The ceremonies were conducted by Buddhist and Taoist priests at around 2pm as families – including those of the firefighter, Ho Wai-ho, who died while battling the blaze – stood near the charred blocks to mourn the passing of their loved ones.
Firefighters also joined in the roadside mourning to show solidarity for Ho and those who died.
Under both Buddhist and Taoist funeral beliefs, the first week since the passing of a loved one is significant, especially on the seventh day, as it’s believed that’s when “the spirit of the departed returns home”.
The ceremonies came as the outpouring of public grief continued with more people from elsewhere streamed into the estate to pay their respects, with many bringing white flowers and cards and some hanging a string of white paper cranes at a pavilion near the estate.
Kowloon Funeral Parlour ended a three-day public memorial service for victims of the fire on Tuesday.
In an interview with RTHK, its general manager, Bryan Kam, said special arrangements had been made for some of the families affected by the fire.
“We have received many requests from the public, hoping that we could do something for the victims. So we held a [public] memorial event over the past days, and there were also family members of the deceased asking us for help,” he said.
“So we have invited body restorers from Taiwan to come to Hong Kong to assist some of the families to help so that they will have complete bodies for the funeral.”
Kam added that he was touched by the outpouring of support from the public, who volunteered to assist with the memorial services.
“There have been many residents asking if they can bring some of the needed items here or if they can offer any help,” he told RTHK.
“For example, some are working in the medical care fields or do body repairs, they want to come and help.”
