We carefully select and curate our Cantonese Funeral package to include:
Administration
- Assistance in Death Certificate Reporting & Transfer service
- Services Team for Cantonese Funeral Procession (1 Team)
- Pre-brief by Funeral director
- Setup of tentage
- Donation collection box
Casket Services
- 4-sided casket (Crematable)
- Embalming & Make-up for Taoist funeral
Transportation
- Toyota Glass Hearse Rental (1 Trip for Taoist funeral)
- Rental of 40 seater Coach
HDB tentage
- Carpet Tiles & Curtains for Casket Area
- 1 Set of Cantonese Funeral Front Arch (一幅三门四桩)
- Cantonese Priest Services: Encoffinment (1 Priest) , Final Night ( Xiao tan) (3 Priest) , Funeral Procession (1 Priest)
- Teochew Shan Tang
- Photo Enlargement and Framing
- Floral Photo Wreath
- Setup and rental of Tentage
- U Shape Tentage & 1 Canvas Set, 3 Canvas Pieces
- 10 Round Tables + 100 Chairs
- 15 Square Tables
- 6 Fans
- Wiring and Lighting Services and Rental
Funeral home
- Kong Meng San memorial – excluded
Offerings
- Fruits & Vegetarian Food Offerings
- Taoist Funeral Large Lanterns (2 Pairs)
- Taoist Funeral Golden Boys and Jade Maidens
- 6ft Paper House
- Burning tray
- Metal Cage for Paper House
- Taoist Funeral Altar Flowers
- Heaven & Earth blankets
- Incense sticks
- Paper offerings
Mobile toilet
- Porta John – excluded
Food
- Buffet catering
- Snacks and drinks
- Chef + Cooking space setup – excluded
Cremation
- Mandai Cremation (Location changes subjected to Extra charges)
- Ash collection
Items are customisable based on specific requirements of our clients for our Cantonese funeral packages. We designed our Cantonese funeral service adequately to fulfill the needs of most clients.
How are Cantonese Funerals carried out in Singapore?
Cantonese funeral service often follows traditional Chinese funerals and when a loved one dies, there are many funeral arrangements to be made.
The first thing that all bereaved families must do is to contact a funeral director who will help choose the day and time for the funeral service. The date will usually be an odd number.
Funeral service
Chinese funerals often leave the casket open throughout the funeral wake as a sign of respect for the dead.
In order to avoid improper funeral arrangements, a funeral director is hired to ensure all funeral rituals are adhered to for the showcasing of filial piety.
Traditional Chinese funeral does not allow family and guests to wear colorful clothing unless the dead has lived a long life and died in their old age of 80 and above.
Mourning clothes usually come in plain white, black, blue, or even brown burlap clothes. You will also find relatives of the deceased person wearing armbands or pinned fabrics to signify their status in the family lineage.
Flowers are often used as a representation of a sincere service for most Chinese funerals.
According to Chinese funeral traditions, an elder should never show respect to someone younger.
Prayer ceremonies cannot be offered by his parents or anyone older than him. If he has a younger sibling, only that sibling can offer prayers for him.
As for the death of an infant or a child, no funeral rites can be performed either since respect cannot be shown to a younger person. Thus, rites do not require the attendance of relatives.
Another important thing to remember for Chinese families is the gender of the deceased.
A white cloth is hung over the doorway to the house and a gong is placed to the left of the entrance if the deceased is a male, and to the right if female. Though this is rarely practiced in Singapore.
What to do with the body of the deceased?
Before being placed in the coffin, the corpse is cleaned with a damp towel dusted with talcum powder, and dressed in their best clothes.
The body is completely dressed, including the footwear, and make-up services.
Red clothing should never be used as it may turn the corpse into a malignant spirit.
White, black, brown, or blue are the usual colors to be worn and before being placed in the coffin, the corpse’s face is covered with a yellow cloth and the body with a light blue one.
Funeral homes usually provide this funeral service. Traditionally, this was done at the house of the deceased.
The Wake for a Chinese funeral
The coffin is placed in the void deck of the apartment, or a funeral home, depending on what relatives would want.
A large portrait is placed at the head of the coffin with a flower wreath, an incense pot for joss sticks, and a metal pail to burn joss paper offerings on the side of the coffin.
The older generation practice the custom of not cutting their hair for 49 days after the death of a loved one, and even breaks the deceased’s comb into two — one part is placed in the coffin and the other is kept by the family.
During the wake, the direct family along with other family members do not wear jewelry or red clothing.
It is also customary for blood relatives and daughters-in-law to wail and cry during the mourning period as a sign of respect and loyalty to the deceased.
The cries are particularly loud traditionally if the deceased has left a large fortune.
A reception table or an altar with candles and an incense pot is placed at the foot of the coffin for guests to offer joss sticks, joss paper, and paper money as offerings for the deceased. This is usually provided by the funeral company
They bow as a sign of respect to the deceased.
There will also be a donation box with red envelopes since money is always offered as a sign of respect to the family of the deceased.
This money will also help the family with the costs of the funeral.
It is also common for attendees to gamble in the void deck. Though this is a rarely followed tradition in modern times. Relatives will typically play games like charades, or share stories due to the advent of modern technology.
Such activities act as a security measure for the corpse and help the bereaved families stay awake during their vigil.
It is believed that prayers for Chinese funeral rites are important for the souls of the dead.
The dead will face many obstacles and even torment and torture for the sins they have committed in life before they enter the afterlife therefore prayers, chanting, and rituals offered by the priests and monks will help ward off evil spirits and ease the passage of the deceased’s soul into the afterlife.
These prayers are accompanied by music played on the gong, flute, and trumpet.
The Burial
Family members can choose burial or cremation for the deceased. Though of course, in Singapore — cremation is far more common.
It is important to remember that whilst the coffin is being brought down into the ground or entering the crematorium, they are required to turn their backs away to avoid bad luck.
After the coffin is buried or cremated, the keeper of the cemetery/crematorium will also offer prayers to the deceased.
The eldest son of the deceased will retrieve some earth from the grave and put it into an incense holder. For cremated remains, ashes will be placed into an urn. The deceased will be worshipped by the family at home using an ancestral tablet, or at a monastery — be it an urn or the incense holder.
Mourning period
Although the funeral service is over, a period of mourning continues for another 100 days.
Traditional families will even observe mourning for up to 3 years.
Chinese culture also believes 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, whichever is their personal preference, may be dusted on the floor of the entrance hall of the home to detect the visit.
Usually, the deceased will appear in the dreams of their relatives. It is common to share this experience amongst relatives, where they recall what life was like when the deceased was still around.
Other Funerary Rites
For a detailed overview of Chinese funerary practices, click on our Taoist funeral services page to find out more.
You can also take a look at our Buddhist funeral services page as well.