Funeral rituals following the death of a child in Taiwan

This study explores the practices of 25 Taiwanese families following the death of a child from cancer. Detailed description of the families' post-death practices was obtained through semi-structured interviews with at least one family member. Through content analysis of the data, 10 categories were identified. These were: caring for the body, funeral arrangements, mourning clothes, ashes, spirit tablets, child's belongings, child's room, visits to the grave or the temple, dreams, and talking about the dead child. The findings show that although the rituals performed following the death of a child are simpler than those traditionally performed for an adult, they are still an important part of the families' lives during the post-death period.