Before Death

Name of Ritual

寿衣

Description of Ritual/Practice

• Older generations used to prepare burial clothes before their death. Often, children (and usually daughters) will gift a set of silk or satin clothes to their parents on their 60th birthday. The senior will put on the suit on every birthday subsequently to offer incense to ancestors and gods (拜天公、拜神, 买鸟来放生). The suit is hung to dry under the sun before keeping it again.
• The traditional Chinese burial suit is differentiated by gender and button designs. Male suits come with a traditional hat while suits for women may have more layers .
• The deceased needs to reach a certain age or has been married to be buried in these clothes. The layers of burial clothes increases with every 10 years of life after 60 (e.g. 5, 7, 9, or 11 layers), with the colours going from white to the brightest shade as the layers pile on; 11 layers signify advanced age (100 year old) and the funeral can be categorised as 笑丧.
• The deceased is washed and dressed in burial clothes so that they can return to meet their ancestors properly 回宗，寻祖归宗

Who practices it? Who conducts the ritual?

Family members

Is it still practiced now?

Most do not practice the gifting of burial clothes; burial suits are bought after death, to dress the body of the deceased. Today, such items are used only during the wake and purchased from funeral companies. Burial clothes made of satin and silk are expensive and can cost up to SGD$2,000-3,000.