Disturbing the Peace

One of my biggest annoyance about living in Singapore and in a public housing board (HDB) apartment - especially in an older neighbourhood - is the string of wakes (funerals) that is frequently held under our void decks. I know you can't help people from dying, but do they really have to hold the funerals down at the void decks? For those reading this blog who are unfamiliar with Singapore housing, void decks is the empty space on the ground floor of public housing apartments. It is usually an open area situated next to the carparks.

I am in no way being superstitious about having dead people on the ground floor of my apartment. But right now it's 10.30pm and the funeral downstairs is so loud that even through my closed door and windows I can still hear it. The funeral taking place right now is a Buddhist one (or Taoist, I don't know the difference), but there's a tent set up for Chinese opera performance complete with musical instrument ensemble. I am in no way trying to disrespect other people's religion and beliefs because even the Christian funerals (also held at the void decks) can also be just as loud when they're singing hymns accompanied with a full band.

I am lucky to be living on the 6th floor, I can imagine how much more magnified the noise would be and how much more unbearable it would be if we were living on the 2nd floor right above the performance tent.

I get that the reason they have funerals underneath the block where the family or deceased used to live is for ease and convenience but to the rest of the neighbourhood I think it's more of an inconvenience and disturbance. Not just the noise but also the location, for example, the current funeral (I mean the place where the tent that contains the coffin) is right in front of our mail boxes!!
I kinda feel that it's a strange tradition to hold funerals at your place of residence - for a week. I'm more familiar with holding funerals at funeral homes, in Indonesia for a couple of days to a week too, and in Brisbane funerals are usually just a one day event. I wonder if having a drawn out funeral makes it easier for the families to accept the departure of their loved ones?

It's also not just funerals, sometimes there are weddings held at the void decks that cause a bit of a ruckus. Tho a joyful event, these can get really loud too with the live bands performing.
So anyway, these are my thoughts, no disrespect to the dead or other religions or races intended.