the last priest

In the month after Cha Yan was buried, Cha Wenbin never took a step out of the gate. The pain of losing a child in middle age is not acceptable to ordinary people. At that time, he had already clearly realized how his destiny was controlled by others.He can save others, but not his children. He can save the souls of the dead, but he can't save himself.

Just ask him, Zha Wenbin is not the only Taoist priest in the world, there is no one who has fallen into such a situation in ancient and modern times.Some people are devastated after experiencing successive blows, or bow their heads to fate, or compromise with God, linger on for the rest of their lives, and sigh when the oil is exhausted.Some people continue to grow themselves in the midst of tribulations. After each fall, they will get up again and wait for the next wave, even if they are bruised.

Cha Wenbin obviously belongs to the latter kind of person.

At one time, many people came to persuade him to give up the Taoist robe. As long as he took off the Taoist robe, he would be no different from those peasants who went out early and returned to the sweat and dripped grass into the soil. Towards a confrontation with fate.

At that time, almost every town in western Zhejiang Province had its own Taoist priests, and some Taoist priests still continue their original occupations. These people are somewhat similar to Cha Wenbin, but also somewhat different.Being a Taoist priest is a profession, and Cha Wenbin is a Taoist priest. These people don’t have much contact with Cha Wenbin on weekdays. As the saying goes, if they are different, they don’t conspire with each other. Let Cha Wenbin clean up the mess. My aunt's failure to cross the Xianqiao was thanks to such "Taoist priests".

China has Taoism and Taoist priests, but Taoist priests are not necessarily Taoists. In the 360 ​​lines, Taoist priests count as a line of work. They sell and buy on weekdays. Taoist priests were also the most common in the vast rural areas before the reform and opening up.

These "Taoist priests" have some skills, they learn miscellaneous but not perfect, they can draw symbols but they may not be able to recite complete spells.There are no serious mountain worshipers, no Taoist temples, and the masters are usually not professional Taoist priests. Most of them have not even read Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching", let alone need to get up in the morning to do their homework.

When they don't receive work, they may be farmers or small business hawkers, or they may be gangsters who eat and drink.These people don't pay attention to how they do it, but the guys in their hands have their own way. The bronze bell was made by the coppersmith in the town. It's hard to say what kind of wood the so-called mahogany sword is made of. For a funeral, he might have come in a ragged white undershirt, and the trouser legs might still be stained with cement.

After the ceremonies were over, the talking and laughing people went to the banquet to get blushed and their necks were thick. In the afternoon, they continued to pull the chicken legs with one hand and ring the bell with the other hand around the coffin boards and continued to read the words with a thick accent that taught people not to understand.

These Taoist priests usually have more than one, but multiple ones, who are responsible for blowing the suona, and those who are responsible for beating the drums. When they are beating, everyone will sing and chant together.Those unremarkable "Taoist priests" may look familiar to you. Isn't this the uncle from the next village who walked [-] kilometers of mountain roads with [-] catties of corn cobs yesterday?

These people are busy with their own housework on weekdays, and when they have work, they gather with each other, and the extra yuan starts to earn money.Since it is teamwork, there is a division of labor, not only a division of labor, but also a division of labor.

How to divide it?

Usually such a combination is a team of about four people.Among them, the "magic power" is the most profound, that is, the one with the mahogany sword in his hand and the bell hanging on his waist is the boss of this organization, the magician. In this group, people call him "first hand".

The good ones are usually Taoist priests who have become monks halfway, and some of them have really worshiped the people in the Taoist religion, but they can't let go of the fireworks in the world and return to their original places. Anyway, they can't waste what they have learned.Usually the "first hand" is responsible for handling the big things in the whole ritual, such as drawing symbols, counting the time, lighting lamps, and doing some traditional folk cutscenes.A more particular "first hand" would wear Taoist robes, and those clothes are purely props, usually bought from a certain wholesale market.

"Second-hand" refers to the person who is responsible for helping the first-hand. This second-hand is not simple. We call the symphony orchestra in today's world the conductor, and the second-hand in the Taoist field is also called the drummer.

As for the third hand and the fourth hand, it is mainly to beat the gongs and drums and sing along with humming to add a tragic atmosphere. These are usually learned a little bit or brought out by the first hand, they are also called accomplices.Among them, there is such a person in our village who often does third-hand work for others. He has no master and has never learned it, but he was often seen in some small practice places in the past. I only found out after asking about this person. It's because he watches from the side every time other people do something. After watching a lot, he also understands that set of things. Anyway, he just hums along behind him and earns some wine money.

However, the food in this industry is not so delicious. After all, farmers are not so easy to fool. These people can be called part-time "wild priests", and they have their own set of strict procedures for what they have to do.

One is to remember the ritual procedures clearly, and to memorize scriptures for each scene thoroughly; to be proficient in dance steps, gestures, gong and drum routines, and even the accent. 0

The second is that the seats can't be wrong, that is, there are three tables on the high base, the three tables are on the top, the square god is in the middle, and the drum seat is on the bottom.Condescending, clear at a glance. What's the idea of ​​"broken filial piety", what's the idea of ​​"turning off the lights", and what's the idea of ​​"walking the palace", as long as the drums are good, the singing is well-organized, and the vocals are vivid and colorful, the audience will be full of excitement and spirits. Don't be afraid of this kind of occasion , even a child like me finds it amusing to see it.

If the master is distracted, the drummer has to prompt the words immediately, and it is invisible and seamless. Anyway, almost no one can understand it, and everyone is trying to make a fuss. It's a bit like the death of the rural areas. It's like people invite a band, which shows the wealth of the host.

