STUDENT NAME: NIK NUR ALEYLIYANA NABILAH BINTI ZULKARNAIN

STUDENT ID: 2021821978

CLASS: THM1112Ab

CHINESE FUNERAL CUSTOMS

1. The Wake

There is often a wake preceding the funeral that may last several days. Family members are expected
to keep an overnight vigil for at least one night in which the person's picture, flowers, and candles are
placed on the body and the family sits nearby. During the wake, family and friends bring flowers, which
are elaborate wreaths that include banners with couplets written on them, and white envelopes filled
with cash. Traditional Chinese funeral flowers are white. White is the colour reserved for death in
Chinese culture. The amount of money put in the envelope varies depending on the relationship to the
deceased but must be in odd numbers. The money is meant to help the family pay for the funeral. If the
deceased person was employed, his or her company is often expected to send a large flower wreath
and a sizable monetary contribution. During the wake there is usually a group of people gambling in the
front courtyard of the deceased's house because the corpse must be "guarded," and gambling helps
the guards stay awake during their vigil. This custom also helps to lessen the grief of the participants.

2. Form of the Funeral Ceremony

The funeral ceremony traditionally lasts over 49 days -- the first seven being the most important. Prayers
are said every seven days for 49 days if the family can afford it. Otherwise, the period can be shortened
by three to seven days. Usually, it is the responsibility of the daughters to bear the funeral expenses.
The head of the family should be present for at least the first and possibly the second prayer ceremony.
The number of ceremonies conducted depends on the financial situation of the family. The head of the
family should also be present for the burial or cremation. In the second tradition, the prayer ceremony
is held every 10 days: The initial ceremony and three succeeding periods of 10 days until the final burial
or cremation. After 100 days a final prayer ceremony is conducted, but this is optional and not as
important as the initial ceremonies.
3. Funeral Ceremony and Procession

The funeral procession (發引 fā yǐn) is the process of bringing the hearse to the burial site or site of
cremation. During the funeral, offerings of food items, incense, and joss paper are commonly presented.
When the prayer ceremonies are over, the wailing of the mourners reaches a crescendo and the coffin
is nailed shut (this process represents the separation of the dead from the living). Then yellow and white
"holy" paper is pasted on the coffin to protect the body from malignant spirits. During the sealing of the
coffin all present must turn away since watching a coffin being sealed is considered very unlucky. The
coffin is then carried away from the house using a piece of wood tied over the coffin, with the head of
the deceased facing forward. It is believed that blessings from the deceased are bestowed upon the
pallbearer, so there are usually many volunteers. The coffin is not carried directly to the cemetery but
is first placed on the side of the road outside the house where more prayers are offered and paper is
scattered. The coffin is then placed into a hearse that moves very slowly for one mile (more rarely, it is
carried for a mile), with the eldest son and family members following behind with their heads touching
the hearse. If there are many relatives, a white piece of cloth is used to link the hearse to family
members behind. The order of the funeral procession follows the status of the family members. A white
piece of cloth is tied to vehicles accompanying the hearse, or a white piece of paper can be pasted on
their windshields. The eldest son usually sits next to the coffin. A long, lit joss stick is held throughout
the journey, symbolizing the soul of the deceased; it is relit immediately if it goes out. Occasionally,
paper models of such objects as cars, statues, ships, etc., are carried during the procession to
symbolize the wealth of the deceased's family. If the procession must cross a body of water, the
deceased must be informed of this since it is believed that an uninformed soul will not be able to cross
water.

4. The Burial

Chinese cemeteries are generally located on hillsides since this is thought to improve Fengshui
(geomantic omen). The higher a grave is located, the better. At the graveside, when the coffin is taken
down from the hearse and lowered into the ground, all present must turn away. Family members and
other relatives throw a handful of earth into the grave before it is filled. After the funeral, all of clothes
worn by the mourners are burned to avoid bad luck associated with death. After the coffin is buried, the
keeper of the cemetery will also offer prayers to the deceased. Family members and relatives are
presented with a red packet (a sign of gratitude from the deceased's family, and the money in it must
be spent). A white towel is also a sign of gratitude although it is also used by funeral guests to wipe
away perspiration. The eldest son of the deceased will retrieve some earth from the grave to put into
an incense holder, and the deceased will be worshipped by the family at home using an ancestral tablet.
5. Mourning

Although the funeral rites are over, the period of mourning by the family continues for another 100 days.
A piece of coloured cloth is worn on the sleeve of each of the family members for 100 days to signify
mourning: Black is worn by the deceased's children, blue by the grandchildren and green by the great
grandchildren. More traditional families will wear the pieces if cloth for up to three years. A period of
mourning is not required if the deceased is a child or a wife.

