Chinese Funeral Procession

We were on our way out to go fishing the other day when we drove by this rare sight. I asked our friend to stop the car and explain to me what was happening, and asked if it were OK to take a video and some pictures.



Our friend doesn't speak a lick of English, so we only caught the main idea. This is how people in the country-side preform a funeral.



The whole community participates. Some carry the coffin, some play the music. The family members are bowing before the coffin processional and they are all wearing white head-wraps. The pallbearers carry the coffin over the kneeling family members.

Our friend described it like this: They carry the body in public and play music in hopes that this will send the deceased to heaven.

The purpose of bowing and letting the coffin pass over the family members is to ask the deceased to give them safety on the journey to the burial. They have to carry the body, sometimes miles, up the mountain-side and it can be a difficult journey.

Look in the middle of the picture, you can see one family member emerging from under the coffin.

Here is the video- definately worth a look.