Chinese funeral customs in the 1950s and 1960s, family members usually chose to perform cremation or burial ceremonies for the dead. Believers usually choose the burial ceremony because the cremation ceremony was not well accepted at that time.

Nowadays, the new generation have gradually accepted cremation rituals due to the influence of Western customs.

Sea burials were unheard of in the 1950s and 1960s. This kind of sea burial ceremony is sometimes regarded as an act of unfilial hence is not accepted. Of course, the reason is due to the misunderstanding caused by the customary and culture influence at that time.

There are merit reasons for sea burial. For example, if deceased’s ashes are placed at the niche where no one worship after a few years, and should there be any relocation plan for the niche, the ashes will remain unclaimed. The ashes will then be disposed by the management committee in their own way, hence it will be unfortunate for the deceased’s soul.

With sea burial, there is no need to worry that no one will claim the ashes. In fact, in recent years, sea burial ceremony has been gradually accepted by believers.

There are usually several reasons why family members, relatives or friends will carry out the sea burial ceremony for the deceased:

  1. The deceased had asked his family or friends to carry out a sea burial ceremony after cremation.
  2. The deceased has no religious beliefs and feared that no one would worship after the ashes are placed at the niche, so they chose to carry out the sea burial ceremony.
  3. The deceased has no relative, hence their friends usually chose to carry out sea burial for the deceased.

Especially for those who have no relatives nor friends, the undertaker will usually help to take care of their afterlife and the ashes are usually buried in the sea.

海葬 -（俗称放海 -即是把骨灰洒在海里）

在五六十年代的华人丧礼习俗里，通常家属会选择为亡者进行火化或土葬仪式。华人通常会选择土葬仪式因为当时火化仪式还不太被大众所接受。

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。而海葬在五六十年代里，更是闻所未闻。这种海葬仪式有时更被视为不孝行为，因此不被接受。当然其中的原因也是因为當时的习俗文化影响所造成的误解。

进行海葬仪式其实也有它相对的方便理由。比如为亡者安奉骨灰塔，若干年后没人拜祭，到时如需要搬迁骨灰而无人认领，骨灰将由理事人任由处置，那么对亡者是多么的不辛。进行海葬仪式后将不用担心以后骨灰没人认领。其实，近年来这海葬功德法事已渐渐被人所接受。

家属亲人或朋友会替亡者进行海葬仪式的理由通常有几点。

  1. 亡者生前已嘱咐家人或朋友为自己办理火化后要进行海葬仪式。
  2. 亡者无宗教信仰，为亡者安奉骨灰塔后又恐无人拜祭，所以就选择进行海葬仪式。
  3. 亡者孤家寡人没有亲属，朋友通常会为亡者进行海葬仪式。

特别是那些单身老人，没有亲属又没有朋友，去世后由施棺人帮忙料理身后事的亡者，它门的骨灰通常是进行海葬仪式。