The age of the deceased, the cause of death, the fact that the deceased was single or married, the social status of the deceased are all factors that influence Chinese death rites. The whole procedure of the funeral and everything around should be done in a proper way. Any irregularities can cause bad luck and accidents in the family of the deceased.
Preparations for the funeral start when a person is gravely ill. First, a family orders traditional Asian coffin. The shape of such a coffin is rectangular with three "humps". It has to be mentioned that nowadays western style coffins are becoming more popular.
If the deceased is a father his eldest son is becoming a head of the family. And in case the eldest son dies his role is taken by the second son of the family. His duties among others include relations with the family ancestors.
When someone in the family dies all statues of Chinese gods in the home are covered with red paper. All mirrors are removed. It is done according to the belief that if some person sees a reflection of a coffin in the mirror yet another death would happen in the family very soon. A piece of white cloth is put over a doorway.