This starts with Doing Seven~
Doing Seven is also called "Zhai Qi", "Li Qi", "Shao Qi", "Zuo Qi", "Doing Qi" "One day", "seven to seven", etc. In the old days, the funeral customs of the Han people were popular all over the country. That is, after a person dies (or after a funeral), a spiritual throne is set up for the wooden owner starting from the "First Seven Days". They cry and worship every day, offer sacrifices in the morning and evening, perform Buddhist services every seven days, and set up fasting and sacrifices, in order of "Seven Days". "Seven" On the forty-ninth day, all spirits will be eliminated.
It originated from the Buddhist theory of predestined relationship, which was formed during the period from the spread of Buddhism to the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. From the early Tang Dynasty, it broke through the scope of believers and moved towards secularization. It is said that life has six paths. Between death and rebirth, there is a "bardo body" stage, like a child, seeking life in the underworld for seven days. If the seven days are over, the body has not been found. Depending on the fate of birth, it can continue for another seven days, and by the end of the seventh seven days, there will be a birth (see "Yoga Theory"). Therefore, among these seven or forty-nine days, salvation and sacrifice must be held every seventh day. The reason why this custom of doing seven, which was inspired by the Buddhist "theory of birth and destiny", was formed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties should naturally be regarded as a product of the prevalence of Buddhism at that time.
Origined from Taoism, it is consistent with the Taoist propaganda of the structure and function of hell. Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty also demonstrated this in Volume 32 of "Qi Yu Cong Kao" by combining the historical background of the origin of the seven customs in the Yuan, Wei and Northern Qi: "According to the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, the teachings of the Taoist Kou Qian were prevalent, and the Taoist alchemy worshipers The battle was divided into seven and forty-nine days, and the method was put to death. This is the rule of seven and seven.
It is also said that the custom of doing seven originated from the "soul gathering" in the pre-Qin period. "Sanshuo": When a person is born, seven days are used as wax, and one wax is used to form one soul. Therefore, a person is born in forty-nine days and all seven souls are intact; after death, seven days are used as taboos. One taboo makes one soul disappear, so a person dies at forty-nine days. On the ninth day, the seven souls are dispersed. The meaning of doing seven is to offer sacrifices to the dead. In addition, just like the sky uses the two qi of yin and yang and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth to generate all things, it is called "seven politics", and people have yin and yang and the five constants. There are "seven emotions", so the way of heaven is only seven, and the Qi of human beings is also only seven; and "Yi·Xi·Fu" says "it will come back in seven days", and "Book of Rites·Tan ??Gong Shang" says "water slurry cannot enter the mouth" "Seven days"