Things to note when keeping vigil on the first night after an elderly person dies

In some rural areas, the custom of keeping the body of an old person at home is still preserved. After the old person dies, the children have to stand guard in front of the coffin and keep vigil all night long. Things to pay attention to when keeping vigil on the first night after an elderly person’s death. Why can’t you do it alone?

Things to note when keeping vigil on the first night after an elderly person dies

1. Do not be ambiguous in the mourning hall, and do not engage in promiscuous behavior in the mourning shed, mourning hall, or mourning room, otherwise you will bring bad luck.

2. Pregnant women, women who have just given birth, and those who have had a miscarriage are not allowed to enter the mourning hall. Even the direct relatives of the deceased need to avoid it. If you must attend, wear colorful clothes.

3. When keeping vigil, you must look dignified and not wear any jewelry. Women are not allowed to wear skirts, have their hair loose, put on heavy makeup, or wear slippers.

4. Do not gossip or argue in the mourning hall.

5. Among the direct blood relatives, if there are newly married people who have not left home yet, the newlyweds should still wear red and white smiling cloths to avoid the conflict between the happy evil and the white evil. This will result in our ancestors not being able to pass away peacefully.

6. When keeping vigil, if the body emits an unpleasant odor, it must be dealt with immediately and without uttering any words of disgust.

7. If you are timid and afraid of funerals, it is best not to go. This is the best way to avoid it. If a person is frightened while keeping vigil, it will be difficult to collect the soul.

Why can't one person keep vigil?

1. The wake requires three days of continuous incense and paper money, and someone is needed to keep watch day and night. Usually 2-3 people take turns to keep watch. You sleep for a while, he keeps watch for a while; he sleeps for a while, you keep watch for a while, and they take turns like this until the three days are over. The most difficult part of keeping watch is keeping watch at night. You are alone guarding the coffin and you feel sleepy. It is very difficult to endure. At night, usually two people keep watch together.

2. The wake is also called the night vigil. The ancients believed that a person would return home to visit within three days after death, so children would wait in the mourning hall for his soul to return. Relatives and friends will stay by the side every night until the body is placed in the coffin. Today, wake has become a way for family members to gather together, mourn the deceased and express their nostalgia. The wake is basically limited to three days. Some people keep vigil in a mourning shed or hall inside a residence, while others rent a hall inside a funeral home.