Chinese Funerals Sydney
Respectful Chinese funerals across Sydney, honouring your family’s faith, customs and elders, from the wake to the 49 days.
中文
和谐殡仪（Harmony Funerals）一直致力于为每一个家庭提供最细致、最有尊严的服务。我们尊重中国传统，理解守灵、上香、烧纸与家人团聚对您的意义。
我们可以按照佛教、道教、基督教、天主教或无宗教的方式安排丧礼，并配合择日、风水墓地、白事礼仪及“七七”（四十九日）的安排。
我们二十四小时、全年无休。如需立即协助，请致电 02 9676 2561。
For immediate assistance, please call 02 9676 2561 or 0451 713 811
English
Harmony Funerals has always been committed to caring for every family with dignity and respect. Chinese funeral customs differ from family to family, by region, faith and the age of the person who has died, so we start by listening to you and your elders.
We are guided by these commitments:
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to bring your loved one into our care wherever they are.
- Services arranged the way your family believes: Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Catholic, ancestral or non-religious.
- Time to choose an auspicious date with your family or temple, and to follow the customs your elders ask for.
- A clear price before you commit. Build your own estimate with our Funeral Quote Calculator.
Chinese funeral customs we can help with
- The wake (守灵) at our Blacktown chapel or another venue, with time for family to keep vigil and receive guests
- Buddhist chanting with monks or nuns, Taoist rites with a priest, or a Christian or Catholic service
- An altar with the portrait, incense, candles, fruit and food offerings
- Burning joss paper and paper offerings, at venues and cemeteries that allow it
- White and yellow chrysanthemums, white wreaths, banners and memorial books
- White mourning clothes for the family and black armbands or patches
- Bowing to the deceased, and receiving white envelopes (帛金) from guests
- Red thread and sweets for guests to take home after the service
- Choosing an auspicious date, and a grave with good feng shui
- Burial in the Chinese sections at Rookwood or Pinegrove’s Lung Po Shan garden, or cremation and ash placement
- A procession to the cemetery, with string fireworks and a burning drum where the cemetery allows
- Prayers every seven days for the 49 days (七七), and memorials at 100 days, one year and Qingming
- Repatriating your loved one or their ashes to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia or elsewhere
We care for Chinese families across Sydney, including Hurstville, Burwood, Campsie, Eastwood, Chatswood and Haymarket.
Customs differ by region, dialect and faith. Tell us what matters to your family and we will build the farewell around it. See what it costs with our Funeral Quote Calculator.
Chinese funeral traditions in Sydney
The wake and vigil
Traditionally the family keeps vigil with their loved one before the funeral, receiving relatives and friends who come to pay respects. An altar is set with the portrait, incense, candles and offerings of fruit and food. We can hold the wake in our Blacktown chapel, at a temple or church, or at another venue, over one evening or several.
Faith and ceremony
Chinese funerals draw on Confucian respect for elders and ancestors, and on Buddhist and Taoist belief. A Buddhist service may include chanting by monks or nuns; a Taoist service, rites led by a priest. Many Chinese Australian families are Christian or Catholic, and others prefer a non-religious farewell. We arrange whichever is right for your family.
Colours, dress and etiquette
White is the colour of mourning. Close family traditionally wear white, sometimes with a black armband or a cloth patch showing their relationship to the deceased. Guests wear black or dark, plain clothes and avoid red, the colour of celebration, although for someone who lived past 80 some families welcome a touch of red or pink to honour a long life. Guests bow before the portrait and often give a white envelope (帛金) with an odd amount to help with costs. As they leave, guests may receive a red thread to tie on their door and a sweet to eat before going home.
Burial, cremation and feng shui
Burial has long been preferred, and a grave with good feng shui is believed to bring harmony to the family. In Sydney, Rookwood has Chinese lawn and monumental sections and Chinese memorial gardens, where ceremonies can include string fireworks, a burning drum and incense, and Pinegrove Memorial Park has the Lung Po Shan Chinese Memorial Garden. Cremation is now a common choice too, with ashes placed in a memorial garden or niche, kept at home, or sent overseas.
The 49 days and remembering
In Buddhist tradition, prayers are offered every seven days for 49 days (七七), with the first seven days the most important. Many families mark 100 days and the first anniversary, and return each year at Qingming (清明) to tend the grave and make offerings. We can print memorial cards, keep your family’s records, and help you plan each occasion.
Returning home
Some families wish to lay their loved one to rest in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia or elsewhere. We arrange repatriation, including embalming, a sealed coffin for air travel, the airline and documents, and working with a funeral director overseas. Sending ashes home is simpler, and we can guide you through it.
Questions families ask us
Do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese?
Tell us when you call which language your family prefers. We will do everything we can to have someone who speaks it with you, and we welcome a family member or friend to help translate at any time.
Can you arrange a Buddhist or Taoist funeral?
Yes. We work with your temple, monks, nuns or Taoist priest, set up the altar and offerings, and allow time for chanting and rites. We also arrange Christian, Catholic and non-religious Chinese funerals.
Can we burn joss paper and incense?
Incense is welcome in our chapel. Burning joss paper needs a safe place outdoors, so we check with the venue and cemetery first; Rookwood’s Chinese sections have burning drums for this.
Where can a Chinese burial take place in Sydney?
Rookwood has Chinese lawn and monumental sections and Chinese memorial gardens, and Pinegrove Memorial Park has the Lung Po Shan Chinese Memorial Garden. We help you choose a site with good feng shui and arrange the ceremony there.
What should guests wear and bring?
Close family traditionally wear white; guests wear black or dark, plain clothes and avoid red. Guests often bring a white envelope (帛金) with an odd amount to help the family with costs.
Can the funeral be held on an auspicious day?
Yes. Many families consult a temple or an elder to choose the date. We plan around it and hold your loved one in our care until the day.
How much does a Chinese funeral cost?
You can see the cost before you commit. Build an estimate with our Funeral Quote Calculator, or read our Pricing Disclosure, which lists every fee.
standing with you
We are here for your family, day or night
Whatever the time and whatever the circumstances, call Harmony Funerals on 02 9676 2561 or 0451 713 811. We will guide you through what happens next.