Thai Funeral

[bowie]

Well, my nephew-in-law passed.

Life-long smoker, throat cancer. Pain in mouth early November. Diagnose; terminal cancer. Entered Hospital in mid-November. Died late Friday/early Saturday. His treatment in a government hospital was covered in another thread. Thai Public Hospital

Transferred body from hospital to Wat Saturday.

Funeral will be a four-day affair. Sunday Day One, viewing of body. Monday and Tuesday will be Thai Buddhist Monks Chanting Ceremonies and Rituals.

Wednesday is the full blown Thai Buddhist Ritual: Food Offerings, Chanting(s), Praise Songs and Sermons, followed by Cremation.

Ceremonies performed at Wat Laksi.

Spent yesterday at the Wat. A long day. Wednesday will also be a long day. Today and Tuesday will be shorter days, relatively, attending the Buddhist Monk Chanting(s).




begin assembling


viewing hall



good luck lottery tickets for sale


body laid out for viewing


blessing preparations


viewing and blessings



Joss Sticks



blessings

[bowie]

Alter with Joss Sticks


Blessings



Paused in ritual(s)




Monk


wrapping body


into refrigerated casket

Chanting

End-of-Day

[Pragmatic]

That's a new one for me. All the funerals I've attended/saw has been where the deceased goes home and all the above is carried out there along with the feeding of all the guests and the gambling. You live and learn.

[fishlocker]

I witnessed a Laotian funeral last month. Not too far off of what one conciders normal. It's just that with this gal they brought her around back and placed her in the oven.

Then it was off to her home where there was a feast and Buddhist Monks chanting and lighting candles and splashing water about.

Reminds us of the impermanence of it all in a roundabout way.

Sorry for your families loss.


fishlocker.

[Klondyke]

The place of the funerals depends always on the facility of the home of the deceased, whether it is large enough for all the ceremonies and the guests. If not sufficient, it's all performed at the nearest wat. Or at the wat the family is fond of.

[Neverna]

That's a new one for me. All the funerals I've attended/saw has been where the deceased goes home and all the above is carried out there along with the feeding of all the guests

Me too, Prag. Different parts of the country or different circumstances (as klondyke says), different arrangements I suppose.

[Klondyke]

^It would be quite difficult in such house, won't be?

[David48atTD]

I've never seen the 'body under the blanket/sheet' before, has always been in a coffin.

I see that it was Wat Laksi in Bangkok and most of the Funerals I've attended have been Central Thailand.

How many nights did the Monks chant for?

[aging one]

How many nights did the Monks chant for?

Funeral will be a four-day affair. Sunday Day One, viewing of body. Monday and Tuesday will be Thai Buddhist Monks Chanting Ceremonies and Rituals.

I had never seen the body laid out and not in a coffin either. Wat Laksi, my neck of the woods..

[Pragmatic]

I had never seen the body laid out and not in a coffin either. Wat Laksi, my neck of the woods..

All bodies are laid out so's to be washed and put into their cremation clothes. Then they're put in the freezer coffin/box until the burning, probably the next day, and then placed in the actual coffin prior to being taken from the house to the Wat. Well that's how they do it where I live.

[Dillinger]

Well, my nephew-in-law passed.

Life-long smoker, throat cancer. Pain in mouth early November. Diagnose; terminal cancer.

R.I.P. nephew.

How old was he and what was his name?

I'm off the cancer sticks today and will try and remember him when I get a craving.

I've been to one Thai funeral. At the end they were throwing wrapped up coins for what I thought were for the kids but the adults were joining in trying to claim them too. Strange.

[Pragmatic]

I've been to one Thai funeral. At the end they were throwing wrapped up coins for what I thought were for the kids but the adults were joining in trying to claim them too. Strange.

Also done when a man enters a Wat to do his monk stint. The parade is walked around the Wat or the crematorium 3 times whilst money is thrown at either ceremony.

[David48atTD]

Also done when a man enters a Wat to do his monk stint. The parade is walked around the Wat or the crematorium 3 times whilst money is thrown at either ceremony.

Thai partner's nephew with bowls of wrapped coins.







Some of the people held jumpers up, the professionals inverted an umbrella !

That's the extended family throwing the coins.

---

Don't have much content about a Funeral as you tend to take less photos/media out of respect.

[misskit]

Sorry about your nephew-in-law, bowie.

I’ve been to a few Thai funerals now, both at homes and temples. Either way, they last too long!

Always sad.

[Chico]

That's a new one for me. All the funerals I've attended/saw has been where the deceased goes home and all the above is carried out there along with the feeding of all the guests and the gambling. You live and learn.

Me too,only ever seen them in the home,and never seen only 4 monks.

[Pragmatic]

Me too,only ever seen them in the home,and never seen only 4 monks.

Yeah the monks get paid so 4's about right. Nothing free in Thailand.

[HuangLao]

Yeah the monks get paid so 4's about right. Nothing free in Thailand.

As monkdom is an income deriving presence - less a calling and a way of life.

[Chico]

Yeah the monks get paid so 4's about right. Nothing free in Thailand.

Fours not normal where I was,ten was the normal

[HuangLao]

Me too, Prag. Different parts of the country or different circumstances (as klondyke says), different arrangements I suppose.

