A Thai Country Funeral

[lee]

A Thai Country Funeral
by Jeff Petry - Udon Thani Magazine Issue 12

Different cultures have very different attitudes to death - and different funeral ceremonies as well. In predominantly Buddhist Thailand, the deceased are almost always cremated. A Thai friend asked me why in the West we bury people in coffins in the dark and cheerless ground, to be decomposed and eaten by worms. I explained to her the Christian idea of resurrection, which she seemed to find rather bizarre. In Thailand, she said, we believe that by cremation we are sending the body up to Heaven - a nice idea visibly manifested.

Crematoria vary between town and country. In most towns, one or more of the temples will have a building at the back, tall and narrow and decorated in the same way as other temple buildings. Inside is an oven and a tall chimney, where the body is cremated. In country areas, a consecrated field contains a stone platform, and perhaps thirty meters away some simple buildings providing shade.

After death, the body is returned home, where it remains on display for either three or seven days. There will be monks in attendance, chanting in Pali (the language of the Lord Buddha). The family provides food for the villagers (usually with the neighbors’ help). Close family members pour water from silver cups over the deceased. Important people may be embalmed, and put on display for longer periods, some indefinitely.

One Thai friend asked me if I would like to meet his uncle - a very 'high' monk in the area. Of course I said yes, and my friend led me into the temple, then disappeared round the back. I followed slowly, but could see no monk. “Where is he?” I asked. My friend nodded to his right, and I looked down to see an embalmed monk - in a glass case!

When the cremation time approaches, the body is placed on a cart, in a white thin wooden coffin with gold filigree. The coffin is surrounded by a thin wood-and-paper mock-up of a Thai temple, brightly coloured. Many flowers are placed on the cart, and a large picture of the deceased is prominently displayed. Using a long, thick rope, and led by a group of monks, friends and family pull the cart to the cremation ground. Everyone at the funeral wears black, or black and white. (For this reason, one should never wear black when visiting sick people in hospital).

At the cremation ground, the coffin is placed on the stone platform. The spectators are offered soft drinks and light refreshments. Following a final incantation from the monks, the coffin and mock-up temple are set on fire. This is often done in quite a spectacular way. The coffin is first drenched in gasoline. A thin wire runs from the viewing area to the coffin. A firework - a rocket - is attached to the wire, and whizzes sharply along it to the funeral pyre, setting all ablaze very quickly, to dramatic and somewhat shocking effect.

After a few minutes, most people leave for the party back at the home of the deceased, at which local food and alcohol is served. Three men stay behind to make sure that the body is completely burned, and the ashes collected. This can take some hours.

For the Thais, death is not quite such a solemn or serious event as in the West. After all, reincarnation is widely believed in, and Thais have the very realistic and pragmatic attitude that since we all have to die, why worry or obsess about it, and why get so upset about something that is so entirely natural? Which is certainly not to say they feel the loss any the less.

It is believed that the soul of the departed remains in heaven for forty days before reincarnation. During this period it is seen as possible, using a medium, to contact the departed; after that time the soul will have entered a new body - which may or may not be human. If the deceased led a good life, then they will get a better incarnation next time. If not, then they might come back as a dog, or some lower form of life.

Cripples and handicapped people must have led a sinful previous life – although they are not in themselves seen as being ‘bad’ now. It is meritorious to give money to these people. ‘Making merit’ to ensure a good next life is good practice. A few years ago, a very poor old lady in Bangkok won several million baht in the lottery. She spent the entire amount on a new temple – truly thinking ahead!

[FrazeeDK]

as you say almost all Buddhists are cremated.. However, I've noted in the Wat near my house, a number of mausoleums of what I assume are Chinese Buddhists with Chinese ideograms on the tombs.. I've seen other wats with the same things but not out in the country...

[Texpat]

What's the deal with putting a one baht coin in the mouth before firing the deceased up?
Then, when the family goes picking bones the next day, the one who finds the coin is ... lucky?

