Week 4

BLOG PROMPT FOR WEEK 4
Discuss the mourning practices of either Judaism or ancient China in terms of the 3 dimensions of religion we have worked with to this point (Mythical, Ritual, Social). What is ritualistic in mourning, and what purpose does the ritual serve? How are the narratives of the tradition employed in mourning practices or in the shape given to mourning? What social effects does/can mourning have? How do these dimensions work together/against each other? Focus on one tradition from Tuesday's readings, but feel free to make references to others as need be.

The mourning practices of ancient China covers the three dimensions of religion that we have covered in class – mythical, ritual, social. Although I am Chinese, I did not know the extent of mourning practices in ancient China.

For instance, Brown pointed out that “accounts of officials mourning for mothers outnumber those for father by more than two to one” (1). This suggests that in ancient China, children venerated their mothers more than their fathers, not to say that they respected their fathers any less. Perhaps this is because in ancient times, not just in China, childbirth was extremely painful and quite dangerous. Often times, mothers passed away shortly after giving birth to their children; thus, this may explain why mothers outnumbered fathers.

The ancient Chinese observed mourning by “wearing various mourning garments, and the ancient elite usually marked the end of mourning by removing these garments” (10). From personal experience, mourning garments, in Chinese tradition, are typically white. Mourners usually wear a white robe-like garment, and accessorized with a white headband, worn by both males and females. White represented purity and respect for the deceased. This is contrary to modern-day practices, where mourners wear black articles of clothing.

The mourners would call the name of the deceased “as soon as breathing stopped” (11). This was called “soul-calling” (11). At the end of the soul-calling rite, the mourning process officially began. During the “initial three-day waiting period,” the chief mourner would whimper, and eventually wail (11-12). Next, the deceased’s male relatives would wail, and finally, women would follow the men (12). The first three days were important because it provided enough time for the family of the deceased to calculate their budget for the funeral and organize their mourning garments (12). Also, the initial three days permitted relatives and condolence-payers to arrive to pay their respects to the deceased (12).

After three days, members of the household would finally dress the corpse in burial garments and place it in the coffin (13). The chief mourner or mourners were the sons of the deceased, but this role could be fulfilled by a daughter, grandchild, or adopted heir, if necessary. The chief mourner was supposed to observe the "three years mourning" practice, where he wore mourning garments for up to three years (13). In some cases, the chief mourner practiced "three years mourning of the heart," where he mourned the three-year period without wearing mourning garments (13).

Overall, the mourning traditions of ancient China are different from many of the traditions we have studied in class. However, there are similarities, such as rites that must be performed to show respect to the deceased, like the initial three-day waiting period. Ancient Chinese mourning traditions were quite elaborate because these traditions illustrate the extent to which the Chinese respected the deceased.