As an important place for people's lives, houses have always been valued in traditional Chinese culture on matters related to life and death. When there has been a death in the house, Chinese often consider a series of cultural Xi customs and traditional beliefs to ensure harmony and peace in life.
Traditional Culture and the Concept of Life and Death:
Respect for life and death: Traditional Chinese culture emphasizes respect for life and death, believing that life and death are part of the laws of nature. It is believed that the soul of the deceased lives on and that respect and remembrance of the deceased is essential.
Yin-Yang Balance: In traditional Chinese culture, the concept of Yin-Yang is essential for maintaining ecological balance and family peace. An environment that is too dark or too sunny can bring uneasiness and bad luck. Therefore, dealing with the house of the dead is also related to the balance of yin and yang.
The way to deal with the house of the dead:
Clean-up Purification Ritual:
In traditional Chinese culture, the clean-up ritual is an important way to dispose of the house of a deceased person. This includes cleaning up the deceased's belongings, relocating furniture, and carrying out thorough cleaning and disinfection to purify the space and prevent the deceased's aura from affecting the home environment.
Groundbreaking burial: The funeral of the deceased is also crucial. In traditional Chinese culture, groundbreaking and burial is a key part of ensuring that the deceased can rest in peace. Choosing the right burial place and performing proper funeral rites will help to calm the soul of the deceased.
Consecration Prayer: After dealing with the deceased's house, it is an important ritual to consecrate the blessing. Ask a Taoist priest or monk to come and consecrate and pray for peace and good luck in your home. This ritual can include consecration and some rituals to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings to keep the home environment clean.
Change the layout and decoration:
Sometimes people choose to rearrange and decorate the house, changing the original structure and furnishings to change the original yin of the house. This could include repainting walls, replacing furniture, redesigning room layouts, etc.
Worship the gods for blessings: In traditional Chinese culture, people worship the gods for blessings and pray for the gods to bless the safety of their homes. Choose the right guardian god or land god to worship to ensure that there is enough guardian power in the home to make the family harmonious and peaceful.
Ancestor worship: The worship of ancestors by Chinese is a strong cultural tradition. When dealing with the houses of deceased people, people often think about how to set up shrines in their homes and perform worship activities to show respect for their ancestors.
Festival activities: In some traditional festival activities, people will also carry out some special sacrifice ceremonies to seek peace and auspiciousness in the family. For example, during the Qingming Festival, people will go to the ancestral grave to worship, and they can also clean and purify their homes by the way.
Conclusion: Dealing with the houses of the deceased involves a wealth of traditional Chinese culture and beliefs. From cleaning and purifying, breaking the ground for burial to consecration and praying, every step carries people's respect for life and death, worship of ancestors, and the pursuit of balance between yin and yang.
These methods are not only a continuation of cultural traditions, but also a kind of tribute to the deceased, and also help to maintain the harmony and peace of the home. In modern society, although some traditional Xi may gradually fade, people will still take these traditional cultural factors into account to a certain extent when dealing with the house of a deceased person in order to achieve family peace and happiness.