Page:Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills.djvu/39

Rh A platform is put up, paper and incense burned on it, commands issued to the spirits, and 鬼彈子 kuei tan-tzŭ scattered for the benefit of orphan spirits. These tan-tzŭ are bread and cakes; the people scramble for them and eat them; those who eat become bold and are free from bad dreams.

A little weeping may be heard directly after the death, but it is generally checked because it confuses the spirit so that it cannot find its way; but after the formalities of opening the way and escorting the spirit through the difficulties of Hades are finished, the floodgates of weeping are opened. There are few if any paid weepers at a funeral, and this may be regarded as the real and spontaneous outflow of grief, though some, of course, weep as a mere form.

The ceremony of chanting for the dead is performed every seventh day for seven weeks, at the end of 100 days, and on the first, second and third anniversaries of the death.

The three Offerings to the dead, etc. 三獻禮 san hsien li.

Only those occupying a high position in social life and having an ancestral hall can have this expensive ceremony.

The three offerings are all alike, but one is given by the eldest son, one by the eldest grandson, and one by younger sons and grandsons. In each case the offerings are of three kinds, as follows: 酒樽, chiu tsun; 羹饌 kêng chuan; 香帛 hsiang pi; or, respectively, wine, soup and food, incense and silks. But various minor gifts are also included under these headings.

In this ceremony sacrifices are made to Heaven, Earth, the well, the kitchen god, the door god, the carrying-poles for the funeral, sang yü shên 喪輿神; to the effigy which leads the way 開路神 k‘ai-lu shên, and to the 河伯 ho pei or gods of the river if a stream has to be crossed.

Temporary buildings are generally put up for the purposes of the ceremony; they are called 望燎所 wang liao so or 望位所 wang wei so, and often adjoin the house. They consist of rooms where are stored the three kinds of offerings named above; a 'chapel,' tsan chiang t‘ang where the master of ceremonies performs the ceremonies; a pavilion 歌講廳