Rituals

In Taiwan (and many other countries as well) there are specific rituals we must follow in honor of the deceased. Since my dad's funeral arrangements are done the traditional way, there are many many things to follow, ceremonies to perform, and daily routines to carry out. Every day at precisely 6am I prepare a small bin of lukewarm water with towel, a tooth brush ready with tooth paste, and a set of his clothing and set it in front of my dad's shrine so he can "wake up" and get ready for the day. While he is "getting ready" I prepare his breakfast. Daily meals include two dishes with rice and a drink. At 6:30 his "bath" water is put away. At 7:00 breakfast is presented in front of his shrine along with paper money, paper lotuses and paper gold nuggets. After about 30mins I'll "ask" if he is done with his meal. To do this, I'll ask the question holding two coin in hand, and toss the coin up in the air. If it lands with a head and a tail that means yes, he is done. If otherwise, he is not done and I'll wait another 5 more minutes for him to "finish". After he is satisfied with his meal we burn the paper money, lotuses, and gold nuggets for him for the day. This ritual is repeated every day, morning and night.

On specific days, ceremonies are performed. There are a total of 7 large and small ceremonies we do before the funeral. Large ceremonies last about 12 hours and are done outside the house, we combine my dad and my uncle's ceremony together for these days. Small ceremonies last about 3 hours and are done separately inside the house with 3, sometimes 5, guides to lead the prayers and chants. For each ceremony, 12 dishes are prepared. And it is said that during the days of the ceremony the deceased are more likely to receive the items people burn for them. So during these specific days we burn an extra amount of lotuses and gold nuggets.

Do I believe in any of these rituals? No. In fact, I question a lot of these acts. And I believe a lot of the things we do are absolutely ridiculous. But I still follow them. I follow these acts out of respect for the culture and family. In fact there are members of my family who faithfully believes in everything. I believe these rituals and acts are made up by people as a way of coping with the loss. It gives people a sense of purpose, a belief that there is still something you can do for your lost loved ones. It is something to fill in the hollowness of the loss.





One of the daily meals.


Burning after today's prayer ceremony. The hat is worn only during the days of the ceremony.






Prayer Book.

One of the small ceremony held inside my living room.

Extra dishes prepared for the day of the ceremony.
Tooth brush and bath water before bed.