Taoism and Buddhism are commonly known as the worship of God or Buddha, and most people confuse the two. There is a difference between Taoist and Buddhist funerals in terms of the rituals and objects used. Taoist rituals include opening the road to the mountain, breaking the hell or the five lanterns, sitting on the lotus flower, crossing the gold and silver bridge, carrying streamers to buy water, etc., while Buddhist rituals generally focus on reciting sutras to pray for the deceased. Only Taoist funerals include burning of paper and stickers, such as gardens, spirit houses, cell phone gift boxes, etc., while Buddhist funerals include offerings of flowers and fruits to the Buddha and offering of incense.

If you are planning to attend a Taoist funeral, there are a few things you should pay attention to. First of all, you should dress in plain colors, usually black and white are the main choices. After entering the funeral hall, pay attention to your words and behavior, avoid saying words like “thank you” or “goodbye”, lower your voice when you speak, and participate in the funeral with respect to the deceased. If there are pregnant women among your friends and relatives, it is customary to tie a red string around the waist with ginger and pak choi to prevent coldness, but pregnant women and newborn babies should avoid attending the ceremony if they are exempted.

Family members can choose whether or not the deceased should wear a life jacket to the funeral. A life jacket is a symbol of longevity and good fortune. Generally speaking, those who are over 60 years old, have children and grandchildren and are filial to their parents can wear a life jacket. Even if you are under 60 years old, you can consider putting your life jacket into the casket as a burial gift. Nowadays, there are also other considerations, such as the condition of the body is not suitable to wear the daily clothes, it is also recommended to choose the life jacket with a looser cut.

Taoist priestly procedure： http://www.stwtchurch.org/files/School_2016_2_3.pdf

Vigil: Inviting the Sacred Spirit > Inviting the Spirit of the Dead > Painting the White Cloth Offering > Opening the Way for Fortune > Opening the Scriptures for Confession > Breaking the Hell/Five Lanterns > Touring the Ten Temples > Bathing > Crossing the Silver and Gold Pavilion > Sitting on the Lotus Flower > Delivering the Dead with Scriptures

Funeral: Buying Water > Funeral with Coffin > Cremation Ceremony > Unburial > (Going Home)

Vigil: Opening the altar to invite the saints > Inviting the spirits to beckon the dead > Painting the white cloth offering > Opening the way to carry wealth > Opening the scriptures to worship the confessor > Breaking the hell/five lanterns > Touring the ten halls > Bathing > Crossing the gold and silver waterfalls > Sitting on the lotus flower > Handing over the scriptures to send the dead to their deaths Funeral: Carrying streamers and buying water > Covering the coffin for funeral > Cremation Ceremony > Taking off the filial piety and mourning the red color > (Going home to the house of the immortals)

Taoist funerals are a combination of rich traditions and religious meanings. The Taoist funeral process usually includes setting up an altar, reciting sutras, burning paper money and making offerings, aiming to seek peace and transcendence for the soul of the deceased. Taoist funerals emphasize the philosophy of the unity of heaven and mankind, and through a variety of rituals and ceremonies, not only do they comfort the emotions of the living, but they also help the souls of the deceased to pass on to the afterlife in peace. These rituals emphasize the harmony between nature and spirituality and embody Taoism's deep understanding of the cycle of life and death.