中英雙語話中國民風民俗 第4期:葬禮

Funeral Customs

葬禮

The burial of the dead is a matter taken very seriously by Chinese. improper funeral arrangements，it is believed，can wreak ill fortune and disaster upon the family of the deceased.

中國人對埋葬死者的葬禮非常重視他們認爲，葬禮如果安排不當，會給死者的家庭帶來厄運和災難。

To a certain extent，Chinese funeral rites and burial customs are determined by the age of the deceased，the manner of his/her death，his/her status and postion in society and his/her marital status.

從某種程度上來說，中國人喪葬禮儀的規格是由死者的年齡、死亡的方式、社會地位和婚姻狀況決定的。

According to Chinese custom，an older person should not show respell to a younger. Thus，if the deceased is a young，bachelor his body cannot be brought home but is left in a funeral parlour. His parents cannot offer prayers for their son: being unmarried，he has no children to perform these rites either. If a baby or child dies，no funeral rites are performed:the child is buried in silence.

根據中國的風俗，歲數大的人不能向年輕人致敬。因此，如果死者是一位未婚的年輕人，他的屍體就不能帶回家中，而是要置於靈棚裏。他的父母不能向他祝禱。由於沒有結婚，也不會有孩子爲他舉行儀式。如果嬰兒早夭，也不會舉行任何儀式，孩子會被無聲無息地埋掉。

Funeral rites for an elderly person must follow the prescribed form and convey relevant respell:rites befitting the person's status，age etc. must be performed even if this means the family of the deceased must go into debt to pay for them.

爲老人舉辦的葬禮必須遵循既定的形式，必須要表現出相當的儀式，必須要舉行符合死者的地位、年齡的儀式，哪怕這樣做會讓死者的家庭因此負債。

Preparation for a funeral often begins before death has occurred:if a person is on his/her deathbed a coffin will often have already been ordered by the family. A traditional Chinese coffin is rectangular with three“humps" coffin is provided by an undertaker who oversees all the funeral rites.

死亡發生之前，葬禮就開始準備了。人還躺在牀上奄奄一息時，家人可能已經預定好棺材了。傳統的中國棺材呈四方形，有三處隆起。棺材有承辦人提供，並由他監督所有喪禮的細節。

When a death occurs in a family all statues of deities in the house are covered with red paper(so as not to be exposed to the body or coffin)and mirrors removed from sight，as it is believed that one who sees the reflection of a coffin in a mirror will shortly have a death in his/her family. A white cloth will be hung across the doorway of the house and a gong placed on the left of the entrance if the deceased is male and the right if female.

如果家裏死了人，所有的神像都要以紅紙蒙面(不能暴露在屍體或棺材前)。所有的鏡子都要移出視線之外，因爲人們相信，在鏡子裏看到棺材的人自己家裏不久會死人。屋子的門上會掛上一塊白布，門側會掛個鑼，死者是男的話掛左邊，是女的就掛右邊。

Before being placed in the coffin，the corpse is cleaned with a damp towel，dusted with talcum powder and dressed in his/her best clothes from his/her own wardrobe(all other clothing of the deceased is burnt and not reused)before being placed on a mat. The body is completely dressed-including footwear, and cosmetics if female-but it is not dressed in red clothes(as this will cause the corpse to become a ghost):white，black, brown or blue are the usual colours used. Before being placed in the coffin the corpse's face is covered with a yellow cloth and the body with a light blue one.

屍體在放進棺材之前，要用溼毛巾擦乾淨，用滑石粉除去身上的灰塵，穿上他/她生前最好的衣服(死者其他的衣服都要被燒掉，不會再穿)，然後放到墊子上。死者全身穿戴整齊，包括鞋襪，如果是女人的話，還要化妝，除了紅色的衣服不能穿(這樣會讓屍體變成鬼)，白色、黑色、棕色或藍色的衣服都是很常見的。在放人棺材之前，死者要以黃布遮面，淺藍色的布蔽體。

