.

"Uncle, uncle, aunt, big, let's go!" The eldest cousin opened the curtain and invited the elders with the second cousin, Kiryu and others.

As soon as the cousin-in-law of the eight-character beard came out of the room, he immediately wailed, walked to the head of the coffin of the eldest aunt, and sang with the coffin.

"The in-laws are like a silkworm, diligent and thrifty all their lives; suffered a lot for his sons and daughters to accumulate this meager family property; Only you live a long life and enjoy pure blessings, who knows that you will leave the world early...... Oh, my mother-in-law! ”

"Oh, sister...... My frightened sister...... "My aunt also patted the coffin, snorted and cried with tears.

In an instant, one hundred and ten people knelt on the ground together in filial piety clothes and hats, from the mourning hall to the outside of their homes. A few minutes later, several gongs sounded, the cry faded, and the person in charge shouted at the crowd in a thick voice.

"At the end of the vigil, the guests mourned. The filial sons stepped forward and worshiped together. ”

Everyone got up, the filial sons of the Guo family from the eldest cousin to the grandson, more than 30 people knelt on the ground, after two bows and six kowtows, the eldest cousin knelt on behalf of the filial sons and stepped forward to sacrifice wine for the dead. After the wine sacrifice, everyone kowtowed three times in unison, and then got up to finish the salute.

"The mother's family comes forward, and the male guest worships!"

Suddenly, seven or eight men led by Bao Xiaoquan, Bao Xiaozhi, Zhang Qigong, Bao Weichou, etc., knelt on the ground and cried together.

"Filial piety returns the courtesy!" The eldest cousin and other filial sons knelt on the left side of the mourning hall, bowed three times and bowed to the ground and returned the salute.

In this way, the male guests of the deceased's mother's family have finished worshipping, followed by the male guests of the cousin's mother's family, the male guests of Kiryu's daughter-in-law's family, and then the sons-in-law and nephews of the Guo family are distributed according to their generations; After the male guests finished the sacrifice, the female filial sons and the female guests worshipped one by one in this order.

Another gong sounded, and the person in charge shouted with all his might.

"The last family sacrifice is over. Sons-in-law and nephews are ready to sweep the tomb! ”

At the end, the eldest cousin Guo Chaofen's son-in-law, the eldest aunt's nephew Bao Xiaoquan and Bao Xiaozhi came out of the grain under the arrangement of Rao, the person in charge, Liu Laosan, the head of the deacon, Mr. Lifang, etc., and under the leadership of Rao, the deacon of a village, the three went to the ancestral grave of the eldest cousin to sweep the tomb. The sons-in-law and nephews took the brooms and dustpans prepared in advance in the ritual room, and before the funeral procession set off, they went to the grave of the deceased to inspect the tomb and clean the tomb. After a few people set off, another gong rang out.

"Quiet and quiet! Next is the sealing of the coffin. Attention! Male filial sons and female filial sons hurriedly stepped forward to take a look at the last side of the loving mother! ”

Suddenly, the cry hung in front of the mourning hall. Cousins-in-law, cousins, Bao Xiaoxing and other men and women hid their faces and wailed, but the old people such as aunts, cousins, cousins-in-law and fathers-in-law began to move to the coffin and get busy. They stuffed the relics of the eldest aunt prepared by Kiryu's daughter-in-law in advance—pillows, clothes, daily necessities, etc.—into the deceased's expectations. One is to accompany the funeral, and the other is to fix it, so as not to sway and hurt the deceased on the funeral road.

"There's a little more to the head!" The eldest aunt reached out and asked for something.

"It's gone!" Big cousin's voice.

"Hurry up and bring the old mattress on the kang and cover her, cover it more realistically!" Gu commanded.

"More toilet paper!" My cousin's aunt, my aunt's sister-in-law, asked for rolls of toilet paper to fix my foot.

It didn't take long for the coffin to be stuffed hard.

"Almost!" After the person in charge identified the people, he struck the big gong with all his might.

"Seal the coffin! Filial sons and deacons come forward! ”

Immediately, the neighbors of the village crowded forward, and everyone carried the coffin lid leaning against the corner of the wall, and then about a dozen people gathered around the coffin lid, including villagers wearing filial piety hats, filial sons with grandchildren, and strong male guests......

"Ready! "The person in charge gave an order, and everyone lifted the thick paulownia coffin lid and put it on the coffin.

The female guests represented by her cousin Chaofen whimpered and cried, and after the coffin was covered, the male filial sons once again lay on the ground and covered their faces and shouted. For a moment, except for the deacons and elders, a large number of people knelt on the ground.

