Special group burial ceremony for forgotten urns
People attending the group burial ceremony.
A special group burial ceremony was held at Haigang Cemetery in the Pudong New Area on Tuesday for 33 deceased people whose urns haven't been collected by family members.
A growing number of urns left at funeral parlors across the city haven't been collected in time.
The Pudong Funeral Parlor had about 3,600 urns deposited as of the end of June, and nearly one-third weren't collected. Most of them have remained there for more than 10 years, and the parlor's deposit capacity has been stretched to its limits.
It has published notices many times in newspapers and online for families to collect the urns, and has partnered with Haigang Cemetery managed by Fushouyuan Cemetery to properly and solemnly settle them.
Flowers are laid to pay tribute to the deceased.
Haigang Cemetery created an exclusive area at its citizen memorial square for these urns.
A special ecological group burial and memorial service was held yesterday for the first batch of 33 urns prior to dongzhi, the winter solstice.
More than 40 professionals in the funeral and interment field bid farewell to the deceased.
Flowers were laid and a tea sacrifice was performed amid solemn music. A moment of silence was observed in tribute to the deceased, and rituals such as bowing and laying flowers took place. The entire ceremony was recorded for families that may one day visit the cemetery.
"Although the ceremony wasn't attended by their families, all participants are their family members with a loving heart," said Liu Baolin, deputy general manager of Haigang Cemetery. "Grave burials are deeply rooted in Chinese culture and the utmost respect is paid to the deceased."
Chinese traditionally believe burying urns with ashes of the deceased renders their souls immortal.
Like Qingming Festival, winter solstice, which falls on December 21 this year, is a time for Chinese to pay respects to their ancestors.
Urns with ashes of the deceased are buried.
