82 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. I2| 



Thanking and Acting Filial toward the An- 

 cestors (524) 



The sky was rotten like chicken manure. 

 The earth was rotten hke duck manure. 

 Pan Ku rose to separate the sky and the 

 earth. Hu Hsi came down and created the 

 yin and the yang. Shen Lung the emperor 

 came and created the five grains. Hsuen Yuen 

 the emperor came and created clothes to wear. 



At that time Li Lao Chiin came to learn the 

 blacksmith's trade. He then used his lips as 

 bellows, and his fingers for tongs. He used 

 his knees for anvils, and his fists for ham- 

 mers. Then he created an ax and a chisel and 

 an adz to cut wood. Then he took these 

 things and cut down an oak and a pine, and 

 they fell on the road. 



Then he took the oak to make a table of, 

 and the pine to make stools with, and used a 

 high table to put the straw mat of his an- 

 cestors on. He will make a stool on which 

 to put the winnowing basket taken off his 

 ancestors. 



Now we will use this table to put the 

 winnowing basket from the back of the dead 

 ancestor on. The table outside the house is 

 then the table of the soul. The table inside 

 the house is to place offerings for the dead 

 person on. The table outside is for insects. 

 The table in the home is for us to use in 

 showing respect to the soul of the dead. The 

 table outside is like a stool. (People can sit 

 on it at will.) The table in the house is to 

 be used by the filial sons to express thanks 

 to their parents. 



Now we will take the table (from outside) 

 inside the house. This table has one leg that 

 points toward the mother's brothers. The 

 table outside is flat on top. That table when 

 taken into the house has one foot that points 

 toward the young brothers of the father. The 

 brothers of the mother are called Ye Glang. 

 The younger brother of the father is called 

 Ji fe. So we will take off the straw mat from 

 the back of the mother, thus making her feet 

 and her hands and her whole body lighter 

 so that she may go back to see her ancestors. 



But what is there that the filial children 

 still cannot do? We request the mother's 

 brothers to tell us. This uncle replies, "Please 

 report what affaks you may have." Then the 

 manager replies, "The filial sons have paid 

 out money, food, pigs, sheep, and cattle. The 

 wives of the filial sons have given clothing, 

 cloth, and skirts." Then the brother of die 

 mother says, "The filial sons gave silver, so 

 the filial sons will have silver to use. They 

 gave food, so they will certainly have food to 

 eat. They gave a cow and a pig, and will 



also have pigs, cattle, and sheep. The daugh! 

 ters-in-law gave clothes, skirts, and turbansi 

 so the family will have clothes, skirts, ancj 

 turbans to wear." ] 



Here the ceremony is finished. Then th{ 

 mother's brother will take off the heads ol 

 the filial sons the white paper and the whitf 

 turbans. Then the sons and daughters anc 

 their wives and husbands and the grand 

 children will all weep.^* 



At the End of the Tso Chai Ceremony (133)'!i 



At night, at the end of the Tso Chai cere 

 mony, when all is finished, the filial son (tht 

 oldest son, who has charge of the ceremony) 

 kneels in the main room of the house. Firsi 

 the man who had charge of all the ceremonie; 

 asks, "Has the man acting as priest beer 

 seated?" All reply, "He has sat down." Ther 

 he invites the drummers and the players o) 

 the liu sheng to be seated. He invites th( 

 near blood-relatives of the filial son on hi; 

 father's side, the father's older brothers, fa 

 ther's younger brothers, father's older ano 

 younger sisters, and the husbands of the fa; 

 ther's older and younger sisters all to sit dowr 

 together. 



Then the master of ceremonies reports alJ 

 the expenses of this memorial ceremony, on( 

 by one. When he has finished he addresseii 

 the filial son as follows: "Because the filia 

 son has spread a feast, in the future he wil 

 have food to eat (because helped by the de 

 ceased ancestors). The daughter has giver 

 clothing (to the dead person), so in the futun 

 she will have clothing to wear." 



The master of ceremonies again says 

 "Those of the bereaved family who hav( 

 given a pig or two in the future will hav( 

 pigs to raise. Whoever presented any othei 

 kind of domestic animal will in the futun 

 have such animals to raise. Whatever kinc 

 has been given shall be had." 



When he has finished speaking, all th( 

 stools and tables are turned upside down 

 Then the master of ceremonies says, "Let U! 

 see whether it is the mother's younger brothei 

 who pushes over the tables and stools, or thf 

 father's younger brother." If it is the mother'; 

 younger brother who turns them over, ther 

 the father's younger brother must take off the 

 white mourning cloth from the head of th( 

 filial son and help the filial son arise. If the 



^ * This is apparently sung during the Tso Cha: 

 ceremony. While it is being sung, all the de- 

 scendants of the dead with their wives and hus- 

 bands and children kneel down. 