"Playing music!"

A gong sounded, and the self-music team played and sang on the side. The deacons were busy nailing the coffin with nails, and when it was time for the people in the service room to come forward with paste and red slips of paper to seal the ring, and finally, the deacons covered the coffin with a pre-made red flannel cover. The coffin is sealed, and the ceremony is over.

"The spirit bearer stepped forward and prepared to enter the coffin!"

After the person in charge played the gong, the filial sons retreated one after another, and sixteen strong villagers who had been scheduled in advance rushed forward. They were densely distributed around the coffin, with their hands under the coffin, looking at the principal, ready to lift up.

"Lift the coffin!"

Under a rough command, everyone lifted the coffin in a muffled voice. A deacon cleared the road in front of him, and under the command of the head of Rao, the spirit bearer carried the coffin into the dragon bar coffin outside the door step by step. As soon as the coffin came out of the house, one of the deacons took away the lantern next to the coffin, and several others began to pack up the things in the mourning hall.

The coffin cover is the carrier that transports the deceased from home to the cemetery, similar to the ancient palanquin, but it is larger and must hold the entire coffin. There are several iron bars around the coffin, which is convenient for people to lift. There are plastic dragon heads and dragon tails before and after the coffin cover, and the whole coffin cover looks like a colorful dragon bed from a distance, implying that the deceased takes the dragon to the west, and the dragon bed is arranged around the drape embroidered with a long dragon, and the decorations such as colored lanterns and wooden idols are hung inside. Because of its appearance, people often call the coffin cover "dragon bar coffin cover".

After the coffin was in the coffin, the deacons began to tie it up to make sure that it was safe and sound on the funeral route. After binding, the person in charge ordered the coffin head to be turned and turned in the direction of the cemetery. When everything stopped, a deacon set off firecrackers in front of his house to celebrate the deceased's official departure from home to Elysium. Firecrackers rang out, and everyone fell silent. Suddenly, the gong sounded, and the principal roared.

"The spirit bearer rests for a while, ready to carry the coffin on the road! Tile pots and guide flags are ready! Musicians, please step forward! The deacons are ready to lead the way! ”

The crowd began to stir, preparing for the funeral. Several deacons bypassed the crowd and waited on the road ahead, and the musicians also went to the alley at the door one after another, and the relatives went out one after another, and the one in the ceremonial room took out a few feet of white cloth, and the eldest cousin took over the clay pot. The eldest grandson Kiryu stood in front of the filial son, holding the spirit flag in both hands, and behind the rope on both shoulders was the white cloth that was several feet long, and the male and female filial sons stood in two rows on both sides of the white cloth. One or two hundred people took their places, waiting for the funeral.

"Dangdangdang......" Several hurried gongs sounded, and the person in charge shouted.

"Spirit!"

In an instant, firecrackers were set off at the front of the line, and the line in front began to move slowly. The people in front of the team hadn't walked much, and the filial sons walked to the entrance of the village, and the person in charge carried the gong to the middle of the team, shouting at the front and back.

"The great filial son fell into the clay pot! The big filial son fell into the clay pot! ”

Suddenly, the eldest cousin on top of the clay basin threw the clay basin to the ground with all his might, and with a bang, the clay basin shattered. The tiles that had not yet been broken were trampled and smashed by the dolls in the filial piety under the command of the head of the department. Then, the twelve musicians began to play drums and cymbals and blow the suona, the relatives whined and wailed, and the sixteen spirit bearers lifted the coffin cover and went to the cemetery. The funeral officially began, and the deceased left home completely.

Falling the basin, also known as the top basin and the mourning basin, is an important part of the funeral. There are paper pots, clay pots, and tile pots, and the town has always used clay pots. At the beginning, the clay pot was placed in front of the mourning hall, and relatives who mourned from all over the world came to burn paper, all of which were burned in the basin. When the funeral is out, the clay basin follows the coffin, and after going on the road, the eldest son or eldest grandson of the deceased Rao carries it on his head, and it is generally broken at the entrance of the village or in front of the tomb. Why is there such a custom? The ancient clay pot symbolizes the rice bowl or wealth of the deceased before his death, and the accumulation of his life before his death, and the fall of the pot after his death means that the family wealth is scattered to his children and grandchildren, so the pot of the mourning pot is also called the cornucopia.

