Why do the older generation of Cantonese attached great importance to this ‘Dǎotóu jīng’
In the traditional thinking of Cantonese, when a person passed on, their world will enter into darkness. They are not aware that they have passed on and hence panicked and lost. They need to be guided by the light to let them know where they are and to accept the fact that they have passed on.
In the first night of the mourning, Taoist Priest will conduct chanting ritual to “light up the road of five directions” for the person who had just passed on, and to lead the deceased to the netherworld for judgement. Therefore, the older generation of Cantonese attached great importance to this ritual.
‘Dǎotóu’, to the older generation of Cantonese, it means someone had just passed on. Hence, they naturally name this ritual that was conducted in the first night of the mourning period as ‘Dǎotóu jīng’. Subsequently, the Cantonese Taoist priest also address the first night ritual as ‘Dǎotóu jīng’.
点燃五方冥灯（倒头经）
为何老一辈广东人这么重视这‘倒头经‘法事？
原在广东人传统思想里，当一个人去世时，它们的世界是黑暗的。它们还不知道自己已离开人世而心生恐慌，不知所措。它们须要冥灯在冥路来引导，才能知道自己身在何处而接受自己已离开人世的事实。
在治丧第一晚的超度法事，道长就是以’点燃五方冥灯‘ 为主要功德，为刚去世的人，点燃冥路的灯，引领死者到阴曹地府去。因此老一辈非常重视这法事。
而‘倒头’ ，对老一辈广东人的意思就是刚去世，刚走了。治丧第一晚的超度法事很自然被老一辈广东人称为‘倒头经’。而后，广东道长也顺其自然把第一晚法事称为‘倒头经’。
