What are the Essentials Requirements for a Taoist Funeral in Singapore?

1. What are the Essentials Requirements for a Taoist Funeral in Singapore? Funeral services can vary widely from one place to another and one community to another. Though the aim of every type of funeral is same, the rituals are very different. Singapore has a mixed population wherein different types of funeral are performed by its different denominations, such as Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Catholic, and Muslim. The Taoist funeral is one of the most common types of funeral services in Singapore. Just like any other funeral, there are specific rites related preparing the body for burial and prayers that are always observed. Here’s a look at some of the traditions at a Taoist funeral: 1. Preparation of the body The family members of the deceased clean the body with a wet towel that is dusted with the talcum powder and dress them in decent clothing. Then, a yellow coloured cloth is used to cover their face and blue to cover their body. It is forbidden to see the reflection of the deceased in the mirror as it can causes another death. 2. The sacred ceremony The sacred ceremony takes place before the funeral, where the lamp symbolizes the light of wisdom while the candles symbolize sun and moon light. The tea symbolizes yin, rice symbolizes yang and the water symbolizes the union of yin and yang. The red, yellow, green, white, and black fruits symbolize wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. 3. Taoist funeral service At the Taoist funeral, the smell of the incense stick and flowers along with the photographs of the deceased surround the area. The Taoist funeral focuses on life than death as they perform the rituals in order to protect the deceased’s spirit from any harm. During the service, the priest chants scriptures and circles a fire and the nine tiles symbolize the levels of underworld. He also waves a sword for warding off the evil spirits and breaking the tiles to free the deceased from the underworld. At the same time, funeral guests burn joss paper as well. 4. Funeral feast After the burial, the funeral feast is organized where in a seat is left for the deceased’s spirit. The number eight rhymes with the Chinese work which means good fortune, eight dishes are served in the feast. 5. Ward off the evil spirits

2. For warding off the evil spirits, everyone at the Taoist funeral takes a yellow piece of paper which has their name, address and birth date on it. Upon returning home they burn the paper on doorway and cross over while it burns as it prevents the spirit from following them home and bringing bad luck. 6. Funeral gift While leaving, the funeral guests give the family a white envelope with money to help with the funeral payments. The money should be in odd digit as even amount symbolizes double happiness. Explore the web for more information on how to choose the funeral director for Taoist funeral services in Singapore. You can also book an appointment with companies offering pre-planning funeral services to plan your funeral is advance so that your sudden demise should not act as a burden to your family members.