[Aardvark]

Never heard that one before Tex, your not having a lend of us are you

[Texpat]

Not at all. Witnessed it first-hand, twice. Father-in-law and uncle-in-law. Both Viet-Thai.

Upon torching the body and shutting the furnace doors, the family also threw out fistfuls of candy to the onlookers -- Mardi Gras style. Odd.

[BarnicaleBob]

What's the deal with putting a one baht coin in the mouth before firing the deceased up?
Then, when the family goes picking bones the next day, the one who finds the coin is ... lucky?

I just attended my TGF's funeral at a small village near Roi Et last week. There are several coins placed into the mouth and once the body has been burned some coins are cleaned and kept for good luck but at least one coin is cleaned and placed with the bones.
It was a three day event, on the first day the body was placed in a thin wooden coffin which was very decorated in gold trimmings. The coffin was in the main room of her home and at 2:00 PM the monks came to sit with her. During that time the village chief ranted on for a while about the woman and led some praying in Thai. The monks then toned in with chanting in what I was told was the language of Buddha or oral sanskrit. The coffin was then placed in the bed a decorated pickup truck and the whole village joined in following it to the cremation temple which was on the edge of town and just outside of the main temple walls. Once placed in front of the furnace everyone went into an open walled prayer temple that was just a few meters away from the furnace temple. Again the village chief gave his say so and led some praying in Thai then the six monks who were all seated on the floor were gifted with many items that were apparently useful to them and drinking water. The monks then did their chanting for a while. Members of the family and friends then placed their tokens of love on the coffin and everyone then returned to the family home for a fest.
On the second day the monks came to the house and again the village chief had his say and the monks chanted until the sun set. The day ended with the monks feasting on elaborate meals prepared for them by the family. Gifts were given to the monks and then they departed.
On the morning of the third day just after sunrise everyone went to the main temple and the same thing occurred again, village chief talks and prays, monks chant and feast. The people then went to one of the smaller temples in the main complex and dug a hole in the ground and placed food in it for the woman to take with her to the next life. More prayer and then everyone moved to the side of one of the large temples in the complex.
A hole had been made along the base of the temples foundation which was where the bones would be placed. Candles were lite above the hole and the monks came with the bones of the woman. After more praying and chanting by the monks the bones were placed in the hole with some candles, matches and a one of the coins. The three day funeral was then complete. Of course there was more feasting for the rest of the day.

[BarnicaleBob]

NOT my TGF funeral it was a typo, it was her mother's funeral. Sorry for the error.

BB

[Laan Yaa Mo]

BarnicaleBob, it would be odd for the monks to chant in Sanskrit since Thailand is a Theravada Buddhist country as are Burma, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Cambodia and Laos. Their sacred language is Pali, and it is probable that they were chanting in Pali.

However, if the family is Chinese, they might be Mahayana Buddhists, and the monks would chant in Sanskrit. But they would be Chinese monks and not be wearing orange robes.

[Brian Davis]

Back in Nongbualamphu, I did witness close up the cremation of 90 year old grandmother - a very lovely lady.
Not a very grand affair, as not much money about. The coffin was carried on a cart out into the forest. Logs had been found/cut for the cremation pyre. My recollection was that there was almost a party atmosphere, rather than the morbid atmosphere back home.

[BarnicaleBob]

BarnicaleBob, it would be odd for the monks to chant in Sanskrit since Thailand is a Theravada Buddhist country as are Burma, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Cambodia and Laos. Their sacred language is Pali, and it is probable that they were chanting in Pali.

However, if the family is Chinese, they might be Mahayana Buddhists, and the monks would chant in Sanskrit. But they would be Chinese monks and not be wearing orange robes.

You are most likely correct on that because it was my Chinese neighbor who was not there that told me it was Sanskrit. Being that this took place in Isaan not far from Laos and Cambodia and the robes were not orange, it is likely it was Pali and I was just misinformed.
Thanks for your input and correction.

BB