Funerals
People attending a Japanese funeral bring money called "kōden" in special funeral or small plain white envelopes. When giving money, it is customary to give used notes, rather than new ones, to give the impression of 'unexpectedness' of the death. People attending participate in the entire or at least either ceremony, which may include the wake the night before, or the funeral the next day. The cremation is usually reserved for family, relatives and colleagues. At funerals people bow to the family before they step to the front of the altar to offer incense or "shōkō". People at funerals typically wear black or dark clothes, with all black as preferable, at least with black necktie in hastening. For women the only jewellery considered acceptable is pearls, due to their understated nature. Red is never worn at funerals, even as an accent, as this is a color of celebration and would be considered an insult to the dead and the bereaved. It is advisable not to wear pink or orange for the same reasons.
Read more about this topic: Etiquette In Japan
Famous quotes containing the word funerals:
“We, the soldiers who have returned from battles stained with blood; we who have seen our relatives and friends killed before our eyes; we who have attended their funerals and cannot look in the eyes of their parents; we who have come from a land where parents bury their children; we who have fought against you, the Palestinians—we say to you today, in a loud and a clear voice: enough of blood and tears. Enough.”
—Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995)
“Nothing is dead: men feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals and mournful obituaries, and there they stand looking out of the window, sound and well, in some new and strange disguise.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Since the last one in a graveyard is believed to be the next one fated to die, funerals often end in a mad scramble.”
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)