Among these links, the most exciting part is the "Palace Tour". Adults often drive the children out at this time, but the attraction of this kind of occasion to children is fatal.During the days when Zha Wenbin was not at home, I also met a few times, big and small, and it usually went like this.

First, the drummer sits down and beats the drum for seven times. All the musicians are "on duty". "Yang", the grand master wears a moral crown, wears a three-clear robe, wears feather boots, holds a bell and takes a card, hangs three-bearded willows, throws five-color paper, sets off seven hundred small firecrackers, and flutters up the altar. The appearance of an expert, but he doesn't know that his taoist robe that has long been off the thread has already betrayed the source of this body, but because of his majesty, we usually only talk about it in private.

First worship Sanqing, then heaven and earth, shout the Buddha's name three times, call the Taoist name five times, then sing "October Pregnancy", read the list of the deceased's crimes, and then lead the filial men and women to fire the cannon and swim down the hall after hall.At this time, those filial men and filial women often have to work in shifts, and what they are fighting for is physical strength. If someone is exhausted or fainted by incense paper, the priest has to stop and save the person first.Rescuing people generally means pouring cold water on them, pinching them and sending them to a room to rest.

King Qin Guang in the first hall, King Chu Jiang in the second hall, and Emperor Song in the third hall. When they go to one place, they sing at one place, bow and salute, and say all the good things. Those who were invited to eat and drink were also invited, the big-brimmed hats raised their hands, and those with red armbands gave way, with one eye open and one eye closed, and forget it.

After finally passing the ten halls of the wheel-running king, the gongs and drums are beating with sorrow, and you should accept it immediately, making you sigh bitterly, let's go, it's time to let go...

This series of processes is also called "Crossing the Immortal Bridge" by them. In fact, it is just like playing with Cha Wenbin. Not to mention that the soul of the dead can really pass through the Ten Palaces. Even if you go down, you may have to be criticized by the king The family members are not respectful of filial piety, and they do everything they can to clean up the stage.

At the end of the day, those who are second-hand have to whisper it. It’s a ghost call. I’ve passed it, passed it, bye!

Now that it’s over, let’s close the gongs, drums, banyan, fire the cannons, offer incense, and offer water, and persuade a few filial men and filial women, don’t cry, don’t cry, death is like a lamp going out, and the soul of the dead has reached nine days. time to have a cup of tea...

When it comes to tea, people have to invite the mage to the upper room to serve cakes and tea. It can be regarded as a 10-minute rest under the stage.

The play is called a song, and the scriptures are called a game. After one game, the red envelopes, cigarettes, wine, cloth, shoes and socks are indispensable. If a family is more generous, it will have a lot of children, and everyone will give a share. Brothers and sisters put together a whole package to deliver.Back then, my school girl's father did this kind of work, and all the new clothes their family wore throughout the year were made of this kind of cloth.

There is no clear price tag, it all depends on your host, and each village has its own price.Rural people pay attention to face, and no one will be too mean in the matter of going to the funeral. Who wouldn't want to get the name of a dutiful son?

If most people do this, it’s basically over. The first, second, and third-hands should go home and continue farming after they have saved enough oil and water. But there are also wealthy ones, so there are value-added packages waiting for them. Additional fees apply.

The main meal is usually three days, from death to burial.The cheapest package can be done in one day, and the high-end package depends on the starting price you pay. Rich people often choose seven-day tours, that is, until the first seven days. When encountering such a master, the masters will work the hardest And the happiest.

From "breaking filial piety", "pleading guilty", "turning off the lights" to "sealing the coffin", at the beginning of the day, add a "prayer form" at most to finish the job.

Three days from "breaking filial piety", adding "Lutou Shanshui Yin", to "pleading to God", to "qizhai", to "youdian", to "turn off the lights", to "sealing catalpa", "exiting the coffin" , has been sending people to the graves and into the soil, a full set of services, fair prices, is the first choice of the majority of farmers and friends.

On the first day of the seventh day, it is great, from "Water Festival" to "opening the road", to "broken filial piety", to "starting fast", to "traveling the palace", to "breaking blood pool", to "singing about pregnancy in October" , to "Broken Confession", to "Running in Five Directions", to "Scattered Food", to "Crossing the Golden Bridge", to "Fengzikou", to "Turn off the Lights", to "Quiet God", to "Out of the Bing" , This is the process of the Yintang, so naturally there is also the Yangtang.

The so-called "Yangtang" is carried out in another hall far away from the coffin of the dead.The highest place is dedicated to the Sanqing, and the lower part is dedicated to the six gods of Dongji, Houtu, Tianxi, Jade Emperor, Ziwei and Antarctica.On the left is Dongqiao.Then set up the incense table, then set up the left altar official and the right altar official.Then set up the incense case, and finally the coffin.

The coffin needs a dragon wind cover, red bars and soap ropes, and sixteen bar handles, all dressed in white, majestic and majestic, known as the King Kong.In front of the coffin and behind the coffin, 49 funeral sticks were scattered.The filial sons and grandsons all wear hemp and grass, kneel at every temple, and greet each bridge.Those who have road sacrifices have to stop kneeling and worshiping. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", Jia's mother's outing of beer is like this, but if you can afford such a big scene, it's a big deal if you can have three in one county.

In Hong Village, there is a priest whose surname is Qingli, which is also a rare surname, and he has seen a little bit of the world.I have done one in the avenue, and I have done countless in the small ashram.The big one was for the old lady of the county magistrate, and he was there to help out. Although it only touched a little bit, it was a big deal.As the saying goes, if you walk a lot at night, you will inevitably encounter ghosts, and if you get into a lot of places, then there is no need to mention it.