2. Giving birth

There are no special customs. The first month after giving birth is called "yueli" (within the month). The mother's family comes with nutritious food and baby clothes, which is called "wangyueli" (visit within the month). The new mother should eat more brown sugar and drink more ginger juice to keep healthy. In the past the wives used to give birth at home, while most of them are now hospitalized.

3. Birthday celebrations

All the people would eat "longevity noodles" on birthdays, a custom called "making the birthday". Some of the children would eat eggs boiled in sweet water. The birthday celebrations for those over 60 used to be ceremonious but now have been simplified to a family dinner arranged by the offspring and presentation of gifts. Since the 1980s, birthday cakes have been popular in urban areas.

4. Funerals

Also called "white affairs", their procedures are similar to those of other regions and include attending upon a dying parent or senior family member, moving the body, putting it into a coffin, mourning, holding a funeral procession, burying, "zuoqi" (doing seven prayer ceremonies every seven days after the death for 49 days), and recognition of "xiaoxiang" (small luck, the first death anniversary),  and "daxiang" (big luck, the second death anniversary).

The bodies of those who died in other places are not allowed into the village but placed in tents put up outside the village. A "hot burial" is burying the dead upon their death, while a "cold burial" is delayed. For fishermen who die on the sea and whose bodies cannot be recovered, the Buddhist monks and Taoists would summon their souls on the beach, which is called "summon tide souls". A straw man would be made and cremated, and the urn with the ash in would be buried, which is called the "straw ash burial". In the Xixiang areas of Mount Hanshi in Tiantai County, the coffins used to be put into the holes on the cliffs. Since the 1950s, in urban areas, obituaries are put up, replacing announcements of the death in relatives' houses, memorial ceremonies are held instead of traditional sacrificial services, black armbands and white paper flowers have replaced mourning apparel, and funeral wreaths have replaced the elegiac couplets.

In funeral processions in rural areas, the leading soul streamers, funeral placards, funeral gongs, and mourning apparel are still in use and western brass bands are also used sometimes. Since the establishment of the crematorium in Linhai in 1983, cremation has been extensively carried out. In recent years, the old customs have been restored to some extent with expensive tombs emerging, but the governments advocate thrift by promoting cemeteries, which have been accepted by urban residents.

5. House building and house warming

In building a house in the past, a lucky day should be selected for laying the foundation and ground-breaking, the god of earth should be worshiped, or Taoists priests should be invited to cast spells. The builders should be treated with special kindness at the major phases. In laying the beams, red cloth should be tied on them, a red paper sheet should be stuck to them, firecrackers should be set off and candies, small steamed buns and small wood hammers should be cast for people to pick up, which symbolizes making a fortune.

In moving to another residence, the relatives and friends would present dishes, food and liquor. Though the procedures have become less and less important, some still prevail.

[Photo by Zhang Fuhua]