CHRISTIAN BURIAL IN CHINA

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 44, 28 February 1874, Page 13

CHRISTIAN BURIAL IN CHINA

The following account of " Christian Obsequies" in China is taken from a letter addressed by the Rev. P. De^jacques, S.J., Missionary in Kiangnau, to • Lee Missions Catholiques, 1 July, 1872: — We know that the Chinese have a custom of religiously preserving in their houses the mortal remains of their friends, before confiding them to the tomb. Now, here is a fact which shows us to what an extent they carry this singular devotion. In the prefecture of Song-kiang live- an ancient Christian iamily named Tao, formerly one of the wealthiest in the town of Kuo-diao, at

(1) Luc. ii. 22-28, (2) Levit. xii. 2 ad finem.

present much 'beneath their former rank. It was in this family that on the eighth of April, 1872, the solemn interment of twenty-five coffins, many of which had been treasured in the house for upwards of fifty years, tooW place. To defray the considerable expenses which this last act of religion towards the dead would incur, the family previously sold, at 3000fr., a house worth J2,000fr., and the construction of which had cost not less than 29,000fr. It had been formerly a pawn-office. A mandarin purchased it, to serve as his residence and tribunal. More than a month beforehand all the relatives who lived within ten miles' distance were invited, and the Missionary promised to attend. The twenty-two coffins taken from the dust where they had been, are cleaned, eiled, and arranged in lines in the reception hall of this great mansion, which now harbours as many dead as living. The site of the totnb is in the midst of a cornfield. A thatched hut ia erected to afford shelter to the workmen ; bricks are piled all round, and the lime prepared for the construction of as many arched vaults as there are coffins ; a special grave is constructed for the old mother of the family, whom the scythe of time had not yet cut down. A place beside her husbandis reserved for her, and according to the custom of the country, a sort of communication is carefully arranged between the two vaults, so that the faithful couple may exchange the first salutations of the Resurrection Bay. Two days before this solemn feast the gueßts commence to assemble. Each one presents an offering. A secretary, installed in the por« ter's lodge, inscrib.es on a registry the name of the visitor. The most distinguished hosts are received by a triple discharge of cannons and the sound of music. The eve of the day the Missionary in black mantle, assisted by seven catechists in surplices, approaches the coffins and prays for the souls of their dear departed, while the Christians sing ia choir the Office fur the Dead. At nightfall the women weep and chant their lamentations for half an hour. The same ceremony is observed the following morning at daybreak, again when the coffins are being taken from the house, and finally when lowered into the tombs. As to the rest, everything seeinß to breathe an air of joy ; one would say it was a feast day. At sunrise the masons and workmen are invited to &b .entertainment where there is no lack of wine ; after which they set "themselves diligently to work. At the first dawn the -morning prayers are commenced in the chapel ; the Office for the Dead is chanted in Chinese, and then the Holy Mass followed by a general absolution. After 'these first devotions a copious breakfast is served, of which over three hundred guests partake. Where have all these people been lodged ? This is a mystery. It is true our Chinese are not fastidious ; they lie down to rest in the first place which offers itself, iv their clothes, and frequently three or four under the same bod-covering. A little before noon a procession is organised. At the head are two tamtams, then two enormous lanterns mounted on long poles. Then follow various triangular flags with numerous inscriptions on varnished tablets ; then music, the processional cross, thirty of the Christians in surplices, reciting the Office for the Dead, and the Missionary in palauquin ; lastly the biers, each one borne by eight men. The first, that of the grandfather, is covered with a red tapestry ; tho others with blue. Near ech bier follow the nearest relatives in deep mourning, weaving mitres of coarse linen, corded cinctures, and straw shoes. A file of men wind off behind each corpse, then a row of women in white, reciting prayers. At the first movement of the procession the fireworks, music, psalmody, tears, lamentations, the cries of the porters, the tamtam — all contribute to produce a stunning noise. But as soon as they cross the mortuary dwelling calm is restored, and the general procession wears a truly religious aspect ; fiom each side of the 1 arrow pathway on which the funeral cortege passes, the curious press in crowds to the great detriment of the harvest which covers the neighbouring fields. As soon as they reach the place of sepulchre, a profound silence enBU[ . S — a T ery extraordinary thing among the Chinese — passionete lovers of noise, and not less friends of the unceremonious. This silence, it is true, only lasts while the priest recites the last prayers. But scarce have these prayers been ended, the Missionary with his train of cutechists withdrawn, than the uproar recomnunces louder than ever, to be renewed at the descent of each coffin into the vault destined for it At sunset all was terminated, and a feast enlivened by music crowned this family festival. A great mound is now raised over this row of tombs. At the next change of the d} nasty it will be levelled, according to the Chinese custom, in order to restore to culture the precious piece of ground which it occupies. Nevertheless this custom was not observed .since the accession of the present dynasty, and the laud at present oocupied by the tombs comes to be so consideiable that they have become a great encumbrance to the living.