It is believed that the thickness of the layers corresponds to the fullness of life led by the deceased. It is also helpful to know that the ancestral tablet is made of simple sticks of wood set on a pedestal. New York: Routledge Curzon, p. 35. The Chinese undertake these rituals partly out of filial piety, and partly out of the belief that there is a continued relationship between the living and dead. Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations. If a person lives a moral life and follows the path of Tao, which involves various meditative exercises, they will achieve immortality after death. First 7 days are believed to be the most important. Traditionally, three days after the burial, the spirit of the person who died will visit the family. Funeral rituals form an important part of Chinese social life. : RSING 301.295957 THA)2. Close family members must refrain from eating meat because the immortal gods do not eat meat. Chinese death rituals in Singapore. According to the closeness and status of the family members, they will pay respects diàn (奠) to the deceased. Coupled with the pursuit of the pleasures of nourishment, was the preoccupation of ancient scholars in writing about food. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations. 6. Retrieved from Funerals.SG website: http://www.funerals.sg/#!Singapore-Funeral-Practices/c4l7/69AF41DD-A5E5-4BC3-BBBB-1166BC1826307. Their faith in the gods help fulfill their desire for the loved ones spirit to reach heaven and eternal life. Family and friends give offerings for dead. In this case, the family returns to the crematorium after cremation to collect the bones and ashes of the deceased. As this is a day for ancestor worship and not funeral behavior, it can be made with dried oysters and other preserved animal foods. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.20. Taoists see death as a natural part of life that we all must accept. Tong, C. K. (2004). If a wake occurs in the home of the deceased, all the mirrors will be covered, because seeing a reflection of the casket may cause a death soon in the family of the person who saw the reflection. Later generations are invited to participate through this process of ancestor veneration (慎終追遠 shèn zhōng zhuī yuǎn). : RSING 390.08995105957 CHI-[CUS]); Tong, C. K. (2004). (Call no. (Call no. Traditionally, after a death, each family member of the deceased wears a different-coloured mourning garment that corresponds to their relationship to the deceased. (Call no. The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for ... (as per the Hindu calendar) when the person had died, the family members repeat this ritual.