Xiangxi coffin fortune telling

In Xiangxi, if someone dies, the family will ask the mage to do it. The mage will bury the body of the deceased, and then be responsible for the planning of the whole funeral, such as the construction and layout of the mourning hall, the geomantic omen of the cemetery and the burial time. The mage is responsible for setting, which is easier for family members and villagers to achieve.

Relatives of the deceased follow the Taoist priest to "walk around the coffin", which is also called "beating around the coffin" or "wearing flowers" at the funeral of the elderly. Generally, there are five or seven people, at least three people, dancing and singing in odd numbers, with the Taoist leading the singing and others following, and singing around the coffin.

There will be a lion dance at the funeral in Xiangxi, which is the most popular in Xiangxi Miao area. Before the Han Dynasty, there were no lions in China. Lions? 、? Dragon? And then what? Kirin? They are just auspicious animals imagined in people's myths.

Why do China people have a soft spot for lions? Because the lion is powerful, and is known as the king of all animals, China is generally not harmed by the lion. Therefore, the people have friendly feelings for the lion, regard it as a symbol of courage and good luck, and hope to use its powerful image to exorcise evil spirits, so they imitate the shape of the lion and dance it.

In order to pray for a peaceful, auspicious and peaceful life, people often use gods or auspicious beasts to exorcise ghosts and entertain gods. With people's love for lions, they are no longer satisfied with the static artistic images of lions standing on doorsteps, eaves, stone fences, seals and New Year pictures. They want the lion to live, so our ancestors created a dance that mimics the lion's behavior, and then improved it and developed it into a unique lion dance art of the Chinese nation.

Seeing the lion, the ghosts ran away in fright. Since then, Xiangxi Miao people regard lions as sacred objects. Usually, those strong young people make their own lion skins, put them on and learn how to roll and jump like lions, scream and roar, and exorcise demons village by village. So the Miao family is happy and healthy.

People in Xiangxi regard lions as sacred objects. When a relative dies, there will be a lion dance performance at the funeral. On the one hand, it is to express the grief of the death of relatives in this way, and on the other hand, it is hoped that the lion can bless the relatives to reach the Elysium as soon as possible.