The 100-meter funeral procession began to move slowly in the light of dawn, and at the head of the procession were a dozen or so deacons. The first deacon carried a cannon and fired a cannon while walking, and the people in the square circle called it "open road cannon"; The second deacon had a large drum hanging on his chest, and he played the drum as he went, which was called the "Drum of Courage"; The third deacon carried a large square wooden plate on his head, on which were placed rich offerings such as pig's head, flower steamed buns, three plates of vegetables, tea and fruits, etc., to pray to the gods to open the way; The fourth deacon carried a basket, and in the basket was the white paper money cut by the ladies in advance. The deacons in the back carried the paper bundles dismantled from the mourning hall - a two-meter-tall person, a paper car, a paper villa given by relatives, and a thousand-mile horse riding in the underworld...... The deacons walked three or five meters apart, smoking cigarettes and humming and laughing.

The deacon was followed by the band. Twelve musicians staggered, puffing out their cheeks and playing trumpets, pouting and playing suona, playing erhu and erhu on their crotch, shaking their heads and playing board drums...... The combination of erhu and suona, which has the most unique timbre in the world, makes it feel like a funeral no matter what song you play. The bleak and miserable tune is played on the Loess Plain in a loop, which has hardly changed for hundreds of years, and even the birds and beasts that spend the winter in all directions are used to hearing it, and they are too lazy to raise their eyes to take care of it.

Behind the band is the head of the funeral, that is, the head of the funeral, the principal. The man in charge, who was over 70 years old, with a white belly and age spots on his face, held a brown cigarette in his mouth, held a large golden gong with a pot lid in his left hand, and held a large wooden mallet with a thick arm in his right hand. The big gong was the only ritual instrument for him to preside over the funeral; Shouting was the only weapon he wielded, weakened to the point of rust. Under the guidance of the new era, the new generation of people gradually became less rare and traditional funeral customs, so that there are fewer and fewer people on the Loess Plateau who are familiar with the funeral process and firmly adhere to the traditional customs, and they are getting older and older. In any case, at one funeral after another, they are respected and admired.

Next was the filial piety team, one hundred and ten people cried and shouted, wiped their tears and blew their noses, and the wails resounded through the valley. At the front of the team was Guo Tongsheng, a white man holding a soul-attracting banner in both hands and a holding cloth on his shoulder, intending to guide the way for the undead. Since he has been dividing the relatives of the eldest and youngest according to their generations, the team is divided into two groups, and the left side is a male filial son, headed by the eldest cousin and the second cousin, all of whom are tied with hemp rope or filial piety cloth around their waists, and hold a mourning stick; On the right side is a female filial son, headed by the eldest cousin and the eldest cousin. The people on the left and right sides each stretched out a hand holding a half-meter-wide cloth of the hand. How many relatives are white, how long the cloth is. At the end of the long white cloth, the head of the coffin of the eldest aunt is tied.

"The Book of Rites: Under the Tan Bow" has a cloud: "Those who hang in the funeral must be guided, and if they follow the coffin and the circle, they are all persistent." The difference between the two is that the execution is used for coffins and the execution is used for hearses. The cloth refers to the rope used by relatives to pull the hearse during the funeral, including straw rope, white cloth rope, wide white cloth, etc. As an important custom of funeral, it has been passed down from 2,000 years ago to the present day. Earlier there were restrictions on the number of people and status, but later they were gradually relaxed, and now all relatives can be invoked to help and participate in the funeral with the help of cousins and friends. Although there have long been cases of using four-wheeled vehicles and vans as coffin covers or hearses to drive directly to the cemetery, the eldest cousin and the second cousin still decided to use manpower to carry the coffin to show their respect for the eldest aunt and the importance of this funeral.

The sixteen people carrying the coffin cover hummed and ate, constantly adjusting their pace and moving forward. Once the coffin is lifted, it will fall to the grave. The villagers of the neighboring houses worked tirelessly, without concealment, and carried the heavy coffin covers, and if anyone could not carry it and needed to be rotated, a deacon would come to replace the lifting bar. Along the way, the mask does not fall to the ground, people do not stop, and change while walking. Therefore, the dragon bar coffin was followed by twenty or thirty deacons who helped, in addition to replacing the coffin, there were also those who went to repair the tomb and dig the tomb, carried fragrant wine and candles, and simply watched the excitement. The final phalanx of the funeral procession was a large tricycle filled with wreaths and paper bundles from relatives, as well as farm tools for graves.

On the firewood pile, it is boxy and snowy; In the middle of the road, there are potholes, half dry and half wet; In Guojia Village, the earth is full of fog and the morning breeze is like a song.