The Wake

守喪

The coffin is placed either in the house(if the person has died at home ) or in the courtyard outside the house(if the person has died away from home) coffin is placed with the head of the deceased facing the inside of the house resting about a foot from the ground on finro stools，and wreaths，gifts and a portrait or photograph of the deceased are placed at the head of the coffin is not sealed during the wake. Food is placed in front of the coffin as an offering to the deceased. The deceased's comb will be broken into halves，one part placed in the coffin，one part retained by the family

如果死者死在家中的話，棺材要放在屋裏;如果死者死在外面，棺材要放在屋外的庭院裏。放棺材時，棺下置兩個凳子，使死者白勺臉朝向屋內，頭離地約一英尺棺材前置花圈、禮物、遺像。守喪期間，棺材不能封口。棺前還要放食物作爲給死者的供品。死者生前用的梳子要瓣成兩半，一半置於棺中，一半由死者家人保存。

During the wake，the family does not wear jewellery or red clothing，red being the colour of happiness. Traditionally，children and grandchildren of the deceased did not cut their hair for forty-nine days after the date of death，but this custom is usually only observed now by the older generations of Chinese. It is customary for blood relatives and daughters-in-law to wail and cry during mourning as a sign of respect and loyalty to the deceased.

守喪期間，死者家人不能戴珠寶首飾，不能穿紅衣服，因爲紅色象徵着喜慶。根據傳統，死者的兒女或孫子孫女在死者死後的40天不能理髮，如今通常只有歲數比較大的中國人才會遵循這一習俗了。按照慣例，死者的血親和兒媳們大聲哭泣，以此來表現他們對死者的尊敬和忠誠。

At the wake，the family of the deceased gather around the coffin，positioned according to their order in the family. Special clothing is worn:usually white gowns and hats. Later-arriving rela-tives must crawl on their knees towards the coffin.

守喪時，死者的家人聚在棺材的旁邊，按照家庭裏的長幼尊卑排好順序。他們穿上白色的喪服，戴上白色的喪帽。後來的親戚必須面朝棺材跪下。

An altar, upon which burning incense and a lit white candle are placed，is placed at the foot of the coffin. paper and prayer money(to provide the deceased with sufficient income in the afterlife)are burned continuously throughout the wake. Funeral guests are required to light incense for the deceased and to bow as a sign of respell to the family. There will also be a donation box, as money is always offered as a sign of respect to the family of the deceased: it will also help the family defray the costs of the funeral.

棺材前擺着供桌，上面燃着香和白色的蠟燭。守喪期間要不停地燒泊紙和紙錢(這是給死者在冥間使用的)。弔唁的客人要給死者上香鞠躬，以示對死者家庭的尊重。還會有個募捐箱：弔唁的客人往裏投錢，一方面表示對死者家庭的尊重，另一方面也幫助他們負擔喪禮的花銷。

During the wake there will usually be seen a group of people gambling in the front courtyard of the deceased's house:the corpse has to be“guarded”and gambling helps the guards stay awake during their vigil;it also helps to lessen the grief of the participants.

在守喪期間，通常都會有一羣人在死者家的前院裏賭博。屍體必須有人衛護，賭博可以幫助護衛者保持警惕;也可以減輕參與者的悲痛。

The length of the wake depends upon the financial resources of the family，but is at least a day to allow time for prayers to be offered. While the coffin is in the house(or compound ) a monk will chant verses Buddhist or Taoist scriptures at night. It is believed that the souls of the dead face many obstacles and even torments and torture(for the sins they have committed in life)before they are allowed to take their place in the afterlife:prayers，chanting and rituals offered by the monks help to smooth the passage of the deceased's soul into heaven. These prayers are accompanied by music played on the gong，flute and trumpet.

守喪期的長短取決於死者家庭的貧富，但至少要有一天時間來作法事。棺材擺在屋裏或院子裏之後，會請來一位和尚和道士唸誦經文。人們相信死者在黃泉路上要面臨很多困難甚至折磨(因爲他們在生前造了孽)。和尚和道士誦經能夠幫助死者的靈魂早登極樂。誦經時有鑼、笛和喚吶在旁邊伴奏。