Grieved...

Hello everyone...
How Y'all doing?
Hope you all will do great.
on last week, I was involved in the grieving ceremony of closed relatives. She was passed away a year ago. According to Thai believes, we have to do the merits for the died person after a year. You have to know the difference between Esaan people and other Thai people. Before I came to here, I used to work in Chonburi. There, the peoples were friendly. but they don't think to assist someone who lives around them, I'm not blaming them either.The person who works around the Central Thailand will surely know what I meant.
Let me come to my thing... They asked me to help them out for decoration. Every day when I finished my school, I went to their home and decorate the pillars by clothes and made the arches on the four sides of the tent (portable canvas shelter) by using clothes. I almost spend three days to finish the tents. Cuz they have done the tents to covers the front yard completely. There were three kinda tents. The tents which were closed to the house had decorated with saffron and magenta colored clothes, where the monks will sit for their spiritual chants.

In that first tent, they placed the throne, which the bishop ( head of monks)sit. The day came, They started the ceremony from the early morning onwards.

I went there with my friends and family. We placed the tables and chairs for the morning breakfast. Help the women's for the breakfast. I think nearly 6 am of the morning, people around our village start to pay their visit. According to Esaan culture, they had to bring some sort of things and gave to the grieving family.

So many people came with the souvenir, some people came up with cash. But, the things was that all the souvenir and cash were accounted with their by the family. It's not calculated for the amount they get, It is accounted for to pay back them in future. When the people around the village shows up, the person from grieving family directs them to have their food first.

I think around 8 of the morning, the monk from the local showed up. Once they reached, the things were getting faster. The peoples started to place the food( that they cooked earlier for breakfast) in front of the monk. Everyone waits for the monks to finish their breakfast. Once they finished. They started to chants in Pali language ( i.e. Sanskrit), it lasts for an hour. After that, they have the ritual of throwing money, which was covered by the wrapper bags. I shocked really when the people were going crazy to get that money. They said it's the last rites for the person who passed, the Thai people do concern about anniversary which's not big as like this.

We're so tired of this function, so many people came from the different part of Thailand. It's one of the best occasion to meet their long distance relatives. Okay, guys see you all again with another exp.

Bye .. take care