The deacons are sparsely lala, the filial sons are in white clothes and white hats, and the self-music class breaks the silence for thousands of miles. The cry is like the wind, the suona is like a howl, the cymbals are like ghosts, and even the dry and rubbing dead trees are so frightened that they take off their hats for the deceased on the side of the road to send them to the funeral.

Bao Xiaoxing was sandwiched in the team of female filial sons, holding up a white cloth with his left hand, and supporting his eldest cousin with his right hand, afraid that his cousin would be too sad and cry and faint. Everyone in the village was dressed in fat clothes, and Hyosung was dressed in the big clothes of his cousin Qigong and wrapped in a white filial piety cloth on his head, so no one recognized her except his own. Simply, the woman put down her reserve and face, and cried bitterly with the team all the way. But who was she crying for? Obviously not the big aunt. Cry for yourself with premature aging, cry for the difficult life, cry for the unhappiness of your children, cry for the regret of not being able to return home, cry for the mother who died far away, and cry for the old house where she was born...... I don't know, so the woman cried very sadly, and the tears were soaked with a towel early, and the snot blocked the nasal passages, and she cried several times and couldn't breathe.

A dream of wealth in the past, a dream of fame and fortune in the future; Twenty-three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and dreams are dreams that have not turned into tears.

Originally, Hyosung was supporting his cousin, and later his cousin also supported Hyosung. Hyosung cried with moderation and grace, not like others howling for mourning, but the long-suppressed sadness cousin Chaofen could see it.

I don't know how long I cried, but the team in front arrived at the cemetery and began to set up the scene. The deacons set up a table in front of the tomb, on which were placed plates, on which offerings were placed, and the sacrifices were turned away from the ancestral tomb and faced south. Several old gentlemen walked quickly to the front of the mausoleum through the filial son's relatives to inquire about the location of the tomb, the reliability of the interior, and whether it would affect the tomb of the deceased father of the filial son who was about to be buried together. The musicians stopped on the west side of the tomb, and in the bitter winter wind, the music team formed a circle, began to change the tune, and sang the Qin opera "Sacrifice to the Spirit". After taking charge of the Ran Mausoleum, he discussed the burial with several old people and the family. Finally, the coffin cover slowly appeared, and under the command of the person in charge of the gong and shouting, everyone gently placed the dragon bar coffin cover next to the tomb. The cousin-in-law, Bao Xiaoquan, Bao Xiaozhi and others who swept the tomb made a detour home and set off again, and also rushed to the cemetery at this time after joining the funeral procession.

"Big Mom...... Oh, I'm dying in horror......"

As soon as everyone arrived at the cemetery, they looked left and right and looked curiously, and before they could react, they suddenly heard several people crying. It turned out that it was my aunt, cousin, aunt and other old people who were crying and mourning on the ancestral grave. First, to give an example to the younger generation, and secondly, the old people cherish this rare visit to the grave. For a while, the relatives lined up and knelt down, the men knelt on the ground and bowed their heads, and the women lay on their stomachs and wailed.

"Prepare for burial! The filial sons came to clean the tomb! ”

After the gong sounded, the filial sons then got up and stepped forward. Taking the broom from his cousin-in-law's hand, the eldest cousin and the second cousin went down to the tomb to inspect it.

"The Lord thanks the grave beater!"

After the director finished shouting, a deacon next to him walked up to the eldest cousin with a plate. Several grave beaters were at the entrance of the tomb, and the eldest cousin toasted them one by one, and then gave them a red envelope one by one. Next, the second cousin toasted them one by one and gave them a red envelope one by one. The grave beaters dispersed, and another gong sounded.

"The deacons come forward and prepare to be buried!"

Then, the sixteen spirit-bearers rejoined the coffin, and everyone untied the coffin from the coffin, and then separated and parked the coffin in the southwest corner of the cemetery. Then, more than 20 people held ropes in their hands, and under the command of the chief Rao, they moved the coffin to the entrance of the tomb step by step.

"Ready! I'll count it, and everyone will put the rope together, and put the length of a fist one at a time! ”

The head of the charge looked around and repeated both sides, and after the heads of the people agreed, the head of the charge began to count.

"One!"

"Oops!" Everyone shouted in unison as they put down the rope as they were customary.

"Two!"

"Oops!"

"One!"

"Oops!"

"Two!"

"Oops!"

……

In this way, in a low and rough oooh, the coffin descended smoothly into the tomb.

"Good! I've entered the Ming Hall, ready to adjust the direction! ”

After the person in charge finished, the three grave beaters went down to the tomb to raise the coffin head to adjust the position, and everyone took advantage of the situation and immediately took away more than a dozen thick ropes. Then the grave beater pushes the coffin until it reaches the burial chamber.

