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October 1999

Funeral Rites - Da Chai

By Linda Leung

Another article from this beat:
Allah's Followers - Muslims in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, it is not surprising to see crowds of devotees light clouds of incense and bow down to statues of fierce looking gods in temples - all in order to lead the "good life".

Taoism, which originated in the ancient shamanistic roots of Chinese civilization, is a religion full of mystical traditions and rituals. Among these is da chai, which, loosely translated, means "communion with the deceased".

Mr. H. T. Leung, executive director of the Ching Chung Taoist Association of Hong Kong, said different sects of Taoism have emerged since the foundation of the philosophy 2,500 years ago in China.

There are two main sects of Taoism in Hong Kong - Mount Mao and Completely Real.

"The traditions and practices of different sects are different; however, there is no contradiction between them," said Mr. Leung.

According to him, there are no monks or nuns in local Taoist temples. All the "ritual specialists" must believe in the religion, but they can marry and have families of their own.

Ms Ho Wai Hing, 50, a homemaker, has performed Taoist ritual services in local temples for about 30 years.

She became a ritual specialist merely because she liked singing and Chinese music.

She is now working in the Yuen Yuen Institute, a place for worshipping the deities of the three main Chinese religions: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.

All three religions have ritual services for dead people, but the procedures vary considerably, Ms Ho said.

"There are many body gestures in Buddhism's funeral rites, but Confucian rites emphasize chanting," said she.

Taoist ritual specialists perform a variety of rites, such as rites of winning blessings for the living, praying for survival of disasters, freeing souls from hell, and accumulating merits for the deceased.

As a follower of the major sect of Taoism, the Completely Real, Ms Ho has to perform particular rites in different circumstances.

On happy occasions such as birthdays, Taoist believers may invite a group of ritual specialists to perform rites in their homes or in temples.

Said Ms Ho: "The demand for performing rites for dead people has been increased in recent years because more Hong Kong people can afford to pay approximately $10,000 for a ritual service."

To perform a Taoist funeral rite which normally lasts four to five hours, ritual specialists must don Taoist robes and follow a sequence of procedures.

During a ritual service, an ensemble plays Taoist music with musical instruments such as flutes, drums, suonas and erhus.

The rite begins when the ritual specialists "open seats for ancestors to enter."

Said Ms Ho: "The head of the ritual specialists rings a hand bell to awake the ancestors and bring the souls "back to the Earth."

"First, we command the ancestors to pass through one 'silver bridge' and one 'golden bridge', which are make up of ordinary paper. Then they have to get a 'bath' to remove dirt before resting in a paper house," she claimed.

"Next, the sons of the deceased have to burn three pieces of incense in a burner for the ancestors to 'eat'."

Continued she: "Moreover, we spread flowers on the ground in order to relieve the bitterness of the souls."

By chanting and hitting a "muyu", which is shaped like a wooden fish and rhythmically hit by a wooden stick, the ritual specialists interpret the scripture to the souls.

"The scripture 'we were born and died with nothing in our hands' implies that life is only a process and death is inescapable," she explained.

"Then, the ritual specialists throw some coins with spells on them in order to 'untie the knots' of the souls," said she.

Ms Ho insisted that the enchanted coins could drive away any evil spirit.

"When the souls are 'freed from hell', the whole ceremony ends," said she. "All the ritual specialists will receive some money in small red envelopes after each service to bring them good luck."

Ms Ho said that it is not difficult to perform those rites, but to become a specialist in this field needs hard work.

She recalled her first experience performing a Taoist ritual.

"At that time, I was only an assistant in the service. One day, somebody asked me to chant, so I had to learn the scripture overnight," said she.

"However, later I learned that some ritual specialists just brought along a piece of paper with them and read the scripture out during the service."

She thinks the most difficult skill in performing rites is to control the time for each section of the service.

Moreover, sitting on the 'lotus throne', which has light bulbs in it, and wearing Taoist robes are not pleasant experiences for Ms Ho.

"Chanting and sitting for several hours require great patience. Besides, we frequently lose our voices after ritual services.

"Some ritual specialists think that the services are boring and they fall asleep easily," she said. "Yet I have never slept during the rituals before."

Despite these unpleasant experiences, the job has brought her a lot of satisfaction while earning her a living.

However, what seems to be meaningful to Ms Ho may seem ridiculous to other people.

Mr. Ernest Lam, 22, a Year 3 student majoring in Chinese language and literature at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, thinks that ritual services are unfaithful performances carried out by dishonest specialists.

Said he: "I don't think we should focus on such superstitious things."

Continued he: "I think there are many better means to accumulate merits for our dead relatives, such as donating money to charities."

On the other hand, Ms Ho said that people arrange funeral rites for their dead relatives in temples or funeral parlours because they want to "feel better".

"It is a tradition to perform ritual services for the deceased in Chinese societies," said she. "They just want to fulfil their responsibility as descendants and carry on the tradition, regardless of the outcome."

A "Mr. Lee", 50, of Tsuen Wan, who declined to reveal his full name, is an instrumentalist performing at ritual services in Yuen Yuen Institute.

Although he does not believe in any religion, he works in local temples in the pursuit of his interest in playing Chinese music.

He thinks that the tradition of local ritual services has undergone tremendous changes over the past years.

Said he: "People in the past carried out ritual services to retreat and to pray for the well being of the human race.

"However, as time goes by, ritual services have become much more commercialized, leaving behind the true spirit of traditional rituals," said Mr. Lee.

Although many people view Taoist rituals as a kind of superstition, Ms Ho disagreed.

"Taoism suggests a way of thinking, a way of looking at life and a way of being with changes rather than against them," said she.

"People need ritual services because they think that both the alive and the deceased should live peacefully," said she. "And my job is to meet their needs."

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