CURIOUS CEREMONIES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2567, 22 December 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

CURIOUS CEREMONIES.

A recent Peking Gazette contains an account of certain curious ceremonies attending a visit paid to the tomb of the Emperor Haien F6ng, who died in 1861, by the Envoy of the Dalai Lama of Thibet for the purpose of offering obesiance and presenting gifts. The report is written by the officials in charge of the imperial tombs. In accordance with a degree issued in 1759 the Envoy rested three nights on the journey from Peking at specified places. Early on the morn. ing of the 3rd of July the Djassak Lama, the Envoy in qnestion, accompanied by an abbot and his suite, repaired to the mausoleum of the Emperor. Under the verandah in front of the principal man a yellow table was set, and on this the articles brought were reverently placed —the written memorials in the centre, the silk scarves, images, and pictures of Budda, the Thibetan incense and safflower at the sides. Those present then prostrated themselves in front of the steps, and the Lama and his suite ascended the terrace in separate detachments, " and, having chanted their hymns they marched round the outside of the hall to the chamber on the western side, where, their instruments of music being set out on tables, they played and sang till the service being concluded, they were conducted back again." This being ended, came the question of the suitable disposal of the gifts which Lama had brought all the way from Lhassa. First, the memorialists opened the door of the principal hall and reverently placed the 18 images and the nine picture scrolls within the eastern wing for a time. But here a difficulty arose. The memorialists found on examining the authorities that the custom is to place giltimagesof Biulda on a table in the upper story of the eastern wing of the principal hall, but in the mausoleum of Hsien FtSng the eastern wing has no upper storey. " The memo rialists, therefore, not daring to decide for themselves, beg to be instructed" whether they should go as near the orthodox rule as they can and construct a special altar for the images in the eastern wing, or whether, disregarding it altogether, they shall send the images to a neighbouring temple, where, the srcoDs havo already gone. Meanwhile in aocordance with precedent, the Lima's written memorials and tho two scarves were burned in the western stove ; the 393 packets of Thibetan iccense, fine and coarse, the two boxes of gum, and the 250 ounces of safllower were stored in the east nide-chainber, where they will he useful on the days appointed for the performance of religious rites. By imperial decree the guardians of the mausoleum were ordered to construct an altar for the images so as to follow precedent as closely as possible.