...and certainly there will be differing tweaks in protocols here and there.

[Klondyke]

Usually, sons, grandsons of the family are dubbed as temporary monks for the last day of monks chants, shaved and dressed properly, then enhancing the monks row

[aging one]

Usually, sons, grandsons of the family are dubbed as temporary monks for the last day of monks chants

They are ordained generally for a short period of time to make merit for the deceased relative. Often only for a day or two these days..

[bowie]

OK, to reply to a few queries and comments in this thread.

Dill, the fellows name is/was สุรัตน์ ปัญญาธีรภาพ (นามสกุลและชื่อจริง) ชื่อเล่นเป็น ปุ้ม which translate to English as Mr. Surat Panyathiphip, nicknamed Plump. Pardon my Thai spelling, errors often occur.

As far as age, he was 49 years old. I had early pegged him as mid-fifties but, I’ve never been good with guessing ages.

He did die a painful death from throat cancer. He was a life-long smoker and the smoking did “most probably” cause the cancer.

Specific to you Dill, quitting smoking is a most difficult task. You know it is a mindset and you know you can do it when you have set your mind to it. You set a six-month task of diet and exercise with a weight loss goal and You Succeeded. You can ditch the cancer sticks. Avoiding a painful death is a motivation, the impact your death will have on your daughter is a greater motivation. Good Luck. My apologies to you for soapboxing – it is not my intention although it comes across that way.


As far as the Thai funeral protocols. Thai funerals are officiated by Four Buddhist Monks. The protocol of nine Monks is for “good luck” events only. Funerals is/are not good luck events.

Now, in the event of the death of Royalty and/or very high level officials, they may have more Monks – sometimes eight, possibly twelve, but never nine. This is info provided by my family and I figure it is On Target as ‘tis their country, they’ll know far better than I.

Funeral day one when the body was open for viewing was a “specialized” family only event. No one other than immediate family is in attendance. It equated specifically to the washing of the body to remove sins prior to his cremation. Although in todays age the family does not actually wash the body – the Monks and laypersons do the actual washing and preparation of the body.

Funeral day two which consisted of the Monks ritual chanting was for the friends and neighbors. We, the family, did attend but we did not sit in the Sala during the Monks chanting. Only Puums wife. She sat in the center seat surrounded by her close friends then additional layers of friends and neighbors. And, yes, the seating/placement was arranged or assigned.

Today, this evenings round of chanting is reserved for his fellow employees/workers/bosses and business associates. All the folk that knew him through work or employment.

Now, apparently in Thai protocol, we as the immediate family attend all days and venues of the ceremony. Although we do not sit in the Sala during the Monks ritual chanting on days two or three – the wife does take the center seat in all of the rituals. The immediate family takes center stage during day one (preparing the deceased) and day four (the cremation).

Other interesting notes:

Caskets – he will be placed in a plain “cardboard box” for his actual cremation.
After his body was “washed” he was wrapped (along with a few hundred Baht is spending money) and placed inside an ornate refrigerated holding casket. We deliver food to the casket, knock on the casket to wake him up and wish him well on his journey.

There is an ornate wooden casket with his flowers centered in front of the Buddha. The ornate wooden casket will be used to transport his body (which will be in the cardboard cremation casket) to the Crematorium. Yes, as mentioned earlier in this thread, his funeral train/procession will circle the crematorium three times.

As far as the wrapped coins. Plenty of satang, single Baht and some Two Baht coins are wrapped in pretty paper and thrown out to the attendees. All for good luck and making merit protocols. Another one of their customs that happens in many, many different ceremonies.

Pricing/location: as mentioned in a few posts – these folk are “dirt poor” lower scale workers who don’t have much more than “squat”. There is no way the funeral could occur in the cramped confines of their “tiny” townhome. Hell, you have problems serving dinner when some of the immediate family visit. And, well, the road into the townhomes is beyond description. Snaking through a kilometer of millimeter clearance. Wat Luksi is considered an “expensive” option for a funeral – the extended family will cover the cost(s).

Enough for now.

[Klondyke]

^Might be there are slight differences in the ceremonies. I had attended numerous funerals of people from all walks of life - beside the one of my wife - mostly seeing more than 4 in even numbers.

the extended family will cover the cost(s).

Usually, the funerals - as other tamboons as well - are rather profitable events. Every invited person brings money in the envelope he was invited with, presenting to young girls at the entrance who properly register it. It usually covers all the cost and perhaps something more for distribution among the family...

[HuangLao]

^Might be there are slight differences in the ceremonies. I had attended numerous funerals of people from all walks of life - beside the one of my wife - mostly seeing more than 4 in even numbers.



Usually, the funerals - as other tamboons as well - are rather profitable events. Every invited person brings money in the envelope he was invited with, presenting to young girls at the entrance who properly register it. It usually covers all the cost and perhaps something more for distribution among the family...

Remembering the good old days when tamboons of any description, even simple blessings, didn't have the direct cash profit motive behind every notion - it's been the conditioning for quite some time.

Big business and very financially lucrative for those circles.

[Chico]

^ Yep totally true.