100 DAY MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR MY LATE MOTHER

 The 100 day memorial service for my late mother was held on Friday, the 21st of September.  After the funeral rites were over, the period of mourning for my family continued for another 100 days.  Special prayer ceremonies for her soul were carried out at Paradise Memorial Park by a nun on the 7th day, 35th day and 49th day. In the meantime, I tried to do lots of charitable deeds in her name and also copied Buddhist sutras to dedicate to her.

 For the100th day, I again engaged a Buddhist nun to conduct a final prayer ceremony for her.  As the rest of my family had other commitments, I went back to the Memorial Park to pay respect to her with the nun chanting prayers.  I also burnt some incense for her.  This was from my Auntie Tum.

After the ceremony at the Memorial Park, the nun placed some ashes from the incense sticks for me to take home to be placed on the ancestral altar.  We were inviting the spirit of my mum  back to my house.  

After the ceremony at the Memorial Park, the nun Sifu Kang went back with me to my house to perform another ceremony for my mum.  I had already laid out the table in front of the ancestral altar with offerings for my mum.  Before this, I bought a new altar for the ancestors as the old one was damaged.  I was instructed by the Buddist nun to place the ashes of the incense, that I had brought back from the Memorial park, into the urn for the Cheah ancestors.
After that I prayed to the deities and then lit the candles and joss-sticks for the ancestors.  Then Sifu Kang started the prayer ceremony.

 I waited for Sifu Kang to do the chanting before she called me to carry out the offerings and also to pay respects to my ancestors.

 The completion of the ceremony marks  the transformation of my mum into an ancestor of the family. She had been officially invited home from her burial place and finally "raised" to ancestor level.

 Sifu Kang also helped me to bless the prayer altar for the Gods at home.

 After that she helped to unwrap the framed picture of my mum which was used during the wake and funeral and placed next to that of my late father.

 You can see how happy I am that my mum and dad are finally together in afterlife.

Me with Sifu Kang after the ceremony.  I will get her to perform another memorial service on my mum on the 1st anniversary of her death on 15th June 2013.