The funeral of the King of Thailand in October - full information. funeral in thailand

Image copyright Reuters Image caption One of the urns with the ashes of the king was buried in the tomb of the kings of the Chakri dynasty in the Grand Royal Palace.

Passed in Bangkok The final stage Funeral ceremony for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. On Sunday, urns with his ashes were buried in the tomb of the kings of the Chakri dynasty in the Grand Royal Palace, as well as in two more royal temples.

For a whole year, the people said goodbye to their beloved king, who died at the age of 88 in October last year: during this time, 12 million people passed by his coffin.

On Thursday, October 26, before the cremation ceremony, hundreds of thousands of people lined up to say goodbye to the king, who ruled the country for more than 70 years.

The mourning, which lasted a whole year, ends on Sunday at midnight local time (at 20:00 Moscow time). This means that Thai citizens who mourn the death of the king will be able to change their black clothes to suits of neutral tones - blue and brown.

The funeral - the final stage of farewell to the late king - lasted five days: it began on Thursday with a ceremony of paying tribute to the deceased king in the Grand Royal Palace.

On Thursday, the body of Bhumibol Adulyadej was cremated in the presence of the son and heir of the late king, the new ruler of Thailand, Maha Vatchiralongkon, who himself lit the funeral fire. It was he who decided how much of his father's ashes should be buried in the tomb of the Grand Royal Palace.

It took many months to prepare the funeral. Only the gilded chariot, 11 meters high, was painstakingly restored for more than six months. She is 222 years old and is only being used for the 26th time.

Also during this time, a large crematorium was built next to the palace. The place of cremation is decorated with statues of mythological animals - elephants, cows, lions.

According to Buddhist tradition, cremation rituals repeat the cycle of the universe, and the funeral pyre symbolizes the sacred mountain.

Bhumibol Adulyadej was on the throne during the period of modernization of Thailand and was considered the guarantor of stability in the country, which had experienced military coups more than once during his reign.

Anxiety about the future

Jonathan Head, BBC correspondent, Bangkok

During his 70-year reign, King Bhumibol was seen as a godlike figure, as a reserved, thoughtful man whose quiet influence helped Thailand avoid conflicts like those unfolding in neighboring countries.

In the last decade of his rule in Thailand, there has been a strong polarization between supporters of two rival political groups (the opposition Phya Thai Party and the Democratic Party), one of which (the Democratic Party) adheres to the center-right and royalist ideology and maintained close contacts with the royal court.

A military coup three years ago froze the conflict, and the generals who came to power took it upon themselves to ensure the gradual transfer of royal powers to the son of the monarch.

The funeral also marks the end of this process of transfer of power. And here there is considerable anxiety about what will happen when political life in the country will be fully restored under the new monarch - King Vatchiralongkon.

Colorful weekdays, even more colorful holidays and such carnival processions ... funerals - all this is about Thailand. In an exotic state last way see off according to Buddhist traditions and with calmness characteristic of Buddhists. But the procession itself is so replete with flowers, cheerful (even despite the mourning) faces of the Thais, and sometimes even fireworks, that it can easily be confused with a holiday.

According to the customs of Thailand, after death, the deceased stays at home for 7 days.

It all starts with preparation

Every day, several monks come to the house for funerals and prayers. At the same time, relatives and friends arrive who want to say goodbye, neighbors converge. Arriving people light incense and place it at the head of the coffin as an offering to the deceased.

A rectangular coffin is densely decorated with flowers, garlands are made, and a photograph of the deceased is placed next to it. While the guests say goodbye, a table is set in the courtyard so that at any time you can have a bite to eat and drink local rice vodka. If a wealthy Thai is buried, waiters are hired to hand out drinks and snacks during the farewell.

The funeral itself takes place on the 8th day

The procession is led by monks dressed in saffron, they read prayers.

The coffin is being carried behind. IN Lately coffins began to be transported by car, and if the deceased was a wealthy person, a special platform was built for him.

It is decorated with flowers, LED strips, drapery, and the procession itself is accompanied by an orchestra.

In Thailand, only cremation is acceptable.

Crematoria are located at monasteries, but sometimes Thais burn the dead right under open sky along with a dressed up platform.

If desired, the ashes can be buried in a columbarium, a monastery wall or in the ground, marking the place with an unusual, filigree-carved monument, which itself outwardly resembles a temple.

According to tradition, 100 days after the funeral, the relatives of the deceased visit the temple. They bring the monks money in an envelope and small household gifts - clothes, soap, fruits.

Feature funerals in Thailand - a calm, even mundane attitude towards the death of all participants in the procession.

