The significance of memorial service

The memorial service is a ceremony for the dead.

There are certain procedures and etiquette for memorial service, and different regions have different regulations. In the morning after the funeral, Wenxi and other places in the south of Shanxi pay attention to the delivery of food by the families of the deceased to the grave to pour wine. This means that the family and the deceased have breakfast together again. In the vicinity of Yicheng, the family members of the deceased went to the grave to pay homage the next day, adding new soil in front of the grave to make the grave upright and impartial. In the folk, we also call this kind of etiquette floating mountain.

For Taiyuan area, since the deceased were buried, it is necessary to wait until three years later when Tomb-Sweeping Day visited the grave before adding soil to the grave. These two areas are different, and the manners are also very different. Most areas in Shanxi will add new soil to the grave and burn paper money on the third day after the dead are buried, which is also called round grave and warm grave. Generally, the eldest son of the deceased leads his family. In some places, all relatives with clothes will go.

The custom of paying tribute

After a person dies, his children will mourn for three years, which is also called mourning for three years among the people. On the first anniversary, the children of the deceased will burn paper to pay homage, which is called anniversary or anniversary burning. The ancients called it sample, and the second anniversary called it Daxiang. The children of the deceased will also go to the grave to pay homage and mourn. After three years of mourning, relatives and friends of the deceased will come to the grave to burn paper to pay homage, each with offerings and paper labels.

After the third anniversary of the deceased, their children can take off their mourning clothes and put on ordinary clothes. For this reason, the third anniversary is also called undressing or removing filial piety. According to tradition, the funeral ceremony officially ended after the third anniversary. On the day of the second year after the death of the deceased in Tomb-Sweeping Day or the day before in Tomb-Sweeping Day, there is a unique heartburn custom in Jinzhong area. On this day, relatives and friends of the deceased, especially the married daughter, must personally go to the cemetery to worship.