After the blaze - Arabiake

...The first Buddhist ceremony was held at Asukadera Temple in 748 (Tenpyo 20) for Emperor Gensho, and since then, Buddhist ceremonies have been held every seven days starting from the first seven days. The first seven days are now called Arabiake, and it is the day when all the relatives of the bereaved family, who had been holding funeral ceremonies at home until this day, eat and drink with their neighbors, and it also marks the end of the funeral. For example, in Shiotsuhama, Shiga Prefecture, the chief mourner sleeps in the place where the deceased slept until the first seven days, saying "Do not cool the place where the deceased slept," and on the first seven days, food and drink are offered to those who helped with the funeral. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Arabiake" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…748年(天平20)に元正天皇の初七日の法要が飛鳥寺で行われたのが初見で，このとき以来，初七日からはじまる7日目ごとの仏事が行われるようになった。初七日を現在では荒火明けといい，この日まで家にこもり葬式の事を行っていた喪家の親族一同が，近隣の者とともに酒飯を食する日，葬事の終了を意味する日でもある。たとえば，滋賀県の塩津浜では初七日まで〈死者の寝ていたところをひやすな〉といってそこに喪主が寝たり，初七日の当日，葬式を手伝ってくれた人に酒食を供する。…

※「荒火明け」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報