What are the general procedures for a funeral?

The main processes are:

Small coffin: cleanse the body and put it on a shroud. This step should be done as early as possible, sometimes even before breathing out.

Funeral notification: formally informing relatives and friends near and far about the time, circumstances and funeral arrangements of the death. There are often strict situation and sequence regulations.

Going to the funeral: Relatives and friends come from other places to attend the funeral, bringing gifts, gifts, elegiac couplets, wreaths, etc.

Combination: Also known as temporary residence, the corpse is parked in the mourning hall for several days, waiting for relatives and friends who come to mourn; it also helps to confirm death rather than coma and suspended animation.

Wake: During the period of mourning, relatives and friends who are already present, especially the deceased’s juniors, take turns guarding the deceased in the mourning hall and accept the condolences of the mourners. Throughout the funeral, the deceased's close relatives (called filial sons/daughters) wear mourning clothes.

Large burial: In the presence of family members, the deceased is moved into a coffin covered with mattresses, covered with a quilt, and nails are nailed to seal the coffin.

Funeral and Burial: Take the coffin to the cemetery for burial. The beginning of the funeral is marked by the dutiful son breaking an earthen basin, which is called "breaking the basin". Led by the filial son holding a "soul-inducing flag", a band played and played, and paper money was distributed along the way to the cemetery. The burial ceremony was assisted by a Feng Shui master.

Extended information

However, my country’s ethnic minorities have their own unique burial methods, such as sky burial.

Tibetans respect sky burial. They believe that feeding vultures with "skin bags" is the most noble form of charity and embodies the highest state of Mahayana Buddhism's paramita - sacrificing one's life to give. Like burial, water burial, and cremation, it is a belief and a way to express condolences for the deceased.

Its essence is a social and cultural phenomenon, and its origin, form, content and implementation of rituals are affected by natural geographical environment, lifestyle, culture and other factors. Therefore, sky burial rituals have appeared in different historical periods, in different countries, regions, ethnic groups and even different social classes.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Sky Burial

Baidu Encyclopedia - Funeral