Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in hlnovel.com -> Prose -> Tears

246 Crossing the Bridge Differently

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    ?

    In addition, every time I go to a bridge, what I have to do is to throw yellow paper and the clothes or shoes and socks my father wore before his death.  I have never really figured out how to throw yellow paper.  From a superstitious point of view, this yellow paper must be burned before it can be transformed into the ghost coin of the underworld.  That being the case, what's the point of constantly throwing paper money along the way?

    In my impression, I seem to have heard the old man say that the yellow paper along the way and the clothes, hats, shoes and socks at the bridge actually serve as guides.  According to the yellow paper and familiar clothes, shoes and socks, the ghosts of the dead can find their way home.  According to this theory, the ghost should still be attached to the body during the period of time just passed away.  After cremation, the ghost who lost his physical body only realized what kind of situation he was in.  Until this time, the ghost will realize that it is time to go home and have a look.  If there is no yellow paper along the way and the familiar clothes, hats, shoes and socks at the key points, then the ghost is likely to lose its way and become a lonely ghost.

    However, such a statement seems to be somewhat contradictory to setting off firecrackers.  Of course, it is also possible that what I think is the loud noise "scare" is not effective for ghosts at all. Perhaps, by setting off firecrackers, I just want to remind the ghosts so that they can pay attention to the main road signs along the way.

    Anyway, in our place, when the hearse crosses the bridge, "throwing money", "setting off firecrackers", "sprinkling yellow paper" and "keeping clothes" are the four things that must be done.  As for why I did this, let alone me, even an old man in his eighties may not be able to fully explain it clearly.

    But not only on bridges, as long as the hearse passes by, yellow paper needs to be thrown uninterruptedly.  And of course, the unprofessional dirge playing of the military band continued.  The people in the military band are sitting in minibuses.  Except for the time when the firecrackers are set off, they have to play without interruption.  Otherwise, if you encounter a bad-tempered host, it is likely that their performance fees will be deducted because of this.

    Perhaps, the formation of such a custom has its deep-seated reasons.  However, I can smell a little sense of vanity from "setting off firecrackers" and "continuous performance of mourning and music".  Most of the rural people have a good face, so many times, they like to make it for others to see.  The "roaring" and "knocking" in the quiet early morning are undoubtedly the most attractive to others.  In this way, it is tantamount to clearly telling others that I am giving a grand burial to my ancestors.  Subconsciously, many people directly equate the degree of prosperity with filial piety.  The more beautiful the funeral affairs are, the more filial the children are.  As everyone knows, what you are doing now, your ancestors can't feel it at all.  Therefore, true filial piety means treating parents better while they are still alive.  Such a wrong orientation of the atmosphere has provided many false filial people with an opportunity to pretend to be fake.  Maybe, some truly filial people will be misunderstood by the world instead.

    Customs are also a kind of culture, and I don't want to completely veto them.  However, I hope that while the custom continues, all the children can confidently declare to everyone by "setting off firecrackers" and "playing mourning music": I am truly filial!  As long as we don't give those hateful people who pretend to be filial a chance to confuse the public, the continuation of such customs is actually nothing.

    When crossing the first bridge, it looks the most solemn.  Of course, due to my inexperience, the first time I "throw money" is also the most.  It is estimated that a small half of the firecrackers brought were used on the first bridge.  Most of the clothes I brought were also left on the first bridge.  This may have something to do with the great emphasis on "first" in Chinese culture.

    Most of the future bridges are symbolic.  There is money, firecrackers, yellow paper, and clothing, but neither can be compared with the first bridge in terms of quantity or duration.

    Although there were stops and stops along the way because of the bridge, it didn't take long before we arrived.  From the moment I got in the car, I felt restless.  Even the busyness along the way did nothing to ease the uneasiness in my heart.  As the distance got closer, the uneasiness in my heart became more and more intense.

    It was obviously not the first time for the people who helped carry the coffin to come.  After they got off the car, they lifted the ice coffin out of the car very skillfully, and then transferred the father to the special car for the funeral home.  They pushed their father into a room with ease and waited.  At the same time, a person was assigned to go through the relevant procedures with me.

    I looked around and found that the huge yard of the funeral parlor was already full of hearses.  Although it is the same day, different people have different birthday horoscopes, so the time viewed by yin and yang is also different.  Those who came before us must have seen the time an hour ahead of Father.  And that time happens to be the first one of the day.  Many people, in order to grab the "first"?Will come here in advance to line up.  Sometimes, I don't understand, is there any meaning to such a "first"?

    When I came to a special hall for formalities, after I explained my purpose of coming, the staff mechanically reported everything needed for formalities.  While going through the formalities, the staff asked me if I wanted an urn?  Having already bought a wooden coffin, I naturally answered no.  After being slightly disappointed, the staff then asked me what kind of urn I wanted.  After I chose the most common one, the procedure was done.  It is estimated that at that time, the staff who went through the formalities must have complained in their hearts: "Where did the country poor boy come from? How stingy!" Since the reform, the cremation fee is now very low.  In my impression, I seemed to have only paid a dozen or so at most twenty yuan at that time.  This also includes the handling fee and the money for the urn.  In the past, the cost of cremation alone was several hundred yuan.  It is precisely because of this that the sale of high-end ashes bags and urns has become one of the main sources of income for funeral homes.  From this point of view, the disappointment of the staff member will appear to be very normal.

    The original intention of the national reform is estimated to be to encourage national cremation.  After all, burial is far more harmful to the environment than cremation.  Especially when encountering some people who have passed away due to infectious diseases, cremation is particularly important.  Otherwise, if one is not handled properly, it will easily cause a large-scale spread of the disease.  However, burial has been passed down for thousands of years after all.  For some old people with deep-rooted feudal ideas, burial is still the only choice.  Therefore, even when cremation is almost free, it is not uncommon for the elderly to be buried secretly.  (Remember the site URL: www.hlnovel.com
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report