A BEFITTING ACT OF FILIAL PIETY
Remains relocation is an act of relocating the remains of ancestors to a new burial land or urn compartment with better environment or excellent fengshui. It is also known as "Picking of Gold" (拾金) or "bone cleaning". The remains relocation is not a simple procedure. It has to be conducted by an experience feng shui master or a relocation master. The procedure varies according to the deceased's religion, cultural practice base on his/her Chinese origin. According to the Chinese, improper relocation could result in bad luck befalling to descendants.
WHY RELOCATE REMAINS:
- Bad feng shui (please seek advise from qualified fengshui master).
- Environmental condition due to occasion flood, the presence of pests, etc.
- Relocate for convenience of paying homage.
- Damage to the tomb/burial plot/
PROCEDURE FOR RELOCATION OF REMAINS:
- Select an auspicious date by feng shui master.
- Presence of family members, feng shui master and relocation master at the tomb.
- Worship ritual and exhumation of the remains.
- Collecting and cleaning of the remains to be placed into small coffin or urn.
- Ritual of tombstone breaking.
- Relocate the remains to the new burial plot and to erect new tombstone or placement of remains to an urn columbarium.
The Chinese exhuming of bone has a history dating back to the Neolithic times
of ancient China. It is know as "Shijin" (拾金), a direct translation would mean
"Collect Gold". It is also an act of a filial piety.
WHY RELOCATION
Commonly, exhumation are usually done after 10 years of burial. They are many
reason to why the remain we're exhumed. Some decedent's would collect the bones
and send back for re burial at the hometown where the deceased is born (to
China or vice verse). Other reasons are for Feng shui reason as Chinese
believe that the grave of an ancestors would affect the luck of its
descendants, some are exhumed due to land development and many more.
THE DECISION
It all begins with a discussion among family member to obtain everyone consent
for exhuming their ancestors. The elders in the family would have the last say
on whether it should be done or not. Then, an auspicious date for exhuming will
be selected base on the date of birth of the deceased and family members by a
Feng shui master. Usually the time selected to begin exhumation are at early
dawn of the morning to avoid the sun to shine into the grave by noon. Family
members are usually advise NOT to wear any bright colored clothing for the
event.
EXHUMATION DAY
Family members begin prayer to the Da Bo Gong (大㑑公) at the cemetery temple. After
prayer, family members would adjourn the ancestor burial plot where the Taoist
priest and grave digger (relocation master) would be waiting to start
their work. Offering of foods, tea, incense and josspaper will be burn at this
stage to the deceased.
START WORK RITUAL
The Taoist priest will conduct a prayers to inform the earth diety(后土) and the deceased (先人) that the family member wishes to
exhume and relocate the remains to another location. Upon completing the
prayer, the taoist priest will instruct the grave digger to do a ground
breaking ceremony (digging to the four corners and the center of the grave) as
symbol of relocation start work. Family member were asked to look away when the
digger unearth the soil. It will take to an hour or more for grave digger to
remove the earth covering the coffin (depending the depth of the burial). An
old style paper wax umbrella would be held or place above when the relocation
master is about to open the coffin. The condition of the coffin will be
base on the quality of the coffin and the condition of the burial plot.
EXHUMING THE BONES
The relocation master would slowly and carefully dig with a smaller scoop to
recover the bones buried along the soil. The skull would be the first section a
relocation master looked for. When found and subsequently all the bones will be
collected and carried out of the grave delicately. There should not be word of
disrespect or vulgarity during the whole process
THE UMBRELLA
The used of an traditional Chinese paper wax umbrella is to cover and protect the
spirit of the dead dispersed. While some
even have canopy tent over the whole grave for this reason or due to raining.
ARRANGING THE BONES
Once all the bones is collected, the process of cleaning the bones would be
done on the spot or it would be bag and transport to the digger work place.
The relocation master then properly arrange onto the smaller coffin or large/small
urn depending how it will be required for the new location (to be reburied or
to be place in an urn compartment).
- Small coffin
The relocation master will place
from the head to toe, so the deceased would be like sleeping in the small
coffin. Charcoal and joss paper will be use to hold the bones and skull to it
position before sealing the coffin to be transport to the new burial plot.
- Large urn
The relocation master will first place the toes/feet bones into urn follow by
the rest and lastly the head skull will be place on the most top in the urn.
The remain will be arrange in a sitting position so the deceased would be
sitting up right for the future burial.
- Columbarium urn
If the family members wishes to to
have the remain cremated, the ashes would be place into the urn and it would
usually to places in an urn columbarium of the family choice.
UNEXPECTED PROBLEM
Some of the unexpected problems might arises, like where the corpses are still
damp (located in a water pit) and the are those that the corpses did not decay
(preserved corpses). In these circumstances, the remain and the coffin have to
be raise for cremation. Other might place the deceased into a new coffin and
buried at the new plot.
GRAVE TREASURE
Sometimes valuable jewelry (gold/jade) buried along with the deceased would also
to returned to the descendants. Some will keep the treasure found but usually are
place back along with the remains to be reburied.
TRANSPORTATION TO THE NEW
LOCATION/SITE
There would be a ritual by the
relocation master to pull some coins into the coffin/urn and remaining of the
coins would be divided to all family members as a symbol of good luck, health
and prosperity. A joss stick from the grave would be taken along during the
transportation to the new location/burial site as it's believed the spirit of
the deceased will only be able to following the joss stick incense to the new
location/burial site.
NEW SITE
Upon reaching the new site, prayer at
the new site temple to the Da Bo Gong (大㑑公) before going to new burial site or urn
columbarium to place the coffin/urn.
RITUAL AT THE NEW SITE
The Taoist priest would perform the
last ritual when the urn is place into the columbarium or when it's reburied. A
whole new grave and Feng shui would be build and a new tombstone would be
erected. The erection of the tombstone might not be the same day as the Taoist
priest might selected another auspicious date and time due to auspicious time
factor.
FINAL RITUAL- HOUSE WARMING RITUAL
(旺山)
After completing all the work at the
burial plot/columbarium, a Taoist priest will select an auspicious date and
time to perform the "House Warming Ritual" (旺山) for the deceased and the family
members will be blessed with good luck, health and prosperity.
*Note: The custom and ritual
practice varies from place to place, but these are some of the common procedure
should be done as respect the deceased and family.
RELOCATION REMAINS SERVICES, PLEASE CALL:
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