Post-treatment process

The main colors of traditional funerals in China are yellow and white, so funerals are also called white, which is also opposite to red. According to the different beliefs of the deceased, the process of funeral service is often accompanied by religious colors such as Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity. Today, we introduce the steps and sequence of traditional funerals.

1, Xiao Yi: Wash your body, have a facelift and put on a shroud. This step should be done as soon as possible, usually immediately after the death of the deceased. Because after a few hours, the limb stiffness caused by muscle cell death will affect the staff to put on the shroud for the deceased.

2. Funeral report: formally notify relatives and friends around the country of the time of death, circumstances and funeral arrangements of the deceased.

3. Mourning: Relatives and friends came from other places and brought gifts, couplets and flowers to the funeral.

4. Stop the spirit: that is, the body of the deceased is parked in the mourning hall, waiting for relatives and friends who come to attend the funeral. In ancient times, it was helpful to determine whether the deceased was really dead, not in a coma. The temporary mourning shed, family room or special room of the funeral home can be used as a mourning hall. There are portraits, offerings, incense, candles, paper money and so on in the mourning hall. The funeral of China and Germany needs to be reminded that when the deceased can't be buried formally for the time being, the coffin is placed in a temple or funeral parlour for future burial, which can also be called "stopping the spirit".

5. Wake: During the wake, the younger generation of the deceased should take turns to guard the deceased in the mourning hall and accept condolences from other relatives and friends. Throughout the funeral, the immediate family and close relatives of the deceased were called dutiful sons/daughters. They need to wear white coarse cloth jackets or clothes without seams, with hemp rope or straw rope around their waist and grass frogs on their feet. This is mourning.

6. Coat: In front of the family of the deceased, move the body of the deceased into a coffin with a mattress, cover it with a quilt, and nail it to seal it.

7. Funeral: The sealed coffin is sent to the cemetery for burial. After the dutiful son broke a clay basin, commonly known as "throwing the basin", the funeral officially began. Then the dutiful son led the team with a "spiritual guide", and a band played along the way and distributed paper money to the cemetery.

8. Burning Seven: After burial, relatives need to go to the cemetery every seven days and burn paper money seven times a day for forty-nine days. There are also similar activities such as evoking souls and burning paper money, which are called "doing seven". The ceremony on the 49th day was called "Breaking Seven", which was the end of the official funeral.

9. Filial piety: Bian Xiao, who was in the funeral of Zhongde, learned that according to the tradition of ancient Confucianism, a dutiful son needs to guard his parents' grave for three years, during which he should avoid drinking, eating meat, socializing and sharing the same room with his husband and wife.

10, memorial tablet: Family members presented incense to the memorial tablet with the name of the deceased written on it.

1 1. Grave sweeping: During festivals such as Tomb-Sweeping Day and spring, relatives and friends will repair and clean the cemetery.