6. The Return of the Dead

The Chinese believe that seven days after the death of a family member the soul of the departed will
return to his/her home. A red plaque with a suitable inscription may be placed outside the house at this
time to ensure that the soul does not get lost. On the day of the return of the soul, family members are
expected to remain in their rooms. Flour or talcum powder may be dusted on the floor of the entrance
hall of the home to detect the visit.
 Wedding Procession for England

1. Before the wedding

In Great Britain, the marriage process begins with a proposal from a man to the woman he wants to
marry. The proposal itself has some rituals involved. The man usually goes down on one knee, presents
a ring to the woman then asks is the woman would agree to marry him. If the woman accepts the ring
(proposal), then the couple automatically becomes engaged. The woman wears the ring on her ring
finger. It is a tradition in the UK that a woman can only propose to a man on the 29th of February, which
only comes in a leap year. A couple only gets married after being engaged for an agreed period. This
is because an engagement acts as a promise or an agreement to marry. The man becomes a fiancé of
the woman, while the woman becomes a fiancée of the man. The couple then sets their wedding date,
and the announcement of banns takes place in a registry office or a local parish. The banns announce
the intended marriage so that anyone with an objection to the union can come forward and stop it. The
common reasons for complaints may include:

• One of the partners had been married elsewhere

• One of the partners had taken a vow of celibacy
• One of the partners never consented to the marriage
• The couple may be closely related

2. The People• The Wedding Ceremony

Apart from the groom and the bride, the wedding ceremony involves many other people. These are
mostly the close friends of the couple. Some of the people involved in the wedding ceremony include
ushers (usually men helpers, they assist with organizing the wedding), ringbearer (a young boy whose
duty is to carry the rings), groomsmen (male attendants; they support the groom.), best man (can be a
relative or a very close friend of the groom. He always walks close to the groom.), bridesmaids (female
attendants; they support the bride.), maid of honor or matron of honor (can be a relative or a very close
friend of the bride. She always walks closer to the bride), bride’s father (the father of the bride or her
guardian; someone to "give her away" to the groom), junior bridesmaids (chosen by the bride to assist
but is older than a flower girl), flower girl (she scatters flowers; usually a young girl) and wedding guests
(all those invited to attend the wedding ceremony.)
3. Nice Day for a White Wedding

In the past Wednesday was considered the most auspicious day to get married, as shown in this old
rhyme, which seems to favour the first half of the week.

• Monday for wealth,

• Tuesday for health,
• Wednesday the best day of all.
• Thursday for losses,
• Friday for crosses,
• Saturday for no luck at all.

Nowadays, most weddings take place on a Saturday, which might account for the rise in divorce rates.

4. The Clothing

The Western custom of a bride wearing a white wedding dress, came to symbolize purity in the Victorian
era (despite popular misconception and the hackneyed jokes of situation comedies, the white dress did
not indicate virginity, this was symbolized by a face veil). In the past the veil was worn to confuse any
evil spirits. Often the bride will wear an heirloom, or maybe carry a family bible or prayer book. It is the
norm for the bride to have something blue, something borrowed, something new, and something old. It
was a tradition for the bride and the bridesmaids to wear similar attire. This was believed to confuse the
evil spirits who might have wanted to harm the bride. The something blue can be difficult, but a lot of
brides get round this by wearing a blue garter under their dress. In the Middle Ages, the brides sew
some charms onto their dresses’ hems to provide them with good luck. A lucky charm could be a silver
horseshoe or anything else prescribed by the elders. The bride could also combine a horseshoe with
her bouquet to add more good luck. Furthermore, a chimneysweep kissing the bride as she leaves the
church was considered a sign of good luck.

5. The Reception

It is usually at the reception that the newlyweds, their parents, and their entourage greet the guests. A
lot of food and drinks get served at the dinner, and there are speeches and toasts in honour of the
newlyweds. There’s always some music, and the groom and the bride open the dance floor. This dance
is usually known as the "Bridal Waltz." The couple had an opportunity to choose their favourite song or
piece of music. The father of the bride can also dance with her. The groom cuts this dance halfway to
symbolize that the father has to hand over the bride to him (the groom). In the course of the celebration,
the couple may get subjected to some pranks. For example, the pranksters can tie some tin cans to the
bumper of the couple's car, or their window can get sprayed with shaving cream.

6. The Wedding Cake

At the wedding reception an elaborate, tiered, wedding cake is often served. Traditionally this is a fruit
cake. Often there are a couple of little figures on top of the cake, normally they are a representation of
the bride and groom in formal wedding attire. It is considered lucky for the couple to cut the cake
together. It symbolises them working together during their marriage. A tier is usually stored, and eaten
by the couple at their first wedding anniversary, or at the christening of their first child. The cake can be
frozen and if the top tier of the cake is fruitcake, it can be stored for a long time, because it's so full of
sugar (and often alcohol) that it's very well preserved. People who were invited to the wedding, but were
unable to attend are often sent a piece of cake in a small box, as a memento. One superstition is that
unmarried guests should place a piece of wedding cake under their pillow, as it will increase their
prospects of finding a partner. Bridesmaids who do so will supposedly dream of their future husbands,
which must make Johnny Depp a potential bigamist.

7. British Wedding Traditions

Traditions include: -

1. Toast the couple: The happy couple toast each other. (This has nothing to do with sliced bread.)

2. The first dance: The newlyweds have the first dance.

3. Cutting the cake: The couple cut the cake together, this symbolizes their first meal as husband and
wife (see above).

4. Throw the bouquet: The bride may throw her bouquet to the assembled group of all unmarried women
in attendance, with folklore suggesting the person who catches it will be the next to wed. (A fairly recent
equivalent has the groom throwing the bride's garter to the assembled unmarried men; the man who
catches it is supposedly the next to wed.)

5. Just Married: It is usual for the couple to go away on holiday together. This is called the honeymoon.

6. Carrying the bride: On arriving back home it is traditional for the husband to carry his wife into their
new home. This is called carrying the bride over the threshold.