Our country has a vast territory and a large number of people. Due to the different and diverse living environments, various customs have been formed in various places.
In addition to some common customs in different places, there are also some different customs.
Take the custom of erecting monuments in rural areas as an example. In some places, monuments cannot be erected three years after the death of an elderly person, while in other places there is no such thing.
1. Why can’t a monument be erected three years after the old man’s death?
The editor summarized three different opinions on this matter.
1. To be laid to rest
Feng Weimin, the opera writer of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in "Playing with Children: Skeletons Complaining of Injustice" that "Since ancient times, it has been decided to lay the coffin down, and to be laid to rest.
"Many rural people believe that the deceased should be respected.
Most of them believe that the deceased cannot stay at home for too long after death and must be buried as soon as possible, and the soil on the grave cannot be moved casually to avoid disturbing the deceased's rest.
In some places, tombstones are erected when the deceased is buried. This method is not only very convenient, but also reflects respect for the deceased.
After the deceased is buried, there is also a custom that the soil on the grave cannot be touched for three years.
In some places, there is even a custom of not erecting monuments.
People in this kind of place believe that when erecting a monument, it will come into contact with the soil on the grave, which is an unlucky symbol.
In addition, people also have different understandings of the time concept of "within three years".
Which three years are "three years"? When do they start and when do they end? There are two opinions here. The first one is that "three years" refers to the third year after the tomb is built.
At this time, the monument can be erected and the tomb can be renovated, and the tomb can also be added. Some new soil.
Another view is that "three years" refers to the completion of three years, excluding the third year, which means that the monument can only be erected in the fourth year.
2. The new grave test period
There is a saying in ancient China called Feng Shui. In the old days, people in rural areas often linked the burial place of their ancestors with the rise and fall of their family.
They believe that burying their ancestors in a place with good feng shui will bring good luck to the family, while burying their ancestors in a place with bad feng shui will bring disaster to the family.
So how do you tell whether the burial place of your ancestors is a Feng Shui treasure?
Although most people in rural areas believed in Feng Shui in the old days, not many people were proficient in it. In order to confirm the Feng Shui of the burial place, people often had to observe the newly built tomb for three years.
If everything goes well at home in the past three years, most people will not choose to erect monuments to avoid damaging the feng shui of the cemetery.
If there are many disasters in the family in the past three years, people will choose two methods to solve the problem. One is to erect a monument on the tomb to change the feng shui of the tomb, and the other is to move the tomb to another place with good feng shui.
Although Feng Shui is a feudal superstition, it is indeed one of the reasons why the custom of "not erecting a monument for three years" was formed.
3. Observing filial piety
In ancient times, our country attached great importance to filial piety. The ancients said that "filial piety comes first among all good deeds", which shows the high status of filial piety.
Keeping filial piety is a manifestation of filial piety. Later, keeping filial piety became a system of the imperial court. Regardless of the poor or officials, anyone who suffered a parents' funeral at home must keep filial piety, and the period of keeping filial piety is generally three years.
During the mourning period, the soil on the grave cannot be touched. In order to prevent others or other animals from touching the soil on the grave, people will build huts next to the grave to guard the grave.
If someone wants to shorten or avoid observing filial piety, once discovered, he or she will be removed from the official position or thrown into prison.
2. Whether a monument can be erected, and the shape of the monument should be particular
In ancient times, people gave mountains a tall image. They believed that mountains gave birth to all things, and the position of the tombstone was wrong. It will affect the vitality of the mountain, and it will also affect the tomb itself.
So people are very particular about the location of monuments in the mountains. Some places can erect monuments, and some places cannot.
my country’s traditional tombstones can be divided into two types. One is relatively simple, mainly composed of a rectangular stone slab.
The other is more complex, called a pentagonal stele. This kind of stele is named after its four eaves and a box of roofs.
The location of these two monuments is also different.
3. Pay attention to the time when erecting the monument
Some people will ask if the soil on the tomb cannot be moved, what if the tomb is damaged? If it is not repaired, it will not be a good thing for the ancestors. Is it disrespectful? In fact, the soil on the grave can be moved, but it can only be moved within the specified time.
People generally believe that the following three nodes can make a difference.
One is the death anniversary of the deceased, and the other is the Winter Clothes Festival. These two customs only exist in very few places.
There is a season that everyone generally agrees on, and that is Qingming Festival.
It is believed that there are no taboos in repairing tombs at the three time points.
The year is also one of the factors that affects whether people will touch the soil on the grave. Folks believe that leap years are unlucky, so people will not choose to repair graves in leap years.
Some people are more particular and will carefully choose a good and auspicious day to erect a tombstone.
The tradition of erecting monuments has developed to this day. There are parts that need to be abandoned and parts that are worth passing on.
Today in the new era, funeral customs have also changed a lot, and there is no need to pay so much attention to erecting monuments.