Funeral Object - Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-550)

Among the older generation today, symbols of useful objects are still sent to the departed. It is a matter of tradition and a method of showing respect and memory for the dead. I have a friend in Beijing whose mother will prepare for certain memorial days by cutting out objects from special yellow paper: a house, car, refrigerator, sewing machine, television set, and special symbols of money. Her children tease her by saying that the grandparents already have too many refrigerators, wouldn't they like a cell phone instead? They respect her traditions, even with the teasing, and the sons of the family go with her to a cross-road to burn the objects. A cross-road is a junction of a North-South and East-West intersection. It is not a special one, any cross-road will do. The objects are burnt and the ashes are sprinkled with tea or alcohol. The daughter of the family does not accompany her mother because she is married and her mother says that she now belongs to her husband's family. Like many in the younger generation born at the end of the Cultural Revolution, her daughter's husband's family does not observe these traditions, however; the younger generation commonly does continue a second practice of the traditional family.

In addition to creating paper objects to send to the spirits of the four grandparents of the family, the mother will go to temple to pray for and honor the full extended family. Often offerings are taken in the form of fruit or flowers or again, paper money. At Buddhist temples, particularly on special holidays, it is now the custom to bring fruit to the altar and a monk receives it with thanks and gives you a bag of fruit or flowers in return. The fruit and flowers of previous visitors are returned to the living, having been received by Buddha and then given back to the people. As a matter of practicality, it also prevents the waste of precious food.