Death here is just a transition to another state: such a philosophy is instilled from childhood to everyone who is brought up in the traditions of Buddhism. Only close relatives can cry, and you will see this infrequently. Basically, everyone is very calm, they talk a lot, even laugh, and some even take pictures against the background of the coffin.

The people of Thailand are so not superstitious in terms of death that they even lie down in a coffin without fear, while still in good health.

Funeral of failures

In one monastery there is such a tradition, popular with Thais and attracting tourists from all over the world - to bury bad luck.

Everyone who wants to part with is invited to this temple. old life. Here they are waiting for elegant and rather comfortable coffins. Participants of the ritual fit into these coffins, and a monk walks around them.

He reads special prayers that plunge all participants in the ceremony into a trance. Then the monk wakes up the sleeping ones, but it is believed that he has already woken up. new person, and all his failures are successfully buried.

By the way, Buddhist funerals are sometimes arranged in Russia. This is not surprising: our country is multinational and keeps hundreds and thousands of the most diverse customs and traditions.

In general, today I will tell you about the funeral in Thailand. Or rather, how Thai graves, crematoriums, and so on look like. You can also read and see photos of the funeral ritual itself in Thailand.

It is not customary to bury the body of the deceased in Thailand. Therefore, it is first burned in a crematorium.

Here, for example, is one of the cemeteries on the territory of the monastery on Koh Samui.

Another type of burial of ashes is in the wall of the monastery. By the way, quite expensive pleasure)

Another way to bury

And here is the Thai crematorium. This is in almost every temple.

How is a funeral in Thailand

“First day.

We arrive at the village home to my grandmother, 100 kilometers from Chiang Mai, the town of Phrao. A hundred people of relatives and neighbors have already gathered there, everyone is busy preparing for the funeral. I didn’t notice any particular sadness, on the contrary, everyone is cheerful, they work with a twinkle, they joke, they have fun. E and I are greeted with joy.

We go into the house. The fact that there is a coffin in the house, I guessed later. In the corner of the room there is something like a table on which there are flowers and a portrait of a grandmother. Incense burns on the floor in front of him. E and I sat down and lit our sticks. Immediately there is a conversation between relatives - many have not seen each other for a long time, they have come from all over the country, they are talking cheerfully.

We go out into the yard. Or even backyards. Food and local rice moonshine are on the tables. In the process of work, citizens come up, drink and eat. One had already had a good meal and fell asleep in one of the houses. Everyone makes fun of him, invites him to the table, drink, chat. By the way, only men drink.

In the main yard, they make a house from bamboo, foam walls, windows, a door, steps. The whole thing is decorated with foam plastic painted arabesques, colored foil, the house is painted, garlands, curtains, lights are hung - new Toshiba fluorescent lamps.”

“A carriage was brought into the yard. On it, they begin to build another complex structure for installing a coffin. It turned out something 3 full stories high, arabesques, bells, everything is painted, mass small parts, lighting, flashlights. We stretch the tent from above. What a festival!”

“I'm going to another yard. Tam E is busy filling bamboo sticks with rice. Meat is chopped on a wooden platform nearby. I take off my shoes, sit down on the platform, and cut. Meat is only for the men. We chat merrily, in the process of work they bring us drinks and snacks to make our work more fun.

As a result, you need to get almost minced meat from meat. We take a piece of meat (beef and pork), cut into pieces, add the liver and blood and begin to chop the whole thing with cleavers to the state of minced meat. I’ve been doing this for about an hour, little by little we are gaining with the guys.

E calls, let's go, like, say goodbye to my grandmother. The guys thank me for my help, they already call me Somchai. I give out shortly:

Somchai pen nong Sompong, Sompong pen pi Somchai, everyone is lying around.

E warns: “Thirak, don’t gain too much, the main booze will be in the evening, take care of yourself.”

A table was opened in the house, which turned out to be a white carved coffin. All the relatives passed, said goodbye, the women wiped away a woman's avaricious tear, the coffin was closed. We take the coffin, take it out of the house and put it on the carriage. Grandma's favorite pillow, her purse and some personal items are already there.

Concert acoustics of 10 kilowatts are set up in the yard. I think there will also be a disco. The last speakers are dragged with the help of ladders - yes, with such a sound you can pump neighboring villages! The musicians arrived, brought instruments and equipment. The preparations are coming to an end. Everyone goes home to rest and change for the holiday ... er ... event.
In the evening, all the illuminations on the carriage, the house and the trees are lit. Four monks arrived, everyone sits down, we listen to the suttas. Then we move to the house. There are already suttas in no particular order for those who wish. I get a handguard.

Second day.

Suttas all day long, music, food, drink, fun. They carry bottles from Red Bull filled with special water, and they “sprinkle” those present with it.

Day three.

We're going to the final funeral.