"Good! Sons-in-law and nephews go down to the grave to check and check! ”

My cousin-in-law and my two cousins, Bao Xiaoquan and Bao Xiaozhi, went down to check, and after making sure that there was no problem, they came up and nodded in thanks.

"Put the funeral goods!"

Two grave beaters went down to the cave and put the everlasting lamps, wine, and boys and girls (paper pierced people) prepared by the deacon into the tomb**.

"Burial done! Prepare for the grave! ”

Thirty or forty deacons went to the tricycle behind them to get shovels and other tools.

"Filial sons rise to the grave!"

At the end, the eldest cousin and the second cousin knelt on the ground, and according to custom, they first sprinkled a few handfuls of loess in the tomb with both hands, and after three and five times, the principal shouted.

"Come, come, come! Filial sons and deacons together! ”

At the end, more than 20 deacons each held a shovel and began to shovel and fill the pit, Kiryu and Jin Sheng each handed their father a shovel, and a dozen filial sons surnamed Guo shoveled soil to seal the hole. Not long after, the tomb was sealed, and after another ten minutes, the burial chamber was covered with dirt bags.

"Filial sons come to the grave! The deacon builds the tomb door! ”

A dozen or so dutiful sons built the mountain like a tomb, and two deacons built the tomb gate directly south of the tomb with bricks pulled by tricycles.

"Please come and have a look!"

After the grave was almost ready, the person in charge hooked his hand at the cousin-in-law and the other three, and after the three of them checked it, they nodded their heads. The deacons in charge of the tricycle in the distance hooked their hands with their hands, and several of the deacons carried a number of wreaths and gently placed them around the grave of the eldest aunt, and the chariots, people, and white horses were tied or inserted on the grave or piled on the side of the grave. In addition, the deacon placed incense burners, snacks, fruits, and other items on the table not far from the entrance of the tomb.

"The last sacrifice! Stop by the fun! Filial sons prepare! Deacons stand back! ”

As soon as the gong sounded, the deacons withdrew from the tricycle, and the filial sons knelt neatly in two shifts, one group of male filial sons and male relatives, and one group of female filial sons and female relatives.

"Bye!"

After one sound, more than 100 people knelt down and kowtowed three times.

"Up!"

The crowd rises.

"Bye!"

And they knelt down and prostrated three times.

"Sacrificial wine!"

The eldest son, the eldest cousin, on behalf of the group, offered wine to the deceased mother.

"Up!"

More than a hundred people got up at the same time.

"Bye!"

And they knelt down and prostrated three times.

"Finish! The festival is over! Get ready to burn paper! ”

The person in charge put away the gong and hammer, the deacon allowed to light the lighter, the eldest cousin lit incense to worship, and then lit the paper money, and after the paper money was burned, the deacon led the fire seed to the paper on the grave. With the help of the east wind, the fire broke out, and the last mourning came with the fire. The hula burned for twenty minutes, and the new grave was covered with soot, and the colorful paper bundles went away in the wind like the soul of the great aunt.

The tricycle started and left first, the musicians turned around and continued to play and sing, and the deacons began to pack up the offerings, coffins, farm tools, etc., and then carried or carried them back. The relatives stopped crying and got up, and several female filial sons were still crying in grief, and everyone went to persuade them, and after wiping their tears five times, the crying and mourning ended. Everyone then took off their filial piety hats and filial piety clothes, lined up and left the cemetery one after another, and several distant relatives waited for everyone to leave and bowed to the ancestral grave a few times and burned some paper.

The crowd walked by, and the loess was flying.

The only difference from when I came was that the sun came out. The morning glow is charming and gorgeous, the morning sun is cold and beautiful, and under the blue and white clouds, people walk back leisurely on the road of the ridge.

Gray and gray ground, deep in snow.

Yellow grass, loess, yellow pimple mountain, snow pits, snow stacks, snow piles. The scenery on the earthen wall is not gray, but this scene is so real that it is down-to-earth and reassuring.

Bao Xiaoxing got rid of his filial piety and walked on the plateau, with a kind of detached joy. The dry world has no color, but it looks graceful and affectionate because it is a hometown. As long as she stays here, she will naturally find a sense of comfort, safety and leisure. Resting here, three lives are fortunate. Bao Xiaoxing was particularly happy, as if he was also buried on the Loess Plateau a few years later. Death, here, is all too common.

The dirt road is slender and the dead grass is picturesque. 166 Reading Network