Thai funeral rites in late modernity

Abstract

For at least 700 years, the ancient Siamese and modern Thai people have been conducting funerals. These often end with the cremation of the body. The length of the Buddhist wake depends on the social status of the deceased and his or her wealth. Also, for the descendants of the Tai speakers across Southeast Asia, the words and phrases used in ancient Siamese funerals and modern Thai ones have been deeply intertwined with Tai language, Standard Thai Language, Buddhist rites, and Theravada Buddhist scripture from the Pali canon. The objective of this paper is to convey a narrative snapshot of the nature of Thai funerals as they are practiced today via personal experiences and the existing scholarship by local and farang academics. The paper concludes with the meanings that have come to attach themselves to the fascinating world of modern Thai funerals.