What should you pay attention to when someone dies in your family? Taboos during the first Spring Festival after an old person dies

Birth, aging, sickness and death are the laws of nature. Some people think that death is like the extinguishing of a light and funerals should be simple. However, in traditional Chinese concepts, it is believed that the soul does not disappear after death, so the funeral arrangements for the deceased are very grand.

What should you pay attention to after someone dies in your family for three years?

1. Cannot visit relatives and friends <br/>What many young people don’t know is that the older generation who are in mourning at home generally avoid visiting relatives and friends during the mourning period. Not only must they keep a low profile and refrain from drinking and making noise, but they are also not allowed to go to anyone’s home to do business, including visiting to wish new year’s greetings. If you have something to discuss, it is better to meet outside, otherwise it is said to be bad for the fortunes of both parties. Others will not welcome you and will find you disgusting. Even if you bring gifts, you cannot enter other people's homes, mainly because funerals are considered unlucky.
2. Observe mourning <br/>The death of an elder in the family is a sad thing in itself, but in order to give the ancestor a grand funeral, hosting a banquet to entertain guests who come to pay their respects is also essential. This is also the less relaxed time in a funeral. Today, when funerals have been greatly simplified, there are still "five sevens" and "hundred days". "Five sevens" means five seven-day periods, and "hundred days" means 100 days. After the funeral, within 35 days, the children will go to the cemetery to burn "57 paper" and paper-made "gold mountain", "silver mountain", "money tree", "treasure bowl" and other items. Three months later, that is, on the "hundredth day", the memorial tablets will be burned again, which means the mourning period is truly over.
3. Do not cut your hair .<br/>If an elderly person in the family passes away, as the younger generation you must be careful not to cut your hair during the mourning period. The ancients believed that the hair and body are given by parents, and cutting hair is a bad sign. All family members or men are not allowed to have their hair cut or shave for a month, and can keep their hair to express grief, filial piety and longing. Some areas also believe that getting a haircut is a way to change one's appearance so that the dead cannot recognize them and avoid disasters. There is also another saying that a baby’s hair can only be cut 100 days after birth, otherwise it will be a sign of death, so it is generally avoided.

Taboos during the first Spring Festival after the death of an elderly person

1. Avoid crowded places <br/>Chinese people have always attached great importance to filial piety. If an elder in the family passes away, people will try to keep a calm and elegant state during the first Spring Festival to show that they always have the deceased in their hearts. Do not attend gatherings with friends and family during festivals, try not to go to public places, and avoid crowded places when you go out. There are also many people visiting temple fairs during the Spring Festival. It is recommended that bereaved families do not go to places like temples and Buddhist halls to avoid bringing bad luck to themselves.
2. Don’t use red as offerings to ancestors . During the first Spring Festival after the death of an elder, the items used to worship ancestors cannot contain red as in previous years. In particular, chopsticks used for offerings, various dishes, steamed buns used as offerings, etc. that are red should be avoided as much as possible. For example, the jujube buns that were dyed in the past should be replaced with bald buns that are similar to steamed buns. On New Year’s Eve, people go to the cemetery to pay tribute to their deceased elders and lead their souls back home to celebrate the New Year.
3. Don’t post red couplets <br/>Red represents joy in China, so red is often used for decoration during weddings, Chinese New Year, National Day and other major festivals. For example, red couplets are posted during Chinese New Year and big red lanterns are hung to express congratulations. Although white represents cleanliness and purity in China, in traditional customs, white is often associated with funerals. If an elderly person in the family passes away during the holidays, one, you cannot post red couplets; two, you cannot attend gatherings with relatives and friends, in order to express your mourning and remembrance of the deceased. If you must post couplets, you should post white ones. Only after the Spring Festival of the fourth year can you post red ones.