Usually on the third day. In summer, the mourning period cannot be long; in winter, it may be extended to five or seven days. During the funeral, the souls of rich and noble families carry banners and gongs, and a band plays the gongs in a majestic manner. Generally, during a funeral, an elder holds a basket of incense and paper incense sticks. The elder is in front, tearing up and placing paper sticks along the way, which is called "buying the road." Relatives went to the funeral, with filial sons and eldest grandsons supporting the coffin, and the rest of the family, dressed in mourning clothes and soap clothes, followed one by one, and went on the mourning road. The male descendants are sent to the cemetery, while the other relatives leave at the intersection and return.
Chaoshan burial customs include cremation of monks and nuns and water burials of Dan family. In the past dynasties, most burials were buried in the ground. Since the 1960s, cremation has been promoted in towns and cities. In most cemeteries for earth burials, a location is chosen or a foundation is built before the funeral. The coffin is surrounded by three pieces of soil and is rammed into a hole. When the coffin is placed in the hole, the filial son first covers the soil. After the tomb is built, grain seeds and wine cakes are scattered around the cemetery to represent the future. The harvest is prosperous. Green grass is also used to press paper onto the tomb head, which is called tomb pressing. Filial piety sticks are hung diagonally on both sides of the tomb. After the worship, the filial son collects the incense ashes and brings them back to the mourning hall to prepare for the vigil and to receive condolences and salvation.