Practices, Beliefs, and Superstitions During Funerals
Like in other Asian countries, people in Singapore also believe in many superstitions, practices, and beliefs. It may be in doing little things in their everyday lives or something that they do during several events, ceremonies, and occasions. One of the ceremonies in Singapore where many superstitions, practices, and beliefs are being followed or applied is during funeral ceremonies. Below are some of these that are still practiced by traditional families.
1. If a family member died and there are statues of Chinese gods inside their home, it must be covered using a red paper. The mirrors around the house are needed to be removed because of their belief that if someone saw the reflection of the coffin while looking at a mirror, another death of a family member will happen very soon. In addition, over the doorway, a piece of white cloth is placed.
2. If a Singaporean has died and his family decided to have funeral service Singapore, the Buddhist ceremonies will last for at least 49 days. There are activities, prayers, and other practices that need to be done. Amongst all the days, many believe that the first seven days of the funeral are the most important. Every seven days, prayers will be done until the 49th day. However, this practice can be changed depending on the family’s financial status of the dead. If the deceased came from a poor family, the ceremony can be shorten for at least three days.
3. In traditional Singaporean families, the daughters of the deceased are the ones who are paying the costs for the funeral Singapore. The father or the head of the family must be present during the first prayer ceremony and all the prayer ceremonies if possible. He is also need to attend during the burial or cremation of a dead loved one.
4. The preparation for the funeral services in Singapore usually starts when a person is already seriously ill. The first preparation that families do is to find a traditional Asian coffin. However, nowadays many families already opt for the western styled coffins.
5. Traditional families put a gong at the entrance during the funeral. The placement of the gong depends on the gender of the deceased person. If the deceased is a woman, the gong is place on the right side of the entrance, while the gong is placed on the left side if the deceased is a man.
6. A deceased person must never be dressed with red clothes. It is because there is a belief that the deceased will become a ghost he wears red. On the other hand, all the clothes that the deceased used while he is still alive are need to be burned.
7. Sometimes, an altar is placed at the foot of the coffin with white candle and a burning incense. Prayer money as well as joss paper are often burned during the wake. It is done because some Singaporeans believe that even afterlife; the deceased must have kind of income.
8. If a person died inside his home, the wake must be done there but if he died outside his home, the wake will be done in the courtyard. There are rules that must be followed when deciding on the position of the coffin. The head of the dead must be positioned towards the house and it must be put on two stools.
