NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



45 



in tlie home of you old people. If an ordinary 

 person brings them (the candles) it is useless. 

 I will use them to open the light of the family 

 gods (ancestors). When I have opened up the 

 light of the head, the head will lean in all 

 directions. When I have opened up the light 

 of the eyes, the two eyes will be very bright. 

 When I have opened up the light of the ears, 

 the two ears will hear in all four directions. 

 When I have opened up the light of the 

 nose, the two nostrils will emit good light. 

 When I have opened up the light of the 

 mouth, the mouth will contain 16 pairs of 

 teeth. When I have opened up the light 

 to the hands, the hands will protect all four 

 directions. When I open up the light to the 

 feet, the feet will stand firmly like a rock 

 pillar. When I have opened up the light and 

 sprinkled chicken blood on the image of 

 paper, the chunk of meat and clean wine will 

 be placed on the table and I will come and 

 set up the gods in their places. 



"When I have opened up the light and 

 sprinkled blood on the paper image, we will 

 call wealth here, and if there are calamities 

 we will exorcise them. I will protect the 

 master of this home so that he will go out 

 with empty hands and come back carrying 

 wealth. One seed will fall into the ground 

 and 10,000 will return to the granary. You 

 will raise cows as big as mountains and pigs 

 as big as cows. After we have opened up the 

 light for the house gods, you will be protected 

 and enjoy peace forever." 



Opening up the Light for the Front Door 

 (733) 



"The front door has been opened 3 feet 

 3 inches high. Open it during the day, close 

 it at night. After it is opened tonight, if you 

 have wealth I will bring you wealth. If you 

 have calamities, I will remove them, and I 

 will protect and give peace to the large and 

 the small of the house, and drive away all 

 diseases. The cows you raise will be as big 

 as the top (head) of a mountain, and the pigs 

 you raise will be as big as steers. I will pro- 

 tect the old members of this family so that 

 they can go out with empty hands and come 

 back carrying wealth and silks and satins in 

 their arms. One grain will fall to the ground 

 and 10,000 will be reaped and brought home. 

 When people come the door gods will open 

 up. If demons come, the door gods will beat 

 them. If wealth comes, the door gods will 

 entice it to enter. If demons come, the door 

 gods will drive them away. If calamities 

 come, the door gods will exorcise them. If 

 wealth and happiness come, the door gods will 



welcome them either by day or by night; they 

 will receive them every day and not cease at 

 night. They will not cease a quarter of an 

 hour. They look away as far as 1,000 //. 

 Nearby, they will look in all four directions. 

 With their eyes they will see clearly and with 

 their mouths they will beat demons and 

 spooks in two. They will open the door to 

 people of this world and close the door to 

 demons. They will only permit people of this 

 world to come and not permit the people of 

 hades (demons) to go." 



After the above has been chanted, the door 

 is opened for a time, then closed for a time, 

 and the ceremony is ended. 



Gilding the Door Gods the Names of the 

 Demons and Requesting Them to Keep 

 Them Away (734) 



"The very thin demons without flesh are 

 named dry, lean demons (glaO ntJAu). The 

 very tall, very large demons that are able 

 to climb mountains are called climb-moun- 

 tains-cross-passes (glanD* Ta*^ nTo'^). The 

 demon that nets for wild animals is called 

 grows-flesh (sAn* Oga*^). The demons of 

 women who died in childbirth are called 

 demons-that-shed-red-blood (glaO" so*"). The 

 demons that cause people to vomit and their 

 hearts to be disturbed are called vomiting- 

 demons (glaO" Ta-^). Demons that cause 

 people to have malarial fever are called cold 

 demons (glaO* nao*^). Demons that cause 

 people to die from hunger and thirst are 

 called hunger demons (glaO" t/ai' or glaO" 

 Nk'ai^ thirst demons). Demons that cause 

 people to drown are called water demons 

 (glaO" glei^). Demons that cause people to 

 die by hanging are called hanging demons 

 (glaO" sAu^). The demons that live in caves 

 are called demons that rush out of caves 

 (glaO" tsao). Demons that cause children to 

 cry at night are called naked demons (glaO" 

 dza*® la*^). Demons that cause abortion are 

 called demons that throw away on the hill 

 (glaO* ts'Au*^) . Demons that cause young men 

 and women to be sad and to make long sighs 

 are called enticing demons (glaO^ NtJoO). 



"If such demons as these come, let the door 

 gods use brass clubs and beat them and they 

 will not come." 



Opening Loc\s (735) 



The master of the house must first find sev- 

 eral sheets of yellow paper. The tuan f^ung 

 uses a pair of scissors and cuts the paper into 

 a net (sky net or earth net) and an imitation 

 iron chain and a brass lock, which he ties on 



