Why Do People Hang White Cloth and White Lanterns at Their Door When Someone Dies? It's Not Just to Inform Neighbors—Related Mourning Customs Were Documented as Early as the Qing Dynasty

Walking through Taiwan's old streets, alleys, or traditional settlements, you may occasionally notice a white sheet of paper suddenly appearing on a household's door, a white cloth hung up, and a white lantern hanging under the eaves. Even without seeing an obituary, many people would guess, "This household is holding a funeral." Many assume these items are merely used to notify neighbors that someone has passed away. However, a thorough examination of traditional Taiwanese funeral records reveals that the white cloth at the entrance once even included the deceased's name, date of birth and death, and information about the mourning family. In some regions, the white "hemp lanterns" (ma-deng) also indicated the deceased's identity, surname, and family generation. As early as the Qing Dynasty, local gazettes of Taiwan already documented the use of white mourning attire and the placement of funeral objects in front of homes, revealing a set of mourning customs that modern people are gradually forgetting.

Why do white cloth and paper appear at the door when someone dies? This practice is actually called "shisou" (indicating mourning).

After someone in the family passes away, traditional funeral customs use clear markers to inform others that the household is in mourning. One such practice is called "shisou." According to the entry for "shisou" in the *Dictionary of Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artifacts* published by the National History Museum Taiwan Documents Division, after a person dies, the bereaved family posts a black-on-white notice at the main gate. For example, "Yan Zhi" is written if the father has died, "Ci Zhi" if the mother has died, and "Sang Zhong" may be used if a younger family member has passed while elders are still alive. This serves to inform neighbors that a funeral is underway. The originally festive red Spring Festival couplets are also overlaid with a white strip diagonally, "to signify the transition from joy to mourning."

The Tainan City Funeral Information Service website similarly records that after a death, a white strip is diagonally affixed to the main gate, with characters such as "Yan Zhi," "Ci Zhi," or "Sang Zhong" posted to convey the household's mourning status to surrounding neighbors. Therefore, when people see a sudden appearance of white markers at a door, they know someone has passed away—this is no coincidence. It was originally a traditional method to publicly indicate that the household is in mourning.

The white cloth at the door once even included the deceased's name and birth and death dates

If one assumes the white cloth at the door is simply a plain white piece of fabric, the historical practice was actually more complex than imagined. The *Dictionary of Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artifacts* notes that in the past, bereaved families would hang a rectangular white cloth above the entrance, inscribed with the deceased's name, birth and death dates, the name of the mourning family, and the mourning attire regulations. This format is known as "bai ping shi" (white screen style) or "men pai shi" (door plaque style). From a modern perspective, it resembles a "funeral announcement board" hung outside a residence. In the past, visiting relatives and neighbors could identify that the household was in mourning just by looking at the entrance. The text on the white cloth could further convey information about the deceased and the mourning family. Thus, the white cloth served both to indicate mourning and to identify individuals, not merely to create a somber atmosphere.

Why hang white lanterns at the door? In some traditional customs, they are called "hemp lanterns" (ma-deng)

In addition to white paper and cloth, another easily recognizable object signaling a mourning household is the white lantern. According to traditional funeral customs preserved by the Xiluo Township Office in Yunlin County, the series of lanterns used in funerals are collectively called "ma-deng" (hemp lanterns), including the "main gate lantern," "citrus lantern," "filial lantern," "red lantern," and "wealth and honor lantern." The "main gate lantern" is round, with a white background and blue characters, inscribed with the words "Da Men" (main gate) on both front and back, and hung centrally under the eaves at the main entrance. "Citrus lanterns" may also be hung on either side of the main gate lantern. Records indicate that for a deceased male, "Xiang Yin Da Bin" is written, and for a deceased female, "Ru Ren" is written. There is also the "filial lantern," which has "Ji Dai Da Fu" or "Ji Dai Da Mu" on the front and the deceased's surname on the back, with different treatments depending on the family generation. This means that for those familiar with traditional customs, the lanterns at the entrance are not merely "white lanterns"—the text and form themselves carry information about the deceased and their family.

After the white lanterns are hung at the door, some are carried along in the funeral procession

The use of these lanterns does not end once they leave the home. According to records from the Xiluo Township Office, citrus lanterns are normally hung on either side of the main gate lantern but are removed during the funeral procession and carried at the front of the procession. The filial lantern, normally hung beside the citrus lantern, is carried alongside the soul palanquin during the procession. Interestingly, not all lanterns in traditional funerals are white. The records also mention small red "red lanterns," carried by family members during the funeral procession. These red lanterns carry auspicious meanings, creating a symbolic sequence of "blue lanterns in front, red lanterns behind," representing the transformation of misfortune into good fortune. There is also the "wealth and honor lantern," inscribed with "Fu Gui Chun," used at the rear of the funeral procession and during tomb-sweeping rituals.

