Today, I want to take you back in time—to a tradition that is quietly, and rapidly, fading away: traditional Chinese funeral mourning clothing.
What to prepare for the Return of the Soul Night Day 7
Two years ago, I wrote an article on Day 7 The Return of The Dead Night, and only briefly wrote about the dos and don’ts of the night. After watching the collaboration between the Hellbank YouTube channel with Affinity Funeral Service’s video, it prompted me to do some research through my relatives and friends in Singapore on what to prepare for the Return of the Soul night.
Just a word of warning, this does not apply to all Chinese people or religions, it is mostly what Chinese people believe in Singapore. It is mainly Chinese superstitions or customs that have been passed down the generations, you can choose to believe it or not.
Cremation: The Final Journey of Bone Picking
In my previous post, I shared the experience of exhuming my grandfather’s remains before they were sent for cremation. After the contractors carefully cleaned the bones, they were taken to the crematorium for the next stage of the journey. But what happens after cremation?
What I am sharing here is based solely on the experiences of my uncle and a close friend. These are Chinese funeral customs that some families continue to practise after cremation. They are shared here purely for reference, as traditions vary greatly between countries, cultures, and religions. Not every Chinese family follows the same rituals, and practices may differ depending on dialect group, beliefs, and personal preferences.
Exhuming Your Loved Ones: Family Views
This year Qing Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping fell on the 4th April 2024. It saddens me that yet again, I have not been able to pay my respects to my dad and my grandparents on this festival. There are a couple of reasons for this: my family are in Singapore so it takes some preparation to plan a long haul trip from Britain. Also, it is not easy to fly over due to school term and travel costs.
Day 7 The Return of the Dead Night
Do you believe that the soul of a deceased person returns to visit their family home on the seventh day after death? Some Chinese believe in what is known as 回魂夜 (Huí Hún Yè) — the “Return of the Soul Night” — or 头七 (Tóu Qī).
The Vanishing Trade – Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency Exhibition
During my visit to Haw Par Villa in August this year, one of the free exhibitions was the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, which runs until the end of December 2022. It is located at the Cloud Pavilion that is next to the Culture Courtyard. It is an exhibition on the vanishing paper offerings trade which is typically used for temple festivities and funeral offerings.
The Traditional Chinese Grave
A few months ago, I blogged about my Singapore trip to Haw Par Villa’s Hell Museum and the Ten Courts of Hell. One of the highlights of that trip was learning about our dying cultural heritage: the traditional Chinese grave. This prompted me to research Chinese tombstones, and my uncle was able to provide a photo of my maternal grandfather’s tombstone, which no longer exists. His grave was exhumed in 2013, and his remains were placed alongside my grandmother’s at Toa Payoh Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. I’ll explain why we needed to exhume him shortly.
5 Tips to writing a memorable eulogy
Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult ordeals that people go through. There are lots of things that can be said about the departed relative. There may be some negative attributes of the departed person that remain in the memory of the family members. Well, when it comes to writing and even reading the eulogy of the departed person, a lot of things need to be considered. It is for this reason that one needs to learn how to write a eulogy or hire a professional eulogy writer to do the work for you. All in all, when a eulogy is finally written, we need to consider the feelings of the family members and incorporate these into the eulogy.
Tips To Approach Children about Death
When your loved one dies, it can get very overwhelming and terrifying at the same time, especially if it is your first experience of it! The worst of it is how are you going to break the news to your child or any little ones without traumatising them.
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Having looked through their website, their flowers are very affordable and elegant. Besides ordering flowers for your loved ones, you could also add a box of chocolates , a card, vase, teddy bear, ribbon, flower food and even wine on top of that! I love the convenience of having one site to be able to send flowers internationally, especially as my family and friends are all over the world!
