The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-03-10
BURIAL CUSTOMS OF
THE PEOPLE OF CHINA
FUNCTIONS OF TIE AsTRotoeER
AND THE PROFESSIONAL
nouRNER.
The Former Must Decide the -Au-
spicious Time for the interrent,
Which He Often Delays for Some
Months After Death.


members OF his family nave sumcien'
money TO mourn for him properly
they send out ana get professional
mouT1eTs. These mourners come In
and according TO their pay enthusi
asticzlly wail for the departed They
keep IL up day and night until the
time set for the funeral. and then they
follow the body 10 the field or to the
river bank where II is to rest But the
burial doesn't take place then The
dead man has TO wait for the arrival
Of the "auspicious time" before his
bones are finally covered. The su
spicious time Is settled by the as
trologers. They cast the horoscopt
Of the deceased and then they study
the heavens The auspicious time
does not arrive until the particular
star or planet under which the mar
was born Is as near as possible over
the spot where the burial is TO take
place When the astrologers say that
this time has arrived, the friends or
the family OF the deceased go TO the
field or the river bank and shovel
earth over the coffin. making a per
feet mound. which is supposed never
TO BE disturbed. Any disturbance of IL
is a Dissertation TO be avenged By the
descendants Of the deceased.
Besides seeing that the deceased is
properly mourned for and at the au-
spicious time is buried. II is obligatory
on the relatives TO provide proper
clothing for the departed spirit. and
money 10 enable him to pay his way
TO the spirit land. There are dozens
OF stores in Chinese cities where one
will see great bundles OF silvered pa
per made up in the shape of little
boots or shoes similar to the silver
shoes that pass for money all over
the empire This is spirit money In
the same stores IL you inquire you
will find paper clothing and paper
trunks When the coffin containing
the body is taken TO the spot where at
the end OF a month or six months. or
perhaps a year. IL is to be buried. the
relatives buy lot OF this spirit money
and several suits OF paper clothing.
and trunk or so. and take il out to
the grave where they burn IL beside
the coffin. Whether the spirit pockets
the smoke or what IL does. the Chi
nese say that the act provides the
money necessary in the spirit land.
and the clothing that will make the
spirit presentable to his fellow spirits.
Driving along a river bank near
Shanghai a distance OF about two
miles. the Sun correspondent counted
eighteen collins that were waiting for
the suspicious time" Some OF them
were new and some had been ont so
long that they were weatherbeaten.
- q. h<
said here that a most acceptable pres
ent from a youth TO his old folks is
coffin. or better still, two coffins. in
which they may be buried when they
die. The presentation is nowise a
hint that II is time the recipient
should use the present. but is mark
OF filial affection that is always appre-
ciated. The presentation is always
accompanied by a good deal OF cere-
mony. possibly by band. and always
by great rejoicing. The old folks who
receive the collins put them away in
the best room in the house and never
lose an opportunity to show them 10
their friends. II your sons don't pre-
sent a coffin TO YOU, il is not at all
out Of the way for you TO so out and
buy one for yourself and put IL aside
for the day when you Will need it, Il
is Just as much the custom to provide
yourself with a coffin before you die
as IL is in the United States to pro-
vide family lot in a cemetery to re-
ceive your remains.
The most conspicuous thing in the
yamen OF the Viceroy Of the Province
OF Chill when the civil government
Of sk., al To-, TsAv,-
tsin was handsome hardwood coffin
that the Viceroy had provided for
himself or that had been provided for
him. II held the post OF honor in the
yamen. But in his case the fore
thought had been for naught. for the |
allies came TO him so suddenly that
he had TO escape from his yamen |
through a hole in the rear wall and |
later he committed suicide and his |
body went floating down the river
with those Of thousands of other Chi |
namen who had been killed during
the fght that accomplished the cap
ture OF the city, or by the soldiers OF
the allies after the city had been |
taken. His CONN was thrown out in |
a woodpile In the rear OF the yamen. |
One OF the things that CAinaman |
fears most is that he viii die SWAY |
from home and his body viii not and 1
its way 20 n resting place beside those |
OF hfs ancestors The ship on which /
the correspondent came 10 China car
ried large number OF Cinnamon as
steerage passengers. One day one OF
these passengers died
Well have a burial az sea-" said
a frst-class passenger 10 the first
mate.
Not on your life" said the mate.
Do you think we'd threw away se5sl
No; fnuch!'
What do you mean." asked the
frst-class passenger.
~Nean,- said the mate. ''mean what
say. That passenger is worth Sos
more dead than he was alive. The
doctor gets sie and the ship sIs."
How demanded the PASSENGER.
Why said the mate, no China
man wants 20 be buried away from
his ancestors, and one OF the things
that the Chinese Six Companies IN
San Francisco does is TO insure China
men against that When q ChInamanI
lands in America or In Canada he
paws certain amount 10 the Six Com
psnies and that insures that his body
shah reach home II he dies TIE Six
Companies has a contract with the l.,
steamship company and n pays e25
'or every dead Chinsman we deliver
n China. So re never bury them Mt ,
YEA The doctor emhalms the body ,
md the company allows him 81 a.
his share. Yes, sir. dead Chinaman
9 worth SIS more 20 us than q lire ,
me-
Where in China DO yor deliver the !
,odies." asked the nssSerrer /.