Chinese traditional funeral customs have been passed down for thousands of years, and they combine the ideologies of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. With the change of times and the popularity of cremation, funeral procedures have been simplified, and there are various funeral customs of different ethnic groups. However, many places still follow some of the traditional funeral rituals from below. Sending The Death Notice After the death of the deceased, the family should send a death notice to friends and relatives as soon as possible, or visit their home to inform them of the death. For distant relatives and friends, the family should tell them the date of burial. Sending the death notice have been developed as early as the Zhou Dynasty. Even if friends and relatives already knew that someone had passed away, family members are routinely sent over to inform them of the death. The mourning son or the heir who reports the death has to wear mourning clothes and a mourning hat (usually in white linen), and when he arrives at people’s house, he is not allowed to enter, and when someone comes to greet him, he has to bow to the person, no matter how old or young the person is. Putting The Deceased Into The Casket The deceased should be groomed before being put into the casket. Family members will do a list of things for the deceased, such as shaving, cleansing the body and putting on the burial clothes. It is believed in folklore that when dressing the deceased, people should not drop tears on the body, or the deceased won’t appear in their dreams after. The Wake After the deceased is put into the casket, the family will watch and pray beside the casket throughout day and night, keep the evil spirits away. The 7-Day Ceremony This ritual is largely influenced by Buddhism. It is generally believed that the last day of the first seven days after the death is the legendary “night of the return of the soul”, on this day the deceased will return to the house to see the family for the last time. The family will prepare a meal beforehand for the soul of the deceased and hide in bed under the cover so the soul is not missing them too much to be late for the reincarnation. The family will say prayers every 7 days till the 49th day after the death. |
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