Chinese man buys coffin for elderly mum to sit in, believes it promotes longevity
Traditional rural folk ritual sees woman in her 70s sitting in a coffin at the head of a procession which includes pallbearers and a brass band
A Chinese man has attracted widespread attention online after he bought a coffin for his 70-something mother to sit in and hired 16 men to carry it from the shop to his home as a gesture of filial piety.
The unidentified man from Shuangxikou Town, Taoyuan County, Changde, in Hunan province, southern China, hired porters to carry his elderly mother home in a casket in the hope that doing so would bring her good fortune and longevity.
A viral video shows the elderly woman sitting cheerfully inside the coffin, holding a fan, while 16 men, eight at the front and eight at the back, carry it.
Behind them, a brass band played ahead of a large crowd following the strange procession.
Once the coffin reached their home, a ritual that included incense burning and offerings was held.
Tang, a local villager who took part in the event, told Guizhou Radio TV Station that he had seen such ceremonies three times.
“The core idea is to express filial piety. It is a rural tradition. The elderly are usually very happy about it, but it is not very common these days,” he said.
In Chinese culture, caskets are considered auspicious because guancai, the Chinese word for coffin, sounds similar to “official wealth.”