wake & funeral - part 6

final farewell

the last day before the funeral was a flurry of preparations. towels with red strings, flower and pomegranate water, huat kway, oranges, ang pows for coffin bearers, ang pows for guests, and so on, it was one thing after another. and as expected, directions from relatives came again and again. the final nite prayers were conducted. houses, joss papers, joss sticks, hell notes, etc were burned. the whole affair was rather sombre.

the final day came. the extended family arrived. the monk did the prayers. the glass opening of the coffin was closed finally after we bade our final farewell. tears flowed. we were told to look away as the coffin was loaded onto the vehicle. the procession took place. the thought that this would be the final journey made every step all the more important. as the eldest son, i was asked to take the passenger seat of the carriage vehicle. on me, i carried my dad's tablet. it symbolised the spirit of my dad. through the short journey from the funeral parlour to the crematorium, every time we crossed a bridge, i had to ask him to cross. and as i thought of the times i had spent with my dad, i cried.

at the crematorium, more friends and relatives were waiting. they were all shown to their seats. more rites were conducted and when he was finally wheeled into the furnace, all of us broke down. the wheeling of the coffin into the furnace was a rather dramatic process. it was totally computerised. and as it moved towards the furnace, the glass ceiling room darkened. i was told it was due to the auto-turning of the glass panels at the ceiling that sealed off some natural light thereby darkening the room. whatever it was, the effect was very good.

we made our way back to the funeral parlour again to pack up. buffet lunch had been ordered. for once, my aunt liked every dish ordered. huat kways and oranges were distributed and soon enough, we parted ways.