Buddhist Funeral Ceremony

When somebody dies, the body is kept 3-100 days in the house or temple before the cremation. After death a bathing ceremony takes place in which relatives and friends pour water over one hand of the deceased. During six evenings, monks come and pray on the coffin. For poorer people, the dead body can be cremated between 3 to 7 days. The formalin used to reduce body decomposition is expensive.

A feast is organised to honor the deceased person. The ceremony date is scheduled by monks. Guests come, often dressed with black clothes and sometimes a white shirt. From the first to the sixth day, monks come every evening around 7 p.m. The people rely upon monks to chant the sutras that will benefit the deceased, and to conduct all funeral rites and memorial services.

Food & drink is then offered to guests. Family, relations, neighbours and friends to the family can assist to those prayers. Everybody is giving gifts, money to the family of the deceased person as contribution.

On the seventh day, in traditional ceremonies, a cremation procession is organized. For Buddhist people, death is only a passage to next life. Cremation normally don't happen on Friday ("Wan Suk") as "Suk" means happiness in Thai language. One hundred days after the decease, a Buddhist ceremony is done in order to perform final prayers.

After cremation, remaining ashes are buried in the cemetary for poor people. For rich people, ashes are stored in a cinerary urn kept at home or inside small niches in temple walls or under a small pagoda.