Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1837-02-18
CAiness Ruaspals.

! When parent or elder eelatioa amonS lie Chi
nsse dies, the event - formally aanouncod To al
The braochss q The family: each side ofehs doors
- dissingusshed By labels in white, which % the
mourning colour. The lineal dascendsnt. q he
deceased clothed 10 snarse white cloth, With haa-
!dages Of the same round their heads, Ut weeping
rcuad The corpse On the ground, the womea keep
ing Up DISMAL howl ia . very singular aanoer.
In tho meantime tho ftiends of he deceased ap.
peer With white covssets q linea sIk, which arc
placed the body; The Oldest son, o. nexs lissaE
male defendant, supposted % esch side By rela-
tons. aud bearing IL bic hands . poscsIaia bowl
Ieontaioing two copper coins, now psoceeds TO
the rves,os the nearest veil o. the vet ditch Of tho
lefty, to "buy water" - Il u termed The eeeemo.
|ny must b. Performed By he eldest son, in
preference 70 The second son, and entities him
70 doable share q Tie psOpesiy, which, in other
respects. - divided equally smoag the soes. Tho
foso of webbing tho face and body With this wassr
being completed, the deceased s dressed - IN life,
and Iasd . coffin, Of which Tho planks are from
four 70 six inches IN thickness, and The bottom
sesewsd with qu;ckIime. On being clossd, IL 10
made air-4igha BY cement, being besides varn;shed
on il bearing inscribed the name ant titles If tho
deceased, a. they are Afterwards to b cut upon his
tomb.
o. the expiration Of thrice seven, OF twcnty-one
days, the funeral procession takes place, tho tablet
being conveyed in gilded sedan pavilion, with
incense and offerings before il. Il Is accompanied
BY music closely resembling the Scottish bagpipe,
with the continual repetition Of three successive
strokes on = sort OF drum. The children and rela-
tons Of both sexes follow in white, without much
order or regularity, and, upon reaching the grave.
the ceremonies and obligations commence u be-
ing Past Of their superstition that money and g~s.
ments must be burnt for the Of the deceased in
the world Of spirits, these are, with wise ecouo-
my, represented by paper. Tho form Of tie tomb,
whether large or small, 10 exactly th"t ola Greek
omegap which IL taken in the sense o: ''she end J"
is an odd accidental coincidence. Those az thu
rich aud great sometimes very Large, and con-
ta'n considerable quantity Of masony. with 6g.
ures Of animals in stone. The whole detail ofss-
tho dead, is contained in the drama, Of
IAN Heir in Old Age"
After the interment, the tablet Of the deceased
is brought back procession, and, if the family b
ric, Is placed the hall Of ancestors; pOor, in
some part Of the house with Incense bef;,rc it,
Twice IN every year, in tina spring aud ausuma,
re the periods fixed for perfrming the rites tn The
dead, but the first is the principal period, and tho
only one commonly attended 70. Unlike the gen.
eraliiy Of Chcese festival- which are regulated By
The moon, land therefore moveable,) this 10 deter
mined by the sun, and occurs snnuaIly one hun-
lred and Eve days after the winter solsiice, o tho
9Th Of April. About that time (for . day OF twO
before after does NOT signify tn them) the whole
population Of the town ID seen roopng out 10 par
lies to tie hills, to repair aud sweep the toas and
make ofesings, leaving behind them. on their re-
lurn home, long streames o! red and white paper,
10 mark the falfilmeat Of their rites Whole saages
Df hills, sprlnkled with tomos, msy shaa ssooeo
be seen covered with these tesaimonials of astse-
loa the departed, 6utteriag IN Tie wied sad sus-
slime.