Abstract

     Death is a part of life. It is accompanied by the birth of human civilization. A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funeral customs vary widely between cultures. This paper makes an analysis of the differences between Chinese and western funeral customs mainly from the aspects of taboos and values. And the reasons for the differences are also analyzed.

Key words:  funeral customs, taboos, values, culture, religion

摘 要

  死亡是人生的一部分，是为了纪念死去的人所举行的仪式，它伴随人类文明的诞生。不同文化背景的葬礼习俗各不相同，本文主要从禁忌和价值观的角度分析了中西葬礼的差异，以及导致这些差异的原因。

关键词：葬礼习俗；禁忌；价值观；文化；宗教

1. Introduction
     Death is a part of life and a constant theme in human civilization. It is accompanied by the birth of human civilization, existing in every corner of the world. Death is terrible, so in order to appease people's fear of death, human beings invented funerals to comfort the soul of the dead and show the respect for the dead. A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. It provides an opportunity for the survivors and others who share in the loss to express their love, respect, grief and appreciation for a life that has been lived. Funeral customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor. Customs vary widely between cultures, and between religious affiliations within cultures. Taboos in the ceremony are also different. This thesis mainly discusses differences between Chinese and western funeral customs and their causes.