Name of Ritual

Preparing for the wake and burial/cremation

Description of Ritual/Practice

• When a death has occured, descendants are required to:
  • Cover all mirrors/reflective surfaces in the house
  • Stop all clocks in the house at the time of death
  • cover deities in the house altar with red paper
  • avoid cutting their hair because of the belief that hair is a gift from one’s parent and it would be unfillial to do so when the parent has passed. They were also not allowed to have their hair and nails trimmed during the period of the wake, reflecting the attitude that one must be grateful to one’s parent 身体发肤，受之父母.
• Descendants will purchase a coffin for the deceased 买寿. Older coffins were built differently (with a side profile that resembles an ingot) and made for land burials. To prevent water seeping out or in and causing damage, part of the ritual includes 打桶 (using putty to seal the seams of the coffin), which is conducted before the body is encoffined.
• Descendants were also required to purchase sets of white lanterns 买灯笼: big and small lanterns (a pair each) to hang at the wake.
  • Larger lanterns were hung outside of the house/hall with the deceased’s surname and age written on it. Following the practice of reporting an older age for the deceased 死人灯笼报大数, 3 years are added to the actual age that the deceased passed. The larger lanterns are also a sign that the deceased has a family and therefore, descendants. The pair of smaller lanterns are also known as descendants’ lanterns 子孙灯笼, are for the descendants to carry to bring the deceased back. The small lanterns are lit with a small candles, and the lit lanterns allow the deceased to follow their descendants home.
  • Lanterns used in funerals for elderly who has reached at least 100 years of age 笑丧are red in colour.

Who practices it? Who conducts the ritual?

Immediate family members

Is it still practiced now?

• In the past, the bereaved were also not allowed to shower during the period of the wake since they were not supposed to remove their mourning suit once the funeral starts.
• Because of the widespread adoption of embalming practices and cremation, and subsequent cremation-friendly coffin models, there is no need for 打桶 in most funerals now.
• Funeral paraphernalia is now included in package offered by service providers, thus descendants do not have to go out to buy the lanterns.
• Cantonese from sam shui 三水 used to bring the smaller lanterns 子孙灯笼, funeral stick and paper house home after the funeral. Many do not practice this anymore especially with the space constraints that come with urbanisation.