They do everything. From funeral pre-planning to will writing and grief counselling, from supplies to professional embalming and make-up, from food and floral arrangements to post-funeral matters such as insurance and property. They even take care of sea burials and international repatriations. There are over 60 or so funeral directors in Singapore running an industry, which conservative estimates say run in excess of $100 million. And as Singapore ages fast, analysts believe that the industry is set to grow even further.
Funeral Service Providers have sought to revamp the industry image often associated with social stigma. While almost all funeral operators provide packages for Buddhist and Christian funerals, some also provide funeral arrangements for Freethinkers (Non-Religious), probably a sign of the changing times.
The funeral industry also has smaller but more traditional players. They refrain from over-the-top marketing campaigns; relying instead on word of mouth publicity and traditional good will for business.
So what are your options if and when you die in Singapore?
The National Environment Agency (NEA) is the country’s nodal agency for all matters relating to the funeral industry. After death, the body may either be buried in the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery complex – the only cemetery in Singapore still open for burials, or be cremated. The NEA introduced a New Burial System (NBS) in 2007 to replace the traditional earth burial plots with a concrete crypt sans a base and limit the burial period to 15 years. After the allotted 15 years, graves will be exhumed and the remains may either be cremated, put into a columbarium or re-buried.
There are three crematoria in Singapore, of which the Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium Complex is managed by the government, while the other two at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastary and Tse Toh Aum Temple are private-managed. After cremation, the ashes of the deceased may either be stored in three government-managed columbaria – at Mandai, Yishun and Choa Chu Kang, or in more than 50 private columbaria located across the Island. The family may also scatter a small amount of ashes at the designated site located about 1.5 nautical miles south of Pulau Semakau.
For those who really want to splurge even after death, can rest their ashes in the luxurious “6-star-grade” modern columbarium with full air-conditioning, Nirvana Memorial of which we are the working partner (Any booking through us will be entitled to special pricing), situated at Old Choa Chu Kang. This after the news broke that about 4,153 graves in the Bukit Brown Cemetery will be exhumed to build a new dual four-lane road passing through it. The Memorial plans to sell about 20,000 niches in about 10 years time targeting mainly Buddhists, Taoists and Confucianists.
Singapore Funeral Resources & Information 