the last priest

In the winter of that year, two things happened:

The first thing: Zha Wenbin was finally discharged from the hospital in the fourth month after a long treatment in the hospital. On the day of discharge, Zha Wenbin looked quite good. Director Leng was the host and booked a A banquet. ╔y╗

Mr. He took out a jar of thousand-year-old fine wine, and Chaozi, Zhuo Xiong and Hengroulian drank it up and down.

Cha Wenbin held up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He is not addicted to alcohol, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to drink. He was already a little drunk between drinking and drinking.It has been more than half a year since he came out, and his youngest son was also taken to the provincial capital by Chaozi. He has nothing to do with fooling around behind these guys all day long. Looking at the snow on the broken bridge outside, Cha Wenbin proposed to go back to his hometown tomorrow. No matter how everyone tried to persuade him, he refused.As a last resort, director Leng finally proposed that he could come back to work here at any time, and Cha Wenbin agreed with a smile.

The second thing:

Lao Wang went to the hospital to visit Zha Wenbin during the period. He also went to the hospital with him was an old man who often saw on TV.The old man held Zha Wenbin's hand, hoping that he could be used by the country in the future, but Zha Wenbin was determined to return to the field and politely refused.Before leaving, they took away the bronze sun wheel that Zha Wenbin had found from Mount Qifeng. Although Zha Wenbin didn't have much affection for this artifact, he always vaguely felt that it was closely related to himself. There is still a slight connection between them. It is said that Pharaoh went to Beijing.

On the second day, Cha Wenbin packed his luggage and was ready to go. Mr. He and Director Leng prepared a lot of New Year's goods, and Chao Zi and Zhuo Xiong insisted on going back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year with Cha Wenbin.Considering that Mr. He had already lost Mrs. Wang this year, Chao Zi was persuaded by Cha Wenbin, and agreed to go to his house with the little witch to pay New Year's greetings in the first month.

Zhuo Xiong is basically homeless now. He and Hengroulian plan to go back with Cha Wenbin. In the small courtyard of the archaeological institute, there was a sound of brakes, and a white Santana Steadily stopped in front of them, a ghostly guy came out of it, hey, isn't this Director Zhao?

Although Director Zhao failed to become a teacher that day, he still had a lot of admiration for Zha Wenbin.Hearing that he was going back, he drove the unit's car and insisted on taking him home, so he couldn't shirk his good intentions, so he agreed.Those New Year's goods that were delivered filled the entire trunk to the brim, Director Zhao was still so fast, and with black smoke rising from behind Santana's butt, he galloped towards the northwest of Zhejiang.

On New Year's Eve, Zha Wenbin got up very early. According to rural customs, he lost his daughter this year. Although he is a junior, he can't post couplets at home.He simply cooked a few dishes, put them in a small basket, packed up the joss sticks, and took his son to the grave.

In our place, there are generally several days in a year to worship the dead ancients, which are:

Tomb-sweeping Day, you need to go to the grave to visit the tomb, light incense candles and set up soul-calling banners, and pay homage to the ancestors. This day has now become a legal holiday, and it is also the day that everyone is most familiar with.

Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Ghost Festival, is on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, also known as July and a half. It is said that on the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar every year, King Yama opens the gate of ghosts and releases a group of lonely souls and wild ghosts who are not worshiped to the world to enjoy. people's offerings.On the last day of July, before the gate of ghosts is closed again, these lonely ghosts have to return to the underworld, so July is also called ghost month.

It is said that on this day, every household, no matter rich or poor, must prepare food and drinks, and pay homage to the dead to show their memory of the dead ancestors.The Ghost Festival usually lasts for seven days, and there are new dead and old dead.Those who died within three years are called new dead, and those who died three years ago are called old dead.Superstition says that the old and new dead should go home to have a look during this time, and it is also said that the return time of the old and new dead is different, the new dead return first, and the old dead come back later.Therefore, sacrifices should be made separately.The time to burn the paper money is in the dead of night. First, sprinkle a few circles with lime in the yard, saying that the paper money is burned in the circle, and the lonely ghosts dare not come to snatch it, and then burn it in piles. They kept saying, "So-and-so is here to get the money." In the end, they had to burn a pile outside the circle, saying it was for lonely ghosts.On the day when the dead go back, no matter rich or poor, they have to cook a good meal to respect the dead, which is also called "send off the dead.

