1. Small coffin: cleanse and reshape the corpse and put on a shroud. This step should be done as early as possible, sometimes even before breathing out. Because after a few hours, due to the death of muscle cells, a stiffness of the limbs called rigor mortis will occur, which affects wearing the shroud. The shroud cannot be made of leather because tradition believes that the deceased will be reincarnated as an animal.

2. Funeral notification: formally inform relatives and friends near and far about the time, circumstances and funeral arrangements of the death. There are often strict situation and sequence regulations.

3. Funeral: Relatives and friends bring gifts, gifts, elegiac couplets, wreaths, etc. from other places to attend the funeral.

4. Pause: Also known as temporary residence, the corpse is parked in the mourning hall for several days, waiting for relatives and friends who come to mourn; at the same time, it helps to confirm death rather than coma and suspended animation. The mourning hall can be a room at home, a temporary mourning shed, or a dedicated room in a funeral parlor. The mourning hall contains mourning banners, portraits of the deceased, food (offerings), incense, candles, paper money, etc. for the deceased. In addition, when the deceased cannot be formally buried for the time being, leaving the coffin in a temple or other place to wait for future burial can also be called coffin coffin.

5. Wake: During the mourning period, relatives and friends who are already present, especially the deceased’s juniors, take turns guarding the deceased in the mourning hall and accept the condolences of the mourners. During the entire funeral, the deceased's close relatives (called filial sons/daughters) wear white burlap clothes or gowns without hems, tied with straw ropes or hemp ropes around their waists, and wear straw sandals on their feet, which are called filial piety clothes.

6. Big burial: In front of the family members, the deceased is moved into the coffin covered with mattresses, covered with quilts, and nails are nailed to seal the coffin. Wealthy families may have two layers: an inner coffin and an outer coffin for burial objects.

7. Funeral and burial: Send the coffin to the cemetery for burial. The beginning of the funeral is marked by the dutiful son breaking an earthen basin, which is called "breaking the basin". Led by the filial son holding a "soul-inducing flag", a band played and played, and paper money was distributed along the way to the cemetery. The burial ceremony was assisted by a Feng Shui master.

8. Burn seven: After the burial, relatives and friends visit the cemetery every seven days and burn paper money, seven times in one day for forty-nine days. There are also similar activities such as soul calling and paper money burning, which are called "doing seven". The ceremony on the forty-ninth day is called "Broken Seven" and is the end of the formal funeral part.

9. Wuqi: In the northern region, on the 35th day, the tradition is called Wuqi. The daughter makes a paper gourd and serves a bowl of noodles, which is commonly known as Wuqi unlocking. Folk belief says that the deceased must be locked in a certain place before May 7th. The lock must be unlocked for the deceased, and then the deceased can cross the river on a gourd to go to the Western Paradise.

10. Observe filial piety: According to Confucian tradition, a filial son should guard the tombs of his parents for three years (everyone basically does not leave the arms of his parents before he is three years old. In order to express gratitude to his parents for these three years, many villages Also produced in this way), during this period, avoid entertainment, drinking and eating meat, couples having sex, etc.

11. Tablet: Family members use incense and candle offerings to worship the tablet with the name of the deceased.

12. Grave sweeping: Relatives and friends repair and clean the cemetery during the Qingming Festival (Jie Zhitui passed away on this day).

Reference for the above content? Baidu Encyclopedia-Funeral