Chinese funeral rituals

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Chinese funeral rituals comprise a set of traditions broadly associated with Chinese folk religion, with different rites depending on the age of the deceased, the cause of death, the deceased's marital and social statuses.^[1] Different rituals are carried out in different parts of China, many contemporary Chinese people carry out funerals according to various religious faiths such as Buddhism or Christianity. However, in general, the funeral ceremony itself is carried out over seven days, and mourners wear funerary dress according to their relationship to the deceased.^[2] Traditionally, white clothing is symbolic of the dead, while red is not usually worn, as it is traditionally the symbolic colour of happiness worn at Chinese weddings.^[3] The number three is significant, with many customary gestures being carried out three times.

While traditionally burial was favoured, in the present day the dead are often cremated rather than buried, particularly in large cities in China.^[4][5] According to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), of the 9.77 million deaths in 2014, 4.46 million, or 45.6%, were cremated.^[6]