(Xuchang, Henan – June 13, 2024) As Chinese officials continue to push for the Sinicization of religion, the official “Two organizations of Christianity/Lianghui,” (The National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China and The China Christian Council) of Henan Province attempts to push for sinicization of Christian wedding and funeral rites. There is concern that this effort to sinicize Christian funeral and wedding rites is ultimately aimed at limiting the current liturgical elements of Christianity, and conversely, incorporating Chinese folklore or superstitious folklore, or even political elements.
A report from China Christian Daily titled “Henan Explores Sinicization of Christian Weddings and Funerals” reported that the “Two organizations of Christianity” of Henan Province held a symposium at the the Research Office of Sinicization of Christianity on the theory and practice of the Sinicization of Christian weddings and funerals in Henan on May 22-23, 2024, in Xuchang, Henan Province. Close to 30 members took part in the discussion of this symposium.
The report said that the participants of the two-day symposium “analyzed the adaptability and innovation of the doctrine of God as reflected in weddings and funerals within traditional Chinese culture,” and explored how Christian weddings and funerals could be integrated with traditional Chinese wedding customs. The successful cases of the Sinicization of Christian weddings and funerals at the grassroots level were promoted to other regions for the development of programs, and the corresponding strategies and suggestions for the current Sinicization of Christian weddings and funerals were put forward. The social impact and significance of the Sinicization of Christian weddings were also discussed.
A typical church funeral service for a Christian bereaved family generally contains congregational singing, prayers, scripture readings, testimonies, song dedications by the choir, brief biography of the deceased, song dedications by family, a farewell ceremony, and the Lord’s Prayer. In the funeral service, Christian predecessors have long since reformed the funeral service, with mourners wearing cloth or paper strips with the sign of the cross. Wreaths and crosses are written with words such as “Rest in Paradise,” “Gloriously enter into the Heavenly Home,” “Gloriously enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” “Rest in Eternal Peace.” Christian hymns are played in the funeral procession. Christians do not worship, bow, burn incense, salute to the body, or photograph of the deceased.
The Christian wedding program includes: lighting of candles, prayers, scripture reading, wedding letters, declaration of intent, blessing, vows, exchange of rings. Each part of the program has its own significance. The wedding day for Chinese Christians also includes the welcoming of the bride, where the groom, accompanied by family and friends, will go to the bride’s home to escort her. Wedding favors follow the Chinese tradition of wedding candies, the Chinese character “Xi/double happiness,” red envelopes, and couplets, which are essential elements in a Chinese wedding, but some elements that are considered to contain superstitions are removed.
Families of the Christian faith will certainly incorporate Christian rituals into their wedding and funeral ceremonies, integrating the general etiquette of folk customs, as long as they are not considered to contain superstitious elements. It would be understandable if the newly launched Sinicization of Christian weddings and funerals is purely for the adjustment or integration of ceremonial rituals to make them more prominent in Christian elements or to avoid superstitious overtones. However, under the current slogan of Sinicization of religions, Sinicization of Christian wedding and funeral etiquettes perhaps signify the de-Christianization of these ceremonies. And the absorption of more folklore or superstition into weddings and funerals is something to be concerned about and circumvented.
In October 2020, the funeral procession of a 73-year-old Christian, member of a house church in Xinye County, Henan Province, was interrupted by local police. Members of the church carrying crosses and other Christian items were arrested at the cemetery and put in police cars, while other Christians fled. In the same month, when a Christian family in Anyang City invited a Christian choir and band to be a part of the funeral procession of their deceased family member, government officials threatened to “arrest every person that comes.” In the end, not one person attended because they were frightened.
Similarly, in Ezhou City, Hubei Province, a pastor and more than 10 members of a Three-Self Patriotic Church were sending off an elderly Christian and were singing hymns around the coffin. However, government officials came and dispersed them.
In today’s China, the authorities, in order to systematically promote the process of transforming Christianity to better reflect communism, have extended the process of to include the funerals and weddings of religious believers, and have imposed restrictions or even banned them. This not only offends the conscience of believers, but also suppresses religious freedom.
