Planning a funeral for a Chinese friend or family member in Australia isn't always easy. Australia has its own typical funeral customs, and these don't always mesh well with Chinese traditions. Sadly, this means many families feel they have to forgo their cultural inclusions and preferences when planning a ceremony — but it doesn't have to be that way. You just need to find a funeral home that can accommodate your requests. If you're not sure how to choose one, here are three important questions to ask during the selection process.
1. Can you provide Chinese-speaking staff?
Even if you speak English fluently, it's likely that some family members in attendance may only speak Mandarin or Cantonese — especially older family members and those who are flying in from China. For the best funeral experience, it's a good idea to check that your funeral home of choice can provide staff or translators who speak the appropriate Sinitic language or dialect. If not, you may find yourself translating for family throughout the service, which can be a very taxing task on such an emotionally-laden day.
2. Do your funeral venues have adequate ventilation?
Burning incense and joss paper is still a common Chinese funeral tradition to this day. Burning joss paper, particularly when printed with illustrations of necessities like housing and clothing, is said to ensure that the beloved departed will have everything they need in the afterlife. Of course, not every funeral venue is designed to accommodate spoke and burning. As such, you'll want to check with your funeral home on the protocols for lighting fires. Is there enough ventilation to keep the space safe? Will the fire alarm sound as soon as the fire is lit? The last thing you want is to have an emergency drill interrupt your service, so these are important questions to ask in advance.
3. Can the route to the cemetery accommodate a band?
If you've ever attended or witnessed a funeral in China, you may have seen and heard a traditional funeral band. In many Chinese funerals, families hire a band to play music while travelling from the ceremony location to the cemetery or crematorium. This music is said to ward off any bad spirits who could interfere with the departed's journey to the afterlife. If you'd like to incorporate this tradition, you'll need to check with your funeral home first. Ideally, it's best to choose a funeral home with a short journey between the service location and the burial site. This will allow the band to safely walk ahead of the procession while playing. If the two sites are far apart, check whether the funeral home can provide an open-air vehicle for the band to travel in.
If you need to host a Chinese or another type of Asian funeral, reach out to a funeral home near you.
Share29 August 2022
Irving Berlin famously sang, "The song is ended, but the melody lingers on..." Anyone who has been in charge of funeral arrangements knows the importance of striking the delicate balance between reverence and celebration which helps us remember the true heart of a person. We admire incredible examples of funerals that faithfully commemorate a person's life such as those for Nelson Mandela and Joan Rivers. Unfortunately, funerals for our own loved ones often end up being generic or "cookie cutter" because sadness overwhelms us. This blog is designed to help by outlining the ways that funeral directors can personalise a service and providing imaginative ideas.