funeral procession

last weekend, on our way back from our breakfast in bedok south, we experienced a small traffic congestion. not a jam per se. just a slow down... and way in front, we saw a convoy of buses, all moving very slowly. and when we drove closer, we realized it was a funeral procession. and i was surprised to see it. it was a funeral procession that i believe not many younger singaporeans have witnessed. and i am sure it is something that will probably disappear altogether in the next couple of years or so. some of the things that we saw include

• a long convoy of cars and buses for mourners and well-wishes

• mourners wearing the traditional mourning clothes. the ones where children wear beige, daughter-in-laws wear beige and draped with sand-bag material scarves, and where positions in the family are marked clearly by different mourning patches worn on the sleeves (eg son's children wear blue patches, daughter's children wear blue patches with red center, grand children wear blue, great grand children wear green and so on and so forth)

• coffin bearers carrying the coffin and marching behind the hearse for a long stretch on the main road before it was placed on the hearse.

• a hearse that is decorated to the nines with all sorts of coloured ornaments

• contingent of traditional chinese orchestra/ band

• contingent of western band

• 2 big-head dolls

• contingent of girls carrying flower baskets

• contingent of stilt walkers

• contingent of uncles carrying placards

• contingent of huge bamboo-poled flags

it was an interesting sight. something that i had not seen for quite a while. used to be a common sight before the 80s but not anymore. people tend to want things simple now. elaborate ceremonies are dying out... and for that matter, even the people who form the contingents are largely not singaporeans. they are largely outsourced. and amongst them, i noted, were people from china and malaysia. and if i guess correctly, a significant lot of these sub-contractors who provide such services are based in malaysia.

:-)