The Chinese tradition of Kong Teck (Gong De), also known as the Funeral Memorial, is held on the 49th day after a person has passed away.

[Cecil Lee]

Dear Users,

I have received several emails asking about the significance of Kong Teck.

Chinese Traditions: What does "Kong Teck (Gong De) 功德 Funeral Memorial" mean?

1. This ritual is believed to bring blessings and merit to the departed soul.

2. Traditionally, it is preferred for a person to pass away peacefully, without suffering, rather than through a tragic or painful event.

3. It is also believed that the guardians of the underworld are compassionate beings who come quietly to escort the soul to the afterlife.

4. Kong Teck, also called 功德 "Gong De" in Mandarin, is a traditional ritual intended to help the deceased transition smoothly into their next stage of existence.

Ritual items are made from paper and bamboo strips, intricately tied with string. These items are usually quite large.

5. As a result, families often spend significant amounts of money carrying out this important ritual.

6. The main ceremony takes place on the 49th day after the person's passing.

6.1 The focus of the ceremony is the burning of detailed paper replicas, including a large paper mansion.

6.2 The ritual may also include burning a bamboo and paper model of a luxury car, such as a Mercedes Benz.

6.3 These items look impressively life-like. Along with them, "hell money" or "hell notes," which are printed paper resembling currency but have no real value, are also burned.

6.4 The purpose of burning these items is to provide offerings to the departed, with the belief that these new possessions can be used in the afterlife. Family members are often seen folding gold ingots, which are also burned as offerings for the deceased.

7. The intention behind all these rituals is to ensure a peaceful passage for the departed soul, free of illness or suffering. Traditional silver and gold paper notes, known as "Jin Zhi" (silver notes) and "Yin Zhi" (gold notes), are also used in the ceremony.

8. In this way, Kong Teck is meant to bring blessings and peace to the deceased.

In modern times, some families prefer to buy gold ingots in bulk instead of folding them by hand, and then stack these ingots in the burning vessel.

9. During the event, which takes place on the 49th day, monks or Taoist priests are often invited to recite prayers and mantras.

9.1 These monks or priests are regarded as “lawyers” who plead the case of the deceased before the Hell Judge or King of Hell, known as 阎罗王 (yan luo wang) – Yama, King of Hell.

10. For those attending or visiting the ceremony on the 49th day, it is customary to be pleasant, happy, and peaceful. It is also important not to mention or dwell on the illness of the deceased.

11. Previously, I have shared images on the Picture Resources website that show the intricate paper houses and lanterns prepared for burning on the 49th day, as part of the Kong Teck rituals.

Warmest Regards,  
Cecil Lee

Postscript: In the past, there was a shophouse in Joo Chiat that specialized in creating detailed scale models for funeral memorials, including grand mansion houses, cars, and even boats for the deceased.

The former shop, marked in red, was located here:

Now, shop no more - permanently closed.

Currently, the funeral memorials have decreased in size and can be seen in many Chinese stores that specialize in selling incense supplies. These shops offer a wide range of products including clothing, shoes, Rolex watches, iPhones, tablets, and more.

Related to burning memorial...

It is possible that a construction supervisor managed to gather foreign workers to assist in burning the offerings for him. It could be that he is utilizing the principles of Tai-chi or delegation in this situation.

More...

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[Bee Pooh]

Dear Cecil

On the 49 days, can the monk chant Di Zhang Huang Pusa mantra at the ancestral tablet at home.  

[Cecil Lee]

On 4/20/2018 at 9:52 PM, Bee Pooh said:

Dear Cecil

On the 49 days, can the monk chant Di Zhang Huang Pusa mantra at the ancestral tablet at home.  

As stated in the initial discussion in Paragraph 9, high-ranking monks or Taoist priests were employed to chant mantras during the ceremony, which took place on the 49th day.

[Cecil Lee]

Another photo of a hell note under this resource link...

 

[Cecil Lee]

The items presented to the deceased are made from paper or cardboard materials. These must be folded in order to create the paper ingots, as demonstrated in a previous discussion.

[Cecil Lee]

Nowadays, ready made paper ingots are also available for the busy or those find it a chore to fold one by one...

Folded from each sheet of these sheets:-

[Cecil Lee]

On 31st December 2019

"Unfortunately, I have missed the opportunity for the Kong Teck (Gong De)功德 Funeral Memorial."

[Cecil Lee]

Towering gold ingot display... 

[Cecil Lee]

Paper House serves as a tribute to the departed, expressing the hope that they experience a joyful existence and a serene abode in the afterlife.

[Cecil Lee]

Good guidelines...from various Federations: Taoist Federation,  Singapore Buddhist Federation and Wat Ananda Metyarama:-

To all Devotees,

Responsible Burning of Incense and Joss Paper during 7th Lunar Month.

During the 7th Lunar month yearly, Chinese devotees in Singapore observe the tradition of paying their respects to their loved ones who have departed.

The Taoist Federation (Singapore), the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Wat Ananda Metyarama and Chua Chu Kang Town Council would like to encourage all devotees to practise considerate joss paper/incense burning and adopt safety measures while carrying out these traditional rites.

In order to maintain a clean, pleasant and safe living environment for all, we would like to remind all devotees of the following:
1) Please use designated incense burners provided by your Town Council or proper incense burners when burning incense offerings.
2) Please avoid open burning of joss papers and incense sticks directly on the ground and grass patches as this poses potential fire hazards and damages ground surfaces which are common public property.
3) There is no need for the customary throwing of joss paper in the air to indicate "Prosperity".
Please kindly burn these joss paper instead.
4) For you and your neighbours' safety, please do not leave an incense burner unattended while burning and do not dispose inflammable items such as lighters, matchsticks and cigarette butts into the burner.

We would like to appeal to all devotees to be considerate and play their part in keeping their environment clean by practising responsible joss paper/incense burning.

The religious federations will be working closely together with the Town Councils to provide guidance in order to ensure the cleanliness of estates and deter indiscriminate burning of incense offerings at common areas.

Should you have any feedback or enquiries on the provision of incense burners, please do not hesitate to contact Chua Chu Kang Town Council at Hotline: 6569 xxxx. We thank you for your kind consideration and cooperation.

[Cecil Lee]

Source & Credit:

COMPLAINT SINGAPORE
Elise Chow • 1 h -
We have already informed to AMK town council yesterday on 17 may 2024. Yet nobody did anything. These pple pushed and gathered all the incense burners directly facing my units. Just look at the amount of things that they are going to burn. One whole mountain of joss papers, paper car and later burn paper house. Already told town council numerous times that this is a fire hazard waiting to happen. How could u allow such huge mass burning directly in front of residents unit!!!! Take note: this is not a funeral. I'm not against anyone or anything only that town council failed to prepare a proper burning area away from residents house!!!!

[Cecil Lee]

Parc Glen and Parc Clover at Tengah are scheduled for completion in 2025, featuring a rectangular stainless steel cauldron designed for burning incense.

[Cecil Lee]

Burning cauldron located beside Blk 219 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh