Funeral customs in Singapore

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Funeral customs in Singapore
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Introduction

• In Singapore most of the funerals are done
  in chinese custom. In Singapore most people hold
  funeral wakes in a parlour or at the void deck of
  a HDB block (the block of the deceased or his
  immediate family members). There arent that many
  funeral parlours in Singapore despite the greying
  population so wakes are commonly held at void
  decks. Chinese traditional funeral customs have
  been eventually simplified over the years due to
  the complexity of the rules and ceremony. Many
  modern people would not follow the exact customs
  anymore as it is too hassle and time consuming,
  let alone the humongous expenses for the
  ceremony. Nonetheless, its spiritual rituals and
  ceremony shouldnt be forgotten and neglected.

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Process followed in Funeral of a person
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Preparation

• The funeral ceremony, which traditionally lasts
  over 49 days, the first seven days being the most
  important. Prayers are said every seven days for
  49 days if the family can afford it. If the
  family is in poor circumstances, the period may
  be shortened to from 3 to 7 days.
• Most of the funeral ceremony in Singapore last
  for only 3 days, as mentioned earlier it was too
  hassle and time consuming.
• After several meetings among all the uncles of
  the family, they decided to hold the ceremony in
  Xiao En Centre

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Taoist style

• Taoists believe that death is not the end of
  life. When death occurs, it is treated as the
  continuation of life into another phase, the
  phase of the soul. That is why Taoists perform
  rituals for the dead. It is to guide the
  wandering soul to its new home. It is obligatory
  for the descendants to offer prayers and acts of
  penance for the dead. The living believe that the
  ancestors soul is always watching over them.
• Offerings to the gods are placed on the table.
  The Taoist priest informs the gods of the
  afterworld about the good deeds of the deceased
  and asks for forgiveness for the wrongs committed
  by the deceased. Amidst the sounds of cymbals,
  the Taoist priest chants to enable the deceased
  to have a smooth journey to the afterworld.
• Special clothing is worn on this day
• 1. Children and daughters-in-law wear Black with
  Sackcloth (signifying that they grieve the most)
• 2. Sons children wear Blue
• 3. Daughters children wear Light Blue
• 4. Sons-in-law wear White, since they are
  considered outsiders.

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Sympathy flowers

• Sending a tribute of flowers is an appropriate
  way of expressing sympathy to a family who has
  experienced the loss of a loved one.
• Sympathy flowers express a feeling of life and
  beauty and offer much comfort to the family.
  Flowers provide a living memorial to the deceased
  as they bring hope to those who grieve.
• So the flowers were the only thing that cheered
  me up during the funeral.
• We were surrounded by all type of flowers. I
  spent most of my time taking pictures of the
  flowers and enjoying the creativity of the
  flowers arrangement.

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The wake

• During the wake, the family does not wear jewelry
  or red clothing (red is the color of happiness).
  Traditionally, children and grandchildren of the
  deceased did not cut their hair for 49 days after
  the death, but this custom is now usually only
  observed by older generations. It is customary
  for blood relatives and daughters-in-law to wail
  and cry during mourning as a sign of respect and
  loyalty to the deceased. The cries are
  particularly loud if the deceased has left a
  large fortune.
• At the wake, the family members of the deceased
  gather around the coffin positioned according to
  their rank in the family and special clothing is
  worn Children and daughters-in-law wear black
  (signifying that they grieve the most)
  grandchildren, blue and great grandchildren,
  light blue. Sons-in-law wear brighter colors,
  such as white, since they are considered
  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 deceaseds spouse on the right.
  Relatives arriving later must crawl on their
  knees towards the coffin

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The Procession

• In the fourth day of the funeral, the families
  got ready for the cremation ritual. Taoist
  priests all are nicely dressed to show the
  respect to the ritual. The ceremony usually
  takes one hour.
• The famiyare told to march around the coffin
  while scattering the praying papers all over the
  floor.
• The members struggle to pull he hearse in which
  the dead lay.

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The Cremation

• After the procession, the buses take the family
  to the cremation center.
• Before cremation, all the guests are served with
  roast pigs and food for lunch.
• After lunch, the family prays before the
  cremation.
• The family burns the paper bridge so that the
  dead would cross the bridge smoothly into the
  spiritual world.