In the rural society of the past, under the clan system, funerals were mostly led by the head of the family. Such individuals experienced no less than 100 funerals in their lives, and were quite familiar with the rites. Moreover, traditional clan funeral ceremonies fit in with the Chinese idea of expressing filial piety through care in funeral preparations for one's parents; this was a kind of education in life.
以往在農業社會，大家族制度下的喪禮多由族中長者主持，他們一生經歷喪禮不下百次，熟悉儀節；而傳統的家族喪祭儀式，融合中國人慎終追遠的孝親思想，就是一場生活教育。