What is the process of a Chinese funeral?

Funeral delivery:

Sons, daughters and grandsons are in front. It turns out that they hold the coffin, usually holding photos, and walk in front. Behind them are the coffin bearers, filial sons, filial daughters, and filial grandsons walk forward for a while. He turned around and kowtowed to the coffin to show respect for his elders.

The main colors of traditional Chinese funerals are white and yellow, so they are also called white events, as opposed to red events (happy events).

Depending on the deceased’s beliefs and financial situation, the whole process is often accompanied by relevant Buddhist, Taoist or Feng Shui rituals.

The main processes are:

Small coffin: cleanse the body and put it on a shroud.

Funeral notification: formally informing relatives and friends near and far about the time, circumstances and funeral arrangements of the death.

Going to the funeral: Relatives and friends come from other places to attend the funeral, bringing gifts, gifts, elegiac couplets, wreaths, etc.

Combination: Also known as temporary residence, the corpse is parked in the mourning hall for a few days, waiting for relatives and friends who come to mourn.

Wake: During the period of mourning, relatives and friends who are already present, especially the deceased’s juniors, take turns guarding the deceased in the mourning hall and accept the condolences of the mourners.

Large burial: In the presence of family members, the deceased is moved into a coffin covered with mattresses, covered with a quilt, and nails are nailed to seal the coffin.

Funeral and Burial: Take the coffin to the cemetery for burial. The beginning of the funeral is marked by the dutiful son breaking an earthen basin, which is called "breaking the basin".

Burning seven: After the burial, relatives and friends visit the cemetery every seven days and burn paper money, seven times a day for forty-nine days.

Wuqi: On the thirty-fifth day in the north, the tradition is called Wuqi. The daughter makes a paper gourd and serves a bowl of noodles, which is commonly known as Wuqi unlocking.

Keeping filial piety: According to Confucian tradition, a filial son should guard the tombs of his parents for three years (everyone basically does not leave the arms of his parents before he is three years old. During these three years, he expresses his gratitude to his parents. This is also the case in many villages. Produced), during this period avoid entertainment, drinking and eating meat, couples having sex, etc.

Memorial tablet: Family members use incense and candle offerings to enshrine the tablet with the name of the deceased.

Grave sweeping: Relatives and friends repair and clean the cemetery during the Qingming Festival (Jie Zhitui died on this day).

Extended information:

Since the Paleolithic Age in primitive society, humans have had the concept of soul.

Primitive people believed that even after death, the soul would not die and could still intervene in the affairs, misfortunes and blessings of living people.

Restricted by this concept of the immortal soul and the differences in cultural traditions and religious beliefs of various countries and ethnic groups, various funeral customs have emerged: some funerals are grand and grand, some are simple and simple, and some are full of Religious, some scientific and hygienic.

Geography, religion and social structure all influence funeral forms, and class status is the decisive factor.

Taking Tibet as an example, funerals are divided into four types according to status: water burial for untouchables, burial in the ground or sky burial for middle-class people, and only nobles can be cremated.

In terms of burial ceremony, various ethnic groups in the world have various forms such as burial, sea burial, cremation, water burial, thick burial, sky burial, cave burial, tree burial, hanging coffin burial, closet burial, and food burial.

Reference source: Baidu Encyclopedia-Funeral