Name of Ritual

安钉 (nailing of coffin lid) / 封棺

Description of Ritual/Practice

• A sutra is chanted during this process to help the deceased move on in this ritual. Yellow paper money is also used to seal the rest of the coffin.

Who practices it? Who conducts the ritual?

Family members, Funeral service providers, ritual specialists such as the nam mo lo and Buddhist monks

Is it still practiced now?

Yes but funeral directors have shared that it is difficult to translate and explain this ritual to the younger generation because the ritual of 安钉 cannot be adequately translated to English. Many of the phrases exclaimed in this ritual also resists accurate translation.

Other interesting notes

• Most of the phrases used in funerals are spoken with good intentions to ensure the deceased is at peace and that their descendants are able to move on and do well in life.

• Certain groups of people (generally pregnant women and young children) who ‘clash’ 冲 with the death of the deceased have to turn away and avoid witnessing the ritual.

• Many generally turn away when the lid is nailed, to avoid bad luck.