Therefore, during the Hungry Ghost Festival, everyone usually holds it in their own yards and does not go to the grave, because that day is the most exuberant in the year, and they might be caught in the middle of the road.On that day in the countryside, the adults did not allow the children to go out to play, and they went to bed early after dinner.

Another important day for offering sacrifices to the dead is the winter solstice!We all know that day is when the sun is farthest from the ground in the northern hemisphere.According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, on the winter solstice day, there was a record that "the emperor led three gongs and nine ministers to welcome the new year" to worship the sky in the suburbs. "Zhou Ritual" stipulates that on the winter solstice day, a sacrificial ceremony of "To Heaven, Gods, Humans and Ghosts" should be held.

Places and people who are more particular are vegetarians on that day, but chickens and sheep must also be slaughtered, offering sacrifices to the heavens first, and then to the souls.Like Cha Wenbin, he still has to offer sacrifices to Sanqing, pay homage to the ancestors, and then eat a bowl of glutinous rice balls at night.

The last sacrificial day related to the dead in a year is New Year's Eve in our case.

If the person has died for more than one year, they should arrange meals in the morning on New Year's Eve, and then prepare sacrifices for the grave.

First, prepare paper money. If it is more convenient, go to the store to buy ready-made yellow straw paper, which is usually rectangular and bundled into bundles.If you are more particular, you have to make your own ingots. Do it yourself with this kind of yellow straw paper, which is similar to the way of folding boats. Anyway, it looks like ingots, with both ends raised.Another kind is to use scissors to cut copper coins, and this kind of paper is also used.

Now some people use woodcut printing plates like banknotes to print money on papyrus, and the size of the forehead is usually written on it.Or use fifty or one hundred yuan RMB, blow three breaths on it, and then put it on the straw paper and hit it three times with your fist, indicating that a piece of money has been printed.Then prepare firecrackers, wine and incense.The most important thing is to choose a good pork and cook it in a pot, cut it into cubes the size of a bowl, and put it in a bowl as a sacrifice, which is called "knife head".As for the "Heaven and Earth Bank" coins with huge denominations bought in the store, most of them are gimmicks thought up by the merchants. If the thing is burned, be careful that the ancestor will be caught by the kid and say that he used counterfeit banknotes.

When going to the grave to worship the ancestors, the elders of the family lead the whole family, except those who are too young and too old.When offering sacrifices to the ancestors, first clean up the weeds around the ancestral tombs, make nine bows again and again, sacrifice the knife head, burn three sticks of incense, burn paper money, and set off firecrackers. Only after the sacrifices can they go home for dinner

Zha Wenbin got all these things at his fingertips, and he prepared them in a short time. He took his youngest son to carry the things and went to the cemetery. Zhuo Xiong and Hengroulian had already gone to the town, saying they were going to buy some wine and vegetables.

This year, there was a new grave on that cemetery, which was his youngest daughter. Cha Wenbin couldn't bear to go there, so he sent his little son to burn paper, because white-haired people can't kneel down to black-haired people Yes, this will shorten my life, and I will go to the graves of my master and ancestors.

Originally, this matter was over like this, because apart from this moment, he had to come to the graveyard tonight, what was he doing here?Shou Sui!

In our case, when a new person dies, on the New Year’s Eve of that year, after eating the New Year’s dinner, he has to wait until twelve o’clock in the middle of the night to go to the cemetery again. After picking that time, set off firecrackers and burn paper money for him, Burn paper clothes.To do this is to tell him that the Chinese New Year is over, this is the first year you have spent here, and you will no longer belong to this world.

If the person who died was a senior person, then his relatives would have to watch for him that night, no matter it was windy or snowy, they would have to climb up.But Zha Wenbin didn't have any relatives in the first place, and the one who died was a child. He planned to come up alone at night, and he would suffer the punishment instead of dragging his son. Just let him pay homage to his sister now.

Zha Wenbin was burning incense and kowtowing on the grave of his master. Not far away was his daughter's grave. There was a loud bang, followed by an ah. Zha Wenbin hurried back to have a look, nothing bad happened , his youngest son was rolling on the ground in front of the grave, and a cloud of white smoke hadn't dissipated, so he left the unburned incense paper in his hand and ran over quickly.

Now, when he went to the grave, he brought a few sixteen-shots, that is, the kind of small firecrackers that can make a total of sixteen shots after being lit. We children in the countryside have seen and played with these things , I used it to fry fish when I was a child.Seeing the shattered sixteenth ring, Cha Wenbin knew that the firecracker must have blown up the child, picked up his crying son, and hurriedly sent him down the mountain. . . . . .