In Cantonese funeral customs, if a second relative passes away during the mourning period or within a hundred days of a funeral, people often do not see this as a coincidence but rather as an unfortunate omen. In this cultural context, it is believed that the deceased may seek out living relatives in the afterlife, leading to a chain reaction where other family members or relatives might also pass away.
To avoid this situation, the ritual involves preparing a straw figure to be placed on the coffin before the priest opens the path for the deceased and recites prayers. The priest will bless the straw figure as a substitute for the next possible deceased, and on the day of the funeral, the straw figure will be cremated alongside the deceased’s coffin to help stop any potential chain reaction.
广东丧事习俗 – 草人
在广东的丧事习俗中，如果在丧事期间或百日之内，有亲戚因拜祭亡者后不久就去世，人们往往不会将其视为巧合，而是会认为这是不幸的征兆。在这种文化背景下，人们相信已故的亡者可能会在阴间寻找阳间的亲友，从而导致连锁反应，使其他亲属也接连去世。
为避免这种情况，广东的道教做法是在为第二位亡者开通冥路和诵经之前，准备一个草人并将其放在棺木上。道长会为草人开光，作为可能的下一个亡者的替代品，并在出殡当天将草人与亡者的棺木一同火化，以此来制止可能的连锁反应。
