《新暫時停止呼吸》（Mr. Vampire, 1992）
A 道士(Taoist priest) and his 師妹(junior martial sister) have been 供養嬰靈(making offerings to the restless spirits of unborn children) for a long time.
A Taoist priest and his junior martial sister have been making offerings to the restless spirits of unborn children for a long time.
- "師妹" often translated as "junior martial sister," is used to address a woman who studies under the same master but is junior in seniority. It is commonly used in Martial arts and Taoism.
- 供養嬰靈(Make offerings to the restless spirits of unborn children.)
The term "嬰靈(infant spirit)" refers to the soul of a fetus that was never born due to abortion, illness, or miscarriage; an infant who died shortly after birth due to infanticide or an accident; or a stillborn infant. This custom actually emerged in the 1980s, making it quite modern. The main reason is probably that abortion was legalized, causing the rates to increase. Urban legends about restless infant spirits began to spread.
Believers can choose an infant spirit to worship; however, due to the negligence of 師妹, a woman was possessed by a evil infant spirit.
Just then, the younger sister of the 道士's first love arrives at his door, hoping he will visit her older sister. Upon entering, he is surprised to discover that her brother-in-law, who is his first lover's husband, has been infected with corpse poison and is about to turn into a "殭屍(jiangshi)".
The 道士 killed the 殭屍, but could not solve the problem of the poison. He sent his two disciples to find a cure while he stayed at the residence to take care of his first love and her husband. Unexpectedly, the 道士 discovers that the maid caring for his first love is possessed by the evil infant spirit. He writes a letter asking the lover's younger sister to deliver it, and to bring his 師妹 over.
And what we're going to talk about next is this very scene.
紅白雙煞 The Red and White Omen: When Wedding Meets Funeral
The red procession is a wedding party, yet no one laughs. The white procession is a funeral, yet no one cries. Instead, everyone walks expressionlessly toward the main characters.
According to folklore, the "紅煞" is the vengeful spirit of a bride who died on her wedding day, and the "白煞" is a possessing, profound spiritual power water ghost. Setting aside these legends, the mere sight of these two eerie processions, with figures that seem neither fully human nor ghost, is enough to send a chill down your spine. Not to mention the music, color palette, costumes, and makeup, which together create an atmosphere of suffocating dread.
However, the true source of terror isn't visual shock. It's the deeply ingrained cultural taboo. In traditional Chinese culture, weddings and funerals are considered two extreme but naturally existing energies: vibrant, joyful "陽(Yang)" and somber, mournful "陰(Yin)". They are like the North and South Poles in that they exist naturally at opposite ends of the Earth. However, sudden, forced proximity between them can cause severe disruption. So, people believed that if weddings and funerals occurred at the same time and place, it would cause an imbalance that would lead to unpredictable misfortune.
For this very reason, the 農民曆 strictly separates auspicious days for weddings from those for funerals.
- 農民曆 is based on the traditional theory of "陰陽五行(Yin-Yang and the Five Elements)", used to predict which days are suitable for certain activities and which are not. Its core purpose is to avoid bad luck and seek good fortune
For example, as shown in this picture, January 18, 2015, is considered an auspicious day for marriage (宜嫁娶), but it is a taboo day for timber felling (忌伐木).
Given such strict cultural taboos, a head-on encounter between the wedding party and the funeral party is something that should be utterly impossible.
And yet, it happened.
Now, are you afraid?
留言
張貼留言