How to count the first seven, second seven, third seven, and what are the seven rituals?

China has a very vast territory, so some of the customs regarding the first seven days of mourning are not exactly the same, but generally speaking, there are many similarities. How do you calculate the first seven, second seven, and third seven?

How to calculate the first seven, second seven, third seven

Starting from the day of death of the deceased, every seven days is a memorial day, called "the first seven days", "the second seven days", "the third seven days", "the fourth seven days", "the fifth seven days", "the sixth seven days" and "the last seven days", totaling 49 days.
It is said that from the date of death, within 49 days, the King of Hell will interrogate the soul of the deceased once every seven days, so the "seven periods" are also called "seven disasters." During the seventh day of mourning, the bereaved family will hang white paper lanterns at the front door to show the deep mourning in the family. On the first seven days, a spirit tablet is set up at home, incense is burned, candles are lit, and wine and food are offered as memorial services. On the remaining six or seven days, paper money is burned at the grave.

What are the seven rituals?

1. The seven-day ceremony is one of the important funeral rituals. In the folks, the mourning period is formed in units of seven days, for a total of forty-nine days, starting from the day the deceased passed away. The seventh day is the first seven days, the fourteenth day is the second seven days, and thereafter they are the third seven days, the fourth seven days, the fifth seven days, the sixth seven days, and the seventh seven days in sequence. The seventh day of mourning is usually called the full seventh or the complete seventh, and the seven-day mourning period ends here.
2. The odd-numbered seventh is called the big seventh, and the even-numbered seventh is called the small seventh. On the big seventh day, relatives will hold a ceremony to worship the King of Hell on behalf of the deceased, or invite monks or Taoists to chant scriptures and repent, especially on the first seven and the full seventh, the ceremony is more grand. In the seventh-day ceremony, the first seven days are held by the son; the third seven days are held by the married daughter, called the "daughter's seven days"; the fifth seven days are held by the married granddaughter, called the "granddaughter's seven days"; the full seven days are still held by the son to show the completion of the merit.
3. There are many specific rituals during the "Seventh Day" period, and each place has its own practices. In some places, according to the old funeral customs, the married daughter must return for the fifth seven days, and the expenses for this day are fully borne by the married daughter. If the deceased has no married daughter, the married niece or great-niece will do it.
4. The first seven days, third seven days and seventh seven days after a person’s death are called the “Big Sevens”. There is a custom of "walking seven" during the memorial service on this day. That is to say, during the memorial service on this day, married daughters and daughters-in-law each hold a lantern and race like the wind during the prescribed ceremony, trying to be the first to run home. This is commonly known as "fighting for heroes", as it is believed that this will protect and bless the soul of the deceased. Because people believe that even though a person is dead, his soul still has emotions like a living person.