LifeStyles
Burials
Burials of the dead was and still are a very important matter in the Chinese community. Improper funerals can bring bad luck to the family of the deceased.
In Chinese societies, an older person does not have to show respect to a younger, so if it was a youth that died, instead of bringing his body home, it is left in a funeral parlour. Since he was no children, his parents cannot offer prayers for their son for there is no one to perform these rites (that is why the body does not go home.) If it was a baby or child that died, no funeral is performed either, for no respect can be shown to a younger person so the child is buried with solemn silence.
Now, on the other hand, if it was an elderly person that had passed away, then rituals regarding the person’s stats, age ect. has to be performed, even if the family has to go into debt to pay for the expenses. When someone dies in a family, all statues of deities in the house are to be covered with red paper (so it is not exposed to the coffin or body) and all mirrors are taken away for there is a belief that if anyone sees the reflection of the coffin in a mirror, the person shall have a death in his/her family. A white cloth is hung across the entrance of the house and a gong is placed on the right side of the doorway if the deceased is a female, and left if male.
Before the corpse is placed in the coffin, the body is cleaned with a damp towel, dusted with talcum powder and dressed in his/her best outfit from their own wardrobe (all of the other outfits are burned and are not reused.) Footwear is included along with makeup, (if female) but they are not to be dressed in red clothes, (or else the body will turn into a ghost) they are to wear white, black, brown or blue clothing. The face is covered in yellow cloth and the body is covered with a light blue cloth. After all that, the body is placed on a mat (or hay if on farm.) Later on, the coffin is placed on its own stand either in the house (if the person died at home) or in the courtyard outside the house (if the person died away from home.) The coffin is placed so the head of the deceased is facing the inside of the house, resting about a foot from the ground, supported on two stools. (Gifts, wreaths and a portrait or photo of the deceased are placed at the head of the coffin; the coffin is not sealed yet, not during the wake. The deceased comb is broken in two’. One half is for the family, the other half is placed on the coffin.
During the wake, the family does not wear jewelry or red clothing, for red is the colour of happiness. According to tradition, children and grandchildren of the deceased weren’t supposed to cut their hair for 49 days after the date of the death, but this custom is for the older generations. If you are a blood relative of the deceased, or a daughter-in-law, then it is necessary to wail and cry during the mourning as a sign of respect and loyalty. Wailing is especially loud if the deceased has left behind a very large fortune. At the ceremony, the family of the deceased gathers around the coffin according to the order of the family. Special garments are worn; grandchildren and great grandchildren wear light blue. Sons-in-law wear brighter colours like white ect. as they are thought of as “outsiders.” The children and daughters-in-law also wear a hood of sackcloth over their heads. The eldest son sits at the left shoulder of his parent and the deceased spouse at the right. Late arriving relatives must crawl to the coffin. Burning incense and a lit white candle are placed on an altar, which is placed at the end of the coffin. Joss paper and prayer money are burned continuously during the wake so that the deceased will have money in the afterlife.
Funeral guests are to light incense for the deceased and bow as a sign of respect to the family. There will also be a donation box, as money is always offered as another sign of respect to the family of the deceased, plus it also helps pay for the costs of the funeral. During the funeral, there will usually be a group of people gambling in the front courtyard of the deceased house, why? The corpse has to be “guarded” and the gambling helps the “guards” stay awake and it also loosens the grief in the air. At night while the coffin is in the house (or compound) a monk will chant verses from the Buddhist or Taoist scriptures. It is believed that the deceased will face many obstacles, 9for their sins in life) so the mink’s prayers, chanting and rituals will smooth the passage to heaven. Music played on the flute, gong and trumpet go along with the prayers.
After the funeral, the coffin is nailed shut (to separate the dead from the living) and white holy papers are pasted on the coffin to protect the body from malign spirits. When the coffin is sealed, all turn away because watching a coffin being sealed is considered very unlucky. The coffin is then carried (head facing forward) from the house (to carry a coffin is very lucky so there are usually a lot of volunteers) using a piece of wood tied over the coffin. Chinese cemeteries are usually located on hillsides as this is thought to improve the feng shui. The higher the grave is on the hill, the better the feng shui is to be. The eldest son of the deceased gets some earth from the grave to be placed in an incense holder to be worshipped at home.
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