Chinese is rich for its culture and its tradition in doing so many things in human life. From small things like sweeping the floor, to the rules that a pregnant woman should follow in her pregnancy, to the funeral rites.

There are several things to do in Chinese funeral rites. Chinese whose family member died in the house should not let the dead body in the house for long. Not even a day. So, if Chinese family has one of the members pass away, they will directly arrange a place to put the the dead body, in what we call a grief house. The dead body will be put there for about three days. Siblings and relatives of the dead person will stop by to show their last respects and give a wound gratuity to the left family members. For Chinese who are not capable of renting a grief house, they can put the dead body at home, but it will not be there as long as putting it in the grief house.

The dead body will be put inside the coffin with complete costumes. The dead body will be dressed and made up like when he was alive. He will be dressed like the way he liked to dress when he was alive. The coffin will be filled with jasmine, gold and silver paper. The paper has square gold or silver in the middle of it; usually it is used in the customary ceremony to thank the Lord in Chinese custom belief. This paper also represents money in Chinese custom, and a pair or two of his favorite clothes inside. Chinese believe that the dead person will bring it to the other world.

So, those all are like a preparation to another world, so that he won’t live in other world with nothing. As long as the dead body is in the grief house, the younger generation of the dead body will keep burning gold/silver paper. It is said that burning the gold or silver paper is like transferring money to the dead person so that he can use it in the other world. Besides, there are praying sessions in that three-day ceremony. The praying session will be done three times a day by all the family members. The praying session will be helped by monks from the temple or monks from custom belief.

When it is almost time to send the dead body to the cemetery, family members will do the last praying session as last admiration for the dead. The dead body inside the coffin will be sent to the cemetery by a bus. Usually, grief house will have this bus. The children and wife or husband of the dead will join the bus. One will hold the gravestone made by thick board, another will hold a handful of burning incense, and the rest will just sit silently in the bus. Whenever the bus passes the railway, the family members who join the bus with the dead body must say, “crossing the bridge.” Old Chinese man said this, it is said, so that the dead body won’t get a shock. When arriving at the cemetery, people who join must say, “we arrived,” so that the dead body knows that he has arrived at his cemetery. Other relatives who want to join the cemetery rite can go by their own car.

Nowadays, many Chinese prefer to burn the dead body. The family members will keep the dust in a vase. Then, they will put it in the temple or bring it home so that they can pray to them all the time. Old Chinese may ask their children to burn their body after they pass away. As they believe, being burnt is cleaner than being buried. Well, at least, being burnt won’t let your body be eaten by the worms or whatever insects are inside the earth. However, it is culture. Different cultures, different ways of thinking. That’s what Chinese think. 

When the coffin is sent to the bus, it is forbidden for Chinese to see it. It is said, if it is seen, the soul of the dead body will not go peacefully. Red and other bright colors are also forbidden; it is said that those colors will make the soul of the dead body get mad. So, white is preferable. Other dark colors are acceptable, while the family members still should wear white.

These are Chinese funeral rites. It is Chinese customs which come from generation to generation, and they have never been changed.