What Is Niche and What Is Ancestral Tablet? 骨灰位和神主牌位的区别

I am not surprised when I meet people who do not have any idea what is a niche and what is an ancestral tablet. They tend to confuse these two and have the tendency to assume both of them are the same. Niche and tablet are two different things, serving different purposes.

我常常会遇见不了解什么是骨灰位，什么是神主牌位的人。他们往往会混淆这两者，并认为它们都是一样的。骨灰位和神主牌位是两个不同的东西，用于不同的目的。

Niche is a space where ashes is placed. It stores the remains of a dead person after his body has been cremated. It is one of the ways of burial. It is a popular burial method for countries where land is scarce such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Its purposes of existence very much depending on one's belief. From a non-religious point of view, niche enables a living person to visit his loved ones as and when he wants to. 

骨灰是大体被火化后所遗留下来的灰烬。顾名思义，骨灰位是放置骨灰灰烬的空间。这是埋葬的方式之一。对于新加坡和香港等土地稀缺的国家来说，这是一种受欢迎的埋葬方式。其存在的目的因人而异，因宗教信仰而异。从非宗教的角度来看，骨灰位方便生者追思他们所爱的过世的家人朋友，以达到慎終追远、缅怀先賢的目的。

Ancestral tablet is a tablet usually made from wood with words engraved on it. A tablet will tell the surname of the family and/or the name(s) of the deceased who "owns" the tablet. It may contain profile photo(s) of the deceased too. Tablet in columbarium or temple usually arranged in rows. For more reading about ancestral tablet, please visit the link below.

神主牌通常是由木材制成的，并刻上家族姓氏或个人名字。它也可能包含死者的肖像。神主牌在骨灰殿或庙内通常被排列成行。欲了解更多神主牌的相关资料，请游览以下网址。
https://singaporecolumbarium.blogspot.sg/2017/05/need-or-dont-need.html

Niche in Nirvana Memorial Garden.
富贵山庄生命纪念馆内的骨灰位。

Ancestral tablet in
 Nirvana Memorial Garden.
富贵山庄生命纪念馆内的神主牌位。