From "Spirit" To "Ancestor Spirits": A Study On The Soul Concept In The Funeral Customs Of Y Village

This paper focuses on the belief in the soul as manifested in funeral customs,with the traditional village of Luochuan County’s Village Y as the primary field research site.Using interview methods,participatory observation,and literature research,it describes the funeral customs of Village Y.On the timeline,the rites link the deceased with the living,the underworld with the world above,exploring the process where the deceased become spirits after death,and then from spirits to ancestor spirits.It discusses the ways in which relatives use rituals to place the soul,and further explores the internal logic of the practice of belief in the soul in people’s daily lives.This paper emphasizes the description of the inheritance and development of funeral traditions,focusing on investigating the reasons for inheritance,analyzing the functions of customs,exploring the important role of soul belief in them,and paying attention to human existence.At the same time,from a practical significance perspective,it promotes changing customs and further thinking and extension on promoting the inheritance and continuation of tradition and culture.The paper unfolds from the following aspects."Chapter One introduces the basic environment of Village Y,describing the geographical and cultural environment of the village.Based on this,it analyzes the natural conditions and cultural soil for the development of the belief in the soul in funeral customs.Chapter Two,using a timeline as the axis,points out that after a person’s death,relatives will take a series of actions for the deceased’s rest,with proper burial being the first step.This paper first discusses the two different forms of death under the influence of the belief in the soul,corresponding to their funeral rituals,reflecting how people in the village place the spirits of the dead,and further exploring the inheritance of tradition.By analyzing the feedback of the people in the funeral rituals,it discusses the vitality and effectiveness of the rituals and explains the traditions and contemporary practices of funerals.How we treat the deceased is a question for the living.The characteristics of how rural societies place the spirits of the dead mainly manifest in a certain stability and a certain flexibility,in which public opinion also plays a certain promoting role.The placement of the spirits of the dead is also the placement of the face of the people.Chapter Three describes the transition of the deceased to ancestor spirits after becoming spirits,which is mainly achieved through mourning and memorial ceremonies.Through rituals such as the seventh day,first year,third year,etc.,the deceased transition from "spirits" to "ancestor spirits";through the repetition of rituals such as Qingming ancestor worship and inviting ancestors to taste the new on June 6th,the concept of ancestor worship is constantly reinforced;a bridge between the living and the dead is built through the use of sacred objects.With the blessing of the rituals,the "spirit" can become an "ancestor spirit".All of these are "reinforcing" behaviors that people carry out in order to make our deceased relatives become ancestors,to become a member of the "gods".Chapter Four focuses on the fact that the impact of the belief in the soul is not only present in the above activities.In daily life,people also communicate with spirits to a certain extent.The belief in the soul is mainly reproduced through taboo protection,psychological intervention,social relations,etc.Taboo protection keeps people away from danger,achieving the purpose of "peace of mind" and "justification";the ritual of "sending" has become an effective means of psychological healing for the people;some special events and their handling under the influence of soul belief can alleviate personal crises,while strengthening people’s faith identification.The practice of soul belief is necessary at both individual and societal levels,and thus continues to develop,pointing out the practical logic of soul belief.The conclusion part summarizes the arguments of this paper and refines the characteristics of belief practice in Village Y.It also summarizes that the inheritance and development of folk beliefs are due to the needs of the people,and there are reasons for their inheritance.Need to change customs according to the reasons and follow the trend of the times.Starting with events close to life and exploring the daily lives of the people helps to care for the world of people’s lives and understand their practical life experiences.