This morning no one drinks, everyone is busy with fuss.

We take the house in our arms and carry it to the temple. There is food in the house. As the healthiest of those present, I always have the honorable duty of carrying the heaviest objects. All the time I hear: "Farang ... Farang ..." - people have fun. Everyone takes pictures with me against the backdrop of a gun carriage, as if with a curiosity - it seems that there have never been farangs in these places. Then it became clear that the reason for the increased interest is still different.

After an hour of sutras in the temple, we return to the deceased, getting ready to move the carriage with the structure and the coffin to the place of cremation. 2 ropes of 50 meters each are tied to the gun carriage. All those present (already more than 100 people) take up the ropes. The cremation site is about a kilometer away. Firecrackers explode along the way, there is a terrible roar, young maidens squeal, children have fun with might and main. We have arrived.”

“We remove the coffin with the body from the carriage and carry it onto a special concrete slab. Special workers open the coffin, take out the body. The coffin is carried away and its legs are beaten off. The body in ordinary clothes is placed on the stove. A responsible comrade breaks 2 coconuts over the head of the deceased and pours coconut juice over the body. Further, the closest relatives, including myself, pour water on the body from a mug in turn - the last ablution before the road to eternity. The deceased is placed back in the coffin.

We carry the coffin to a pedestal with firewood, the whole healthy structure is placed on top from the carriage, to which the cable is nailed and pyrotechnics are installed.

Last speeches, last honors, prayers. A rocket is launched along the cable to the structure, pyrotechnics on the structure, fireworks, sparks, fire are ignited from it ... ”

“As soon as the fire starts, everyone gets into the cars and goes to eat. Later, the wind will dispel the ashes. The holiday of death (more precisely, the funeral in Thailand) has come to an end.

And what, exactly, to be sad? The woman lived a decent life, gave birth and raised a bunch of children, died with dignity, and will be reborn again in a new status, based on life merits. No one here doubts that.”

Unlike Russia, in Thailand men and women retire at 55. It is not customary for them to complain about life, because it is just beginning: the children have grown up and moved out of the house, and they have to nurse their grandchildren once a week.

Thai old people have their own interest clubs, and these hobbies are very risky.

1 The last floor of one of the Bangkok skyscrapers in . A long corridor, plastic chairs and large windows behind which are several restaurants and an interest club.

2 Covering this place like a nursing home - elderly Chinese people come to play chess.

3 And some of them really play.

4 Sometimes even wins.

5 But most of the old people come here for completely different entertainment.

6 Outwardly, everything looks decent: just a restaurant, tables. Grandfathers came to dine with their granddaughters or nieces. Sitting side by side, talking...

7 But if you look closely, each grandfather has a “granddaughter”. Without strangers. Or they sit and wait alone. Girls do not keep themselves waiting, sit down.

8 Don't be fooled by the innocence of the situation and the venerable age of the customers, they didn't come here to eat dumplings. It's just that the Chinese mentality and the past years do not allow you to immediately drag the girl to bed.

9 “Matrons” are sitting at a separate table: not everyone loves the young.

10 For some reason, I felt disgusted after visiting this brothel for the elderly, although I did not see anything dirty there. But next place will be even more ambiguous.

11 By the way, one of the the best views to Bangkok!

12 If you want to visit this place, write to my friend Anton Dryanichkin he will take.

13 This is much cooler than paid observation platforms.

14 Through Chinatown vegetable gardens, stumbling from Thai cats, I make my way to the old cemetery.

15 Houses are so ancient that sand falls out of them and trees grow.

16 You can’t cut them on pain of death, this is the banyan tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment! It happens that an angel lives on a tree, and then he needs to be worshiped. Thais quickly build an altar, and bring red fanta there. I was told a story that when Coca-Cola launched the drink in Thailand, the locals didn't like it and sales failed. Then marketers launched an advertisement where a Thai buys a red Fanta for a perfume house, and wakes up rich and happy the next day. Now red soda is the most popular in the country, and people do not drink it. This is for spirits!

17 Nice city park. Fit Thais and Chinese run, go in for sports. They are great, and I'm not very good.

18 Here the grandfather swings, so that later he can visit the brothel under the roof.

19 See what's that back there?

20 The city park and outdoor exercise equipment are right on the cemetery! In Russia, this alone would be a cause for indignation. But the Thais went further.

21 Gazebos were built here and opened summer cafes where you can eat, but first of all sing.

22 To commemorate the deceased with a good song is so in Thai!

23 They don't really see anything wrong with that. But they will certainly consider the Russian tradition of eating and drinking on the graves of relatives shameful ...

