When a person passes on, the family member must decide whether to cremate or bury the deceased. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Chinese usually preferred burial ceremony over cremation ceremony because the cremation ceremony at that time was not accepted by the Chinese. Nowadays, the new generation of Chinese, because of the influence of western culture, have gradually accepted the cremation ceremony. Of course, part of the reason is also because the costs and rituals required for cremation is much cheaper and easier than the burial.
In the Cantonese Taoist custom, when the family chooses to carry out the burial, the priest must find an auspicious time and date to bury the deceased. Family members also need to prepare offerings such as fruits, incense and a live chicken, and bring it to the tomb for praying.
In land scarce Singapore, the agency in-charge required the grave to be exhumed after buried for more than 30 years. Family members will be notified on the date and time for exhumation. Most Chinese after being notify, will preferred to do their own exhumation. For Taoist believer, they will approach the contractor to get in touch with a priest to perform prayers ceremony (破土) to exhume the bones of the deceased for cremation and to re-locate the ashes to the ashes pavilion. Of course, the prayer ceremony (破土) also requires the priest to find an auspicious time and date to perform the ceremony so as to avoid family members from offending the mountain spirit.
After the exhumation, the bones will be cremated and return to the family members for their further arrangement. Family members can either relocate the ashes to a place for future generation to continue praying or release the ashes back into the sea.
土葬和‘破土’ -(俗称起山)
每当一个人去世后,家属须要决定要把亡者进行火化或土葬仪式。在五六十年代,华人通常会选择土葬仪式因为当时火化仪式还不太被华人所接受。而今,新生代的华人,因受到西方习俗的影响,已渐渐能接受火化仪式。当然其中的原因也是因为进行火化所须的费用和仪式,会比土葬来的便宜和简易。
在广东道教习俗里,当家属选择进行土葬时,道长须要为亡者‘选日择时’进行下葬。其中还须准备拜祭品如三牲水果,香烛和生鸡一只,带到墓前拜祭。
新加坡土地有限,所以负责此挖掘坟墓的政府规定,下葬后的亡者在过了三十年以后必须‘破土’ 取出尸骨进行火化。然后从新把骨灰安奉到骨灰亭。当然,‘破土取尸骨’也须‘选日择时’ 以免家属冲犯山中的地灵。
挖掘尸体后,骨头将被送去火化。火化后让家庭成员认领以做进一步安排。家庭成员可以将骨灰从新安置以便让下一代继续拜祭或者他们也可以选择将骨灰撒回海中,代表一切回归大自然。