Taboo and Beliefs

Avoid whistling at night as it attracts the wandering spirit who will then follow you home

The number 4 is often avoided. (Some buildings in Malaysia replaced "4th Floor" to 3A, and
house address 44 and 4 to 43A and 3A.) The number "4" itself has a similar tone to the
Chinese character for "death".

Red and yellow are the color of good fortune accepted by all, while black is a color of bad
luck.

Pineapple is a sign of good fortune (the Hokkien word for pineapple is ng-li (

), which

sounds like ng () - "luck" or "fortune", li () - "coming").

To protect your unborn baby from evil spirits, pregnant women are advised to place a knife
under their bed.

Never utter foul or vulgar words or you might risk getting your baby cursed.

Pregnant women should not cut anything on the bed. Spiritually, it signifies cutting your
unborn baby's umbilical cord.

Birth
The birth of a baby is usually followed by three customary rituals: confinement of
the mother for a period of 30 days, ensuring that she is fed an appropriate
confinement diet, and making offerings to the ancestors and deities.
After the birth of the baby, the mother is expected to stay at home during the zuo
yue or 30-day confinement period. Complete rest facilitates her recuperation and
she is encouraged to consume certain foods, in particular boiled pigs trotters and
ginger in vinegar. These foods are believed to help the mother regain her strength,
regulate her body temperature and dispel air from the womb. Furthermore, she is
not allowed to take a bath as the Chinese believe that this causes wind to enter
the body.
The Chinese regard the completion of the full 30 days since birth as the first
birthday of the child. While the scale of celebration may vary, most families still
celebrate the 30th day of the babys birth.
The man yue or full moon celebrations mark the beginning of the childs life in the
community and therefore his future good health, happiness and success are the
paramount concerns of the celebrations. The belief is that these goals are attainable
only if the appropriate words are spoken, the right behaviour exemplified and the
necessary ritual symbols used.
The celebration of the babys first month also marks the time that the mother is
allowed to take her first bath and wash her hair. The ritual of hair shaving is also

performed on the baby. In some families, the baby would be dressed up in new
clothes, preferably in red, as well as adorned with gold accessories.
For Buddhist and Taoist families, the morning of the man yue calls for the burning of
incense and food offerings to be made to ones ancestors as well as to the deities
worshipped at home. This is to inform the ancestors of the new addition to the
household and to appeal to the spirits to protect the child.
In addition, man yue celebrations give the family an opportunity to present the child
to relatives and friends for the first time. To indicate the completion of the childs
"full moon", relatives and friends are presented with eggs that have been dyed red
for good luck, pickled ginger, meat (usually roast pork and chicken) and traditional
cakes.
Gifts given out during the man yue celebrations vary according to the dialect group
of the childs family but red eggs are a must as they symbolise fertility and the life
renewal process. Their shape is traditionally associated with harmony and unity.
Other common gifts include cakes, chicken, savoury glutinous rice and pigs trotters.
Recipients are in turn expected to give presents to the newborn baby. These gifts
are usually presented in the form of gold bangles, chains and sometimes cash in red
packets. Grandparents are often expected to present the newborn with gold
jewellery, gold being the most highly prized metal for the Chinese.

Death
Funeral Preparations
Elaborate funeral preparations are done for elders in Chinese families. It is
considered good and proper for children to go into debt in order to pay respect for
older people at their funeral.
Caskets
While some traditional Chinese death rituals use the three-humped rectangle
shaped casket, more modern Chinese use the Western-style caskets.
Preparation of the Body
Before a body can be placed in a casket it must be washed with care, dusted with
talcum powder and dressed in the very best clothes from their personal wardrobe.
All other clothing belonging to the person must be burned. The body is then placed
on a mat with the face and the body covered with a cloth.
The Wake

If the person has died at home, his or her coffin is placed on a stand within the
home. If he or she died away from home, the coffin is placed on a stand within the
home's courtyard. Wreaths, photos and gifts are placed near the head of the
deceased as it lays in wake. Food is placed in front of the coffin as an offering to
them.

An altar is placed at the feet of the deceased person. There, a white candle is lit and
incense is burned. Joss paper and prayer money are continually burned throughout
the wake to ensure the deceased person has plenty of money in the afterlife. Those
attending the funeral are required to light incense, bow to the deceased and place
money in a donation box to help defray the cost of the funeral.
It is customary for family members and women to wail at Chinese wakes.
A Monk's Vigil
Taoist or Buddhist monks keep vigil over the deceased during the night. They will
chant verses of scripture for the deceased in order to help ease their journey into
the afterlife.

The eldest son will keep a handful of dirt from the grave after the burial ceremony is
complete. It will be used during worship ceremonies for the dead in the family
home.