24 How do you like the traditions?

Liked the post? Like it and leave a comment. Tomorrow at 10 am new post- alas, not about Thailand. But if you want more about this country -

Here is everything you need to know about Bhumibol Adulyadej's cremation ceremony

Almost a year has passed since the death of King Rama IX, who passed away on October 13, 2016. He was the most revered king of Thailand, and the sadness of the nation is immeasurable and continues to this day. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, lined up through the heat and rain to pay their respects to their beloved monarch in the throne room of Bangkok's Grand Royal Palace. Almost a year later, many Thais and foreigners working in government organizations and enterprises, still wear black clothes as a sign of mourning for the departed ruler.

Soon there will be a day in Thailand that no one wants. Funeral, namely the cremation ceremony of King Bhumibol. Many tourists ask how the funeral of the King will affect their vacation in Thailand, how to behave at this time and is it worth going to Thailand at this time?

Facts about the cremation ceremony of the King of Thailand

• October 13 is a new date in the calendar marking the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
• The royal funeral will take place from 25 to 29 October 2017.
• The actual cremation ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 26, 2017.
• October 26, 2017 is declared a public holiday so that people can attend the funeral.
• Tourists can visit the Grand Palace to pay tribute to the King until September 30th.
• The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha will be closed to the public, including tourists, from October 1 to October 29, 2017. Both of these locations will open on October 30, 2017.
• On October 7, 15 and 21, rehearsals of the royal procession will take place on Sanam Luang Square. It will probably be possible to watch and photograph it, subject to the dress code.
• The Royal Crematorium in Sanam Luang will be open to visitors from 1 to 30 November from 7 am to 10 pm.
• Skytrain BTS in Bangkok will be free all day on October 26th. 25 and 27 October free trips will be on routes from On Nut to Samrong and Wongwian Yai to Bang Wa.
• The BRT bus service from Sathon to Ratchapreuk will be free from 25 to 27 October 2017.

Schedule of funeral events

the 25th of October: a royal merit ceremony will take place to mark the start of the royal cremation ceremony at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Room in the Grand Palace.

October 26: The body of the late King will be transferred from the Throne Room to the royal crematorium in Sanam Luang, where the cremation ceremony will take place.

27th October: after the cremation, a ceremony will take place to collect the royal relics of the late King in the royal crematorium.

28 of October: a ritual rite for royal relics will take place in the Throne Room of Dusit Maha Prasat.

29th of October: at 10:30 am, a ceremony will be held to secure the royal relics in the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Room, and the ashes of the late king will be kept separately at the two temples of Wat Rajabopit and Wat Bowon Niwet.

FAQ

Question: Can I attend the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: Literally hundreds of thousands of people will attend the funeral of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Be sure to follow the dress code, and then you can be present near the place of the cremation ceremony. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to get into a real ceremony, which will be available only by special invitations.

Question: Can I photograph the royal family and the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: Absolutely not, you can't. You must be an accredited agent of funds mass media to be able to take photos at the funeral of the King of Thailand. Not all foreign journalists working in the kingdom are ready to apply for such a permit.

Question: Will clubs and bars be closed during the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: There is no official announcement about this yet, but it is possible that on October 26th there will be a ban on the sale of alcohol. The actual cremation ceremony will take place in the evening, so it is unlikely that bars will be allowed to operate. It is also possible that there may be a ban on the sale of alcohol during the main three days of the funeral, October 25-27. We will update this information when official statements become available.

Question: Should tourists wear black during the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: You must follow the dress code, namely, be in black or gray color if you intend to attend the funeral of the King in Sanam Luang or attend one of the many ceremonies that will be held throughout the country these days.

Question: Will shopping centers be closed during the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: Large stores in Thailand rarely close. Nothing has been officially announced about this, most likely, the stores will continue to work as usual. However, in the evening, at the time of the cremation, you are unlikely to find many visitors in the shopping centers of the country. Most people will watch the ceremony royal funeral at home on TV.

Question: Will the Grand Palace be open during the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: It has been officially announced that the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace in Bangkok will be closed to the public throughout October, and will reopen at the end of the month.

Question: Will temples be open near Grand Palace such as the Reclining Buddha and the Temple of Dawn?
Answer: It is likely that they will be open as usual.

Question: Should I come to Bangkok during the funeral of the King of Thailand?
Answer: Bangkok - Big city, and there is no reason to avoid it. However, it is clear that there will be a mass gathering of people on the approaches to Sanam Luang Square, the location of the royal crematorium. Especially October 26, 2017. This also applies to the famous Khao San Road, there will definitely be a lot of people here.

Question: Will public transport in Bangkok such as skytrain, buses and boats be available as usual?
Answer: Yes, sure. Moreover, some services will either be free or will operate at reduced rates. You can learn more about the change in public transport routes in Bangkok here:.