What does breaking a basin at a funeral mean?

With the simplification of modern funerals, many rituals have been eliminated. However, in many rural areas, people still need to observe many etiquettes during funerals, including the etiquette of breaking basins during funerals. Many people find this very strange. In fact, this is a custom that has existed in ancient my country. It is the children who need to break basins during funerals. So what does breaking basins mean?

In the old days, funerals were about "smashing the basin", which means smashing the clay basin used for burning paper in front of the coffin, or hitting it with a stick. Of course, the clay basin used for burning paper also has several distinctive features: its diameter should be more than four inches, about an inch deep, with a round hole in the center of the bottom. It is commonly known as the auspicious basin, the yin and yang basin, the funeral basin, etc.

After an old person dies , the pot-breaking ceremony is usually performed by the eldest son or grandson of the deceased. If the deceased has no son, then the sons and nephews who are more closely related by blood will do it instead. Of course, asking the sons and nephews to break the pot also costs a lot. Breaking the pot means that you have become a filial son to the deceased, so all or most of the deceased's property should be inherited by the sons and nephews who break the pot. If the family has no descendants, then no one will break the pot for the deceased, and the deceased will not have a good end. This was a very taboo in ancient times.

After an old person dies, the pot-breaking ceremony is usually performed by the eldest son or grandson of the deceased. If the deceased has no son, then the sons and nephews who are more closely related by blood will do it instead. Of course, asking the sons and nephews to break the pot also costs a lot. Breaking the pot means that you have become a filial son to the deceased, so all or most of the deceased's property should be inherited by the sons and nephews who break the pot. If the family has no descendants, then no one will break the pot for the deceased, and the deceased will not have a good end. This was a very taboo in ancient times.

Many people, especially young people nowadays, may not understand why they have to smash the pots. In fact, the procedure of breaking the basin is very particular, and it has a lot to do with the legendary Mengpo soup. According to tradition, after a person dies, the soul will embark on the Yellow Springs Road. At this time, the person's soul is still in a chaotic state, unaware that he is dead. After embarking on the Yellow Springs Road, the first thing to pass is the Wangchuan River, and on the Wangchuan River stands the Naihe Bridge. There will be a mound beside the Wangchuan River called Wangxiangtai, and next to Wangxiangtai stands a Sansheng Stone, on which are engraved the afterlife of each person. Many souls recall their lives here, with all their love, hatred, and grudges included. Although most souls are reluctant to leave the human world, they have no choice but to move forward until they cross the Naihe Bridge, drink Mengpo soup, and then reincarnate. The purpose of breaking the basin is to hope that relatives in the underworld will not mistakenly drink Mengpo soup and forget their relatives in this life.

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