An Isan Country Funeral

Imagine a funeral in the west. Everyone goes to church dressed in black, weeps quietly and then files past the deceased on their way out the door to less somber moods.

In Isan, nothing can be that dismal or the tradition would have died out long ago. Here, the corpse is prepared inside a gaudy casket (with flickering lights) only Liberace could appreciate. The casket is installed in the living room of the deceased and the entire gathering is commenced here. And then come the tents. For those new to Thai gatherings, be it births, weddings, new homes or funerals; be prepared for a lot of sitting under tents and eating. Those most distinguished celebrants will sit in the front-most table as it is likely to have to best alcohol, the best visibility, and (most importantly) be most visible to the less-prominent attendees.

Monks Proceed to Bless the Coffin

Monks chant blessings in the morning and then partake of their daily meal. Many of the monks are young men and boys who have just ordained for the day to make merit for their departed relative. After the monks have finished eating, it's a mad dash for the food.

The Corpse Lies in the Very Bottom of the Structure

At the auspicious time predetermined by a senior monk, everyone lines up and is predominately dressed in black or white; anything but red. A large portrait of the deceased is usually carried in front, followed by the monks and the family grasping one long piece of holy white string (bai sii). The string is tied onto the front of a pickup truck, which is equipped with loudspeakers to play a sort of Thai dirge. In the back of the pickup is the enormous casket in all its splendor. Then everyone else trails the truck. The bittersweet procession walks several kilometers from the deceased's house to the nearest cremation ground.

The cremation ground is often flanked by rice paddies and large stalks of bamboo. Able-bodied family members assist in carefully disassembling the casket and then unloading the casket onto a pre-made stack of wood. Before the uppermost casing is placed on top family members and close friends walk past to say their final respects and anoint the body with fresh coconut milk.

After final reassembly of the coffin, monks begin their final round of chanting with the aid of a (very) loudspeaker. The women and children sit on the ground segregated from the men. By this point in the day, numerous bottles of lao khao (rice whiskey) have been imbibed by the men folk. Most sit in a drunken daze, smoking cigarettes, playing cards or questionably shooting off fireworks. This is all within yards of the corpse.

It's Not Water in that Cup

In Asia, photos are not deemed worthy of taking unless they have photos of family and friends in every shot. Photos of the nuances in Thai religious architecture will be found quite dull unless you have grandma and all the cousins in each shot. At funerals the same practice goes in effect. The close family members of the deceased will take turns posing in front of the casket with various friends, colleagues and relations.

A Monk Receives a New Robe

Once the monks have finished chanting, then they proceed to the coffin for a final blessing and to receive new robes as a sort of payment for their service. Everyone then proceeds en masse to lay down flowers, candles, or a small piece of fragrant wood at the base of the casket.

Everyone Lays an Offering of Candles and Sandalwood

Next the drunken men do what they have been waiting all day to do. Cans of gasoline are brought out and the casket is drenched and set ablaze. The entire ceremony ends as the next of kin begin to throw candy into the crowd; another instance of making merit. In the past coins were sometimes tossed. It must have been painful for the casual onlooker to be struck with a fistful of coins. Candy is a safer option, but when you have a platoon of inebriated men playing with fire, a flying baht in the forehead doesn't seem so scary.

The Towering Inferno

Now the burden is on the men is the keep the fire going for the next several days. If the fire goes out before total cremation of the bones, then the men have to get the fire started again, naked! Thanks to lao khao and a tendency towards pyromania, this unique rite is seldom, if ever, seen.