Tao Thay Shang Men - English

From : Chang
Question :
In the event of funeral, when corpse is to be placed in coffin, or when coffin is to carried into a van, sorrowful family members has to be on the knees by the side of coffin. Is the act performed to give respect to the dead or to be done because of Sha Qi? Or is there any other reason behind it? Normally children are not allowed to see it.
And How about the restriction for a person in his or her year of Chiong to attend funerals? Thank you.
Answer :
During funeral, of course there are rituals to be performed. When coffin is to be closed or carried for burial, related family member, especially younger ones, normally are ask to be on the knee to give the last respect to the dead. The act is not due to Sha Qi. Children are advised not to attend it. Beside they don’t understand the meaning of ritual, they also might get traumatize psychologically.
A person whose Shio (animal that is related to him/her according to Chinese calendar) is categorized Chiong (unfortunate) in that year, might face many difficulties. For that reason, many people think he / she should avoid attending funerals either. Actually what should be done is the person has to be more careful in that year, do more good deeds, pray more, and just live life as normal.