Post #3 Form A

Cultural Legacy: Proceedings after Death

“We observed the ceremonial procedures: bathing him, calling upon his soul, filling his mouth, the smaller clothing ceremony, the great clothing ceremony, laying him in his coffin, and making daily offerings.” (16)

Some of the ceremonial procedures of ancient China are very different from our own while others are quite similar.
“Bathing him”: in general, nowadays the body of the deceased is cleaned up as well as back in ancient China.
“Calling upon his soul”: This depends on religion nowadays. As Buddhists calling upon the father’s soul was clearly an important part of the proceedings.
“Filling his mouth”: In ancient China the deceased’s mouth was filled with grain mixed with pieces of jade or shells depending on their social status.
“the smaller clothing ceremony”: Nowadays people the deceased are generally changed and gussied up a bit but in ancient China the smaller clothing ceremony consisted of the deceased being dressed in nineteen costumes after the clothes were displayed.
“The great clothing ceremony”: The great clothing ceremony took place the day after the smaller clothing ceremony. The number of clothes one was dressed in was ‘strictly related to hierarchy’. For the father, fifty costumes were used.
“laying him in his coffin”: Same as now, people were put into their coffins.
“making daily offerings”: Though nowadays people might bring flowers to a grave site occasionally and especially on the day of death back in ancient China it was custom to bring offerings daily.