Thus, from the doorway to the funeral procession, these lanterns serve both symbolic and ritual functions, reflecting that traditional funerals are not limited to black and white but also express the living's hopes for peace and good fortune as they bid farewell to the deceased.

Are the white lanterns at the door meant to "light the path in the afterlife" for the deceased?

In folk beliefs, when discussing lanterns in funerals, the idea of "lighting the path for the deceased" is often mentioned. However, if one carefully distinguishes traditional funeral objects, it would be incorrect to interpret all funeral lanterns as serving the same purpose. The Tainan City Funeral Information Service website records that after a person is near death, family members place "foot-end rice" at their feet and light a white candle as a "long-life lantern," which in folk belief is meant to "illuminate the path in the afterlife." However, this refers specifically to the light placed at the feet of the deceased. The previously mentioned main gate lanterns, citrus lanterns, and filial lanterns belong to the "ma-deng" system documented in local traditional funeral customs, with records focusing on their hanging positions, inscriptions, the deceased's identity, surname, family generation, and positions during the funeral procession. Therefore, directly calling all white lanterns at a mourning household "soul-guiding lanterns" or interpreting them all as lighting the path in the afterlife risks conflating funeral lanterns with different purposes.

How long have these funeral customs existed in Taiwan? Records date back to the Qing Dynasty

As for when the commonly seen white screen-style cloth and ma-deng lanterns originated, existing records are insufficient to prove that each form has existed in exactly the same way for hundreds of years. However, historical records from Qing Dynasty Taiwan already show traces of such funeral culture. The *Chongxiu Fengshan County Gazetteer*, compiled by Wang Yingzeng and published in the 29th year of the Qing Qianlong era (1764), is included in the "Taiwan Historical Full-Text Database" of the Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica. When discussing funeral customs in Taiwan at the time, it records that those in deep mourning, if they must visit relatives, would "wear white clothing and hats." It also records that during funeral rituals involving monks, "paper banners are erected at the gate." These records cannot be directly equated with today's white cloth and lanterns hung at mourning households, nor can one conclude solely from "erecting paper banners at the gate" that their function was identical to today's "shisou." However, it at least confirms that over 260 years ago in Qing Dynasty Taiwan, there was already a practice of wearing white to signify mourning and placing funeral objects in front of homes.

In other words, the white paper, white cloth, and various ma-deng lanterns seen today are concrete forms left behind by the evolution of Taiwan's funeral culture across different eras. Qing Dynasty records confirm that at the time, Taiwan already had customs of wearing white during mourning and placing funeral objects in front of homes. As for the modern "shisou" practice of using white paper and cloth to inform neighbors of a death, more explicit records are found in modern and contemporary folk materials.

Why are complete white cloths and white lanterns less commonly seen today?

According to the *Dictionary of Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artifacts*, traditional shisou methods have themselves evolved over time. The dictionary uses the term "in the past" to describe the bai ping shi and men pai shi practices. During the Japanese colonial period, influenced by Japanese customs, mourning households sometimes displayed signs marked with "Ki-chu" (in mourning). This shows that the words, objects, and forms used in different eras were not entirely fixed.

Even today, while one may still see diagonal white strips, white cloths, or ma-deng lanterns hung at some doorways, they do not necessarily retain every past form in full. Traditional customs have continuously been simplified and adjusted during their continuation, forming the varied appearances seen today across different regions. Therefore, the next time you see white paper, cloth, or white lanterns at a household's door, what remains is not just a visual signal that "someone has passed away." These seemingly ordinary funeral objects actually preserve a complete cultural system that traditionally signaled mourning to neighbors, identified the deceased and family information, and distinguished everyday life from the state of mourning.

References National History Museum Taiwan Documents Division, *Dictionary of Taiwanese Folk Cultural Artifacts*: "Shisou" entry. Tainan City Funeral Information Service website: "Glossary." Xiluo Township Office, Yunlin County: "Explanation of Funeral Terminology." Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica, "Taiwan Historical Full-Text Database": *Chongxiu Fengshan County Gazetteer*. Wang Yingzeng, records on funeral customs in *Chongxiu Fengshan County Gazetteer*.