In different cultures funerals are practiced differently. Some cultures bury the deceased while other cultures cremate. In the Hmong tradition, when someone passes away, there is a funeral ritual that will be performed in order to make a safe passage for the soul to reach its ancestors. The ritual will consist of three days where animals will be sacrificed, and certain tool will be used to guide the soul of the deceased. " An elaborate three-day ceremony is required in order to give the soul of the deceased detailed instructions for its journey to the world of the ancestors" ( Dr. Catherine Falk, pg 2). By performing the ritual, the soul will be provided with the essentials such as: food, water, money and clothing for the long journey it will take. The Hmong believe that the soul must be provided with these essentials, so they can be well prepared for the after life. It is necessary for this ritual to be performed in order to create a path for the soul to take and to give the soul everything they need.
When a person dies, the death chant called "showing the way" is performed immediately, so the soul will be given everything. For example, the soul will be given food, wine, clothing, and money for the journey. "It is followed by a further lengthy set of instructions called "The Song of Expiring Life ( Qeej Tu Siav)" played on the bamboo mouth organ" (Flak, pg 2). This mouth organ is called the Qeej, the Qeej is use for many situation, during happy times like the new year, but also for sad times like a funeral. The song that is played at the funeral is very powerful, so it cannot be practiced in a private dwelling. "The instrument and its texts can no longer be learned on the way to and from the fields and because the funeral texts are very powerful they must not be performed inside a private dwelling in case a living soul be sent inadvertently to the home of the ancestors" (Flak, pg 3). When this ritual is performed, the Hmong believe that it has so much power that precautions must be taken. Precautions are taken because if no precautions are taken, then during the ritual, the soul of the ritual expert would be taken along the journey too. This is possible because at the end of the chant, the ritual expert will have to guide the soul of the deceased and lead that person to their ancestor, so precaution must be taken to make sure he get back from the ancestor.
During the ritual, people of the family can hold burning incense. "This worship means that the dead will leave his luck to all those who ask for it. They have to kneel down and raise this burning incense above their heads" (Xiong, pg. 1). This is done because as a descendent or a relative to the deceased, you have the right to gain some of the luck this person has had throughout his or her life. It's a sign of respect for the dead, and a way to gain luck. Also, during the ritual there is an animal sacrifice. The purpose of animal sacrifices is for the deceased to have a companion to be with him on his journey to the after life. With animal sacrifices, it also provides the deceased with food for the funeral visitors. The common animals that are sacrificed are cows and water buffaloes. In the United States, there are no water buffaloes so cows are used in place of the water buffaloes.
The funeral ceremony is a very emotional distressful time for the family members. By the end of the funeral the deceased relatives will pay their last respects. This is the way of the Hmong funeral, sending the soul with: money, clothing, wine, and everything it need so it will have a happy after life.
Citation Page
- Falk, Catherine. The Music of the Hmong in Australia http://www.stolaf.edu/p…-au/hmmusic.htm#funeral (8 Dec.1997).
- Falk, Catherine. Upon Meeting the Ancestors: the Hmong Funeral Ritual in Asia and Australia Http://ww.como.stpaul.k12.mn.us/Vue-Benson/HSJvlnlFalk.html (8 Dec.1997).
- Xiong, Pao. Hmong Funeral Ceremony http://ww2.saturn.stpaul.k12.mn.us/hmong/studentshowcase/reports/hmongfunerals.html
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