The Calumet news., 1912-06-17
ELupiNc EVIL SPIRITS.
Some Curious Rites at Psrsee and Chi
nese Funerals.

some Curious Kites at Parsee and CHI
nese Funerals.
In most Chinese funerals profession
al mourners are employed. They cover
their heads and faces up and yell and
sob and scream and groan at the top
of their voices. not with the idea SO
much OF showing grief, as with the in
tention Of driving away the evil spirits
from the soul OF the departed.
With this notion, also, the Inourncrs
| bang trays, beat gongs and play weird
musical instruments. Another precau-
ton taken is that the funeral cortege
passes over running water before the
dead is actually buried. as this may DE
the means of throwing the pursuing
fiends off the scent.
At the graveside a precaution Is
| taken which is typical Of the ingenui-
ty OF the Chinese mind. A large packe'
| hundreds of leaves Is stamped all
through with seven peculiar slits like
| those made with the nib of a pen. The
whole mass of paper Is burned and the
ashes scattered around. When, there
fore. the fiends arrive presumably very
exhausted with their efforts to catch up
with the Chinaman's souls. they find
TO their dismay that they have first Of
all TO piece together all the scattered
ashes OF paper and then To go in ana
out Of the seven holes In each individ-
ual sheet of paper.
There is little or no ceremony actual :
~ at the grave. but food is cooked in
the carcase at a sort of altar, and is
left for the deceased in case he may
| feel hungry, and a quantity OF joss
sticks are left burning around the
grave.
A curious difficulty often arises on
account of the ancestral worship of
the Chinese, and has caused much llti~
| CATION. Many rich Cinnamon oie leav-
ing four or five parts of their estate for
| the purpose of ancestral worship, and
| when this is disputed the courts have
to settle whether the gift is or is not
wholly for "superstitious uses" as the
| legal phrase goes. AS a rule the court
is rather inclined to wink at such be-
quests. After all. a good deal of this
worship consists Of having money set
| apart so that a certain number of joss
| sticks may be burned every moon, and
| then there is also a ceremony which
| takes place on every anniversary OF
the death of the ancestor, when all the
clansmen of the dead man assemble
at the grave and roast meats and cakes
and chant and say prayers, and have
gifts for the departed. and also propi-
| tiatory offering on his behalf. On the
other hand, a good deal of money set
aside for ancestral worship is actually
applied for educational, charitable and
other recognized purposes.
| Shortly after my arrival at Hong
kong / attended a Parsee funeral Most
Of the followers attended in ordinary
whites" and topecs and colored ties.
only the chief mourners wearing the
conventional crock coat, tall hat and
black tie.
The curious thing about the funeral
was the number of other funerals We
ran across that day. In fact, when tho
coffin was being borne along on the
shoulders OF the Parsee mutes into the
cemetery Call of them dressed in white.
with white gloves and little round
white caps) followed-by the motley as
semby of "mourners' drawn I'm rick
shaws by shouting coolie boys. We got
hopelessH mixed up with a Chinese
funeral which was making for the Chi
nese cemetery adjoining, and a good
deal OF offense was caused ON either
side.
When We and the Chinese cortege
had at last got sorted out, the cere-
lnony proved TO very short one. the
two officiating priests sing-sunged
along chanting away together at
breakneck speed and then suddenly
stopped.
The coffin was clupsily lowered. the
two sons Of the deceased threw hand
fuls Of earth on II. and their example
was followed by the other Parsee
mourners. and then every one gradual
ly driftcd on across to the golf club
and the racing coiirse--the last sol
eInnitles were at an end. The coffin
still remained exposed, save for its
sprinlling OF earth. The abrupt con
clusion seemed to make tne whole of
the service empty and hollow.--Hong-
kong Corr. Westminster Gazette.