Chinese Funeral Traditions and Customs in the UK

China is home to dozens of distinct ethnic groups, regional traditions, and religious influences. The Chinese community in the UK reflects this diversity: the majority are of Cantonese heritage (particularly from Hong Kong and Guangdong province), with significant Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien, and Mainland Chinese communities. What applies in one community may not apply in another. When planning a Chinese funeral in the UK, understanding the family’s specific heritage and religious background is the essential first step.

Understanding Chinese Community Diversity

The Chinese community in the UK is not culturally homogeneous. Key distinctions include:

• Cantonese (from Hong Kong and Guangdong): The largest Chinese community in the UK, with established traditions in most major cities. Cantonese funeral customs are heavily influenced by Taoist and Buddhist practice, with significant attention to feng shui, auspicious timing, and ritual offerings.
• Hakka: A distinct Chinese ethnic group with communities across Southeast Asia and the UK. Hakka funeral customs share many elements with Cantonese tradition but have their own specific rites.
• Teochew (Chaozhou): Communities from the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, with distinct dialect, food, and cultural practices.
• Mainland Chinese (post-1990s migration): More recent migrants from mainland China may observe fewer traditional religious customs and may be more secular in orientation, particularly those from urban areas.
• Chinese Christians: A significant proportion of the UK Chinese community is Christian (including many Hong Kong families), and their funerals may blend Christian and Chinese cultural elements.

The family’s religious background — whether Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, or secular — will significantly shape which elements of Chinese tradition are observed. Assumptions should not be made.

Mourning Dress: What to Wear and What to Avoid

Colour carries deep significance in Chinese mourning tradition:

• White: The traditional Chinese mourning colour. Immediate family members often wear white or have white elements to their dress. White flowers (particularly white chrysanthemums) are the appropriate floral tribute.
• Black: Also accepted as a mourning colour, particularly in UK Chinese communities influenced by Western conventions.
• Red: Emphatically inappropriate. Red is the colour of celebration, good fortune, and happiness in Chinese culture. Wearing red to a Chinese funeral — even in accessories — is considered deeply disrespectful.
• Bright colours generally: Avoid bright or celebratory colours. Muted, respectful tones are appropriate.

Immediate family members may wear specific coloured cloth pieces or sashes over their clothing — these are distributed by the family as a marker of mourning and relationship to the deceased. Do not wear these unless the family provides them to you.

When giving condolence money (a common practice at Chinese funerals), use a white envelope — not a red envelope (hong bao), which is for celebrations such as weddings and new year.

Joss Paper Offerings, Incense, and Food

Offerings to the deceased are a central element of traditional Chinese funeral practice, rooted in the belief that the deceased continues to exist in the spirit world and requires material provision:

• Joss paper (ghost money / spirit money): Paper items — representing bank notes, gold and silver paper, and paper replicas of luxury goods such as houses, cars, and electronics — are burned as offerings. The act of burning is believed to transmit these items to the spirit world for the deceased’s use. Joss paper is available from Chinese supermarkets and specialist shops.
• Incense: Incense sticks are lit at the funeral, at home altars, and at the grave. Incense carries prayers and offerings to the spirits and creates an appropriate spiritual atmosphere.
• Food offerings: The deceased’s favourite foods, fruit, rice, and tea may be placed on an altar near the coffin as offerings. These are typically later shared among family members.

In the UK, burning joss paper requires discussion with the funeral venue and, if at a crematorium, with the management. Some crematoria permit burning in an external brazier or container; others may not. Funeral directors experienced with Chinese communities can advise on venues that accommodate these practices.

Feng Shui and Auspicious Timing

In many Chinese traditions — particularly in Cantonese and Teochew communities — the date and time of burial or cremation are not chosen arbitrarily. An astrologer or feng shui practitioner is consulted to identify an auspicious date from the Chinese almanac (Tong Shu or Tung Sing).

Certain days are marked as auspicious for funerals; others are inauspicious. The time of the actual burial or cremation within the chosen day may also be specified. Additionally, feng shui principles may influence the orientation of the grave.

In the UK, families balance this practice with the practical realities of crematorium availability. Most families work with the funeral director to find a slot that falls on or near an auspicious date. This may mean the funeral is delayed by a few days to achieve an acceptable date, or that a compromise is reached. Not all UK Chinese families observe this practice — it depends on the family’s adherence to traditional customs and their religious background.

The 49-Day Mourning Period and Commemorations

Influenced by Buddhist teaching (and paralleling the Tibetan Buddhist Bardo period), Chinese funeral tradition observes a 49-day mourning period after death, with specific commemorations at key intervals:

• 7th day: Many traditions hold that the soul returns to visit the family home on the seventh day after death. Family members leave food and light incense to welcome and sustain the spirit. In some traditions, family members leave the house for a period to give the spirit space to visit.
• 49th day: The end of the transitional period. A ceremony is typically held — prayers, food offerings, and burning of joss paper. In Buddhist-influenced families, a monk or nun may lead the ceremony.
• 100th day: A further commemoration, sometimes smaller in scale, marking 100 days since death.
• Annual Qingming Festival: Each April, Chinese families observe Qingming — Tomb Sweeping Day — visiting the grave, cleaning the burial site, and making offerings of food, flowers, and joss paper. This is a significant annual observance that Chinese families in the UK maintain at local cemeteries. Some cemeteries in areas with large Chinese communities have experience of Qingming observance.

Practical Guidance for Arranging a Chinese Funeral in the UK

For families arranging a Chinese funeral in the UK:

• Find a funeral director with Chinese community experience. In most major UK cities, funeral directors serve the Chinese community and understand its customs. Cantonese-speaking funeral directors are available in London, Manchester, and other cities with significant Chinese populations. The family’s church, Chinese community centre, or local Chinese supermarket may be able to recommend one.
• Discuss venue requirements early. If joss paper burning, incense, or food offerings are required, the funeral director needs to know this from the start to find a suitable venue and make the necessary arrangements.
• Consult the family on specific customs. Do not assume that all Chinese families observe the same practices. Ask about the family’s heritage, religious background, and specific wishes.
• Allow time for an auspicious date. If the family wishes to consult an astrologer, allow extra time before fixing the funeral date.