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Published: February 2nd 2013
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Mon Woman
She spoke through my driver, Kyaw Kyaw, and answered my questions about the family. I'm having fun exploring around Hpa-an, a small town in the southeast. I hired a driver from Yangon, a soft spoken and sweet young man who drives the family car. Kyaw Kyaw's name sounds like the word for "fried", so I tried calling him "fried fried", but that was good for only one laugh. He makes me want to be a lot younger, even though I did fairly well on the big climbs that we did. He was always diplomatic about staying with me, even though he could have gone much faster.
The car is sensibly designed, with the steering wheel on the left side, rather than the right, as most vehicles have. Therefore I felt very safe as Kyaw Kyaw drove me south from Yangon on the right side of the road.
We left Kyaiktiyo a couple days ago, and have gone non stop since.
On the road south, we noticed a gaudily covered tuk tuk type thing, a funeral, he said. So we stopped to take a photo. A casket was inside, but no one was around the vehicle. Then a young woman came from the house and invited us inside to join the family.
The Hearse
The 78 year old grandmother was in a small casket inside this "hearse". What luck, Kyaw Kyaw commented. First a nat festival, now a funeral.
The 78 year old grandmother had died three days prior. What struck me is everyone there--and there must have been 30 or 40 people--was happy and joyful. They invited me to sit down inside their house and have tea. I could not refuse, of course, so about 18 women and girls sat at a long table and watched as I drank some soda and tasted the tea offerings before me as I sat on the floor. We chatted about their family--which was very large. At least 4 sisters and 6 brothers were there, and their children. They couldn't tell me how many grandchildren they had--no one had kept count. There was laughter and joking and smiles all around.
The brother of the deceased was over 80 years old and the sisters teased him to have his photo taken with me. So I played along and urged him to have his photo taken with me. He said he had to go get a shirt, first! When I stood next to him, he seemed so calm and peaceful. They invited me upstairs, where, as I understood, they had
Tea at the Funeral
Tea offerings included some pickled greens and a bean mixture. collected donations in baskets for monks on behalf of the deceased. Later that day they would go to the cemetery, where they would bury the deceased but leave no headstone.
This was a traditional Mon house, and it was big and airy. The upstairs floor was covered with mats, and this was where everyone slept.
I sense that the living arrangement contributed to the warmth and hospitality that they naturally extended to me. I felt honored to have shared, however briefly, in the funeral happenings.
Outside they had set up a temporary shelter. Back behind the house they had their outdoor kitchen, where a really huge pot of soup was cooking, and a drum of rice was prepared for the feast later. I also took a look at the family rubber making operation. Rubber trees shaded the property all around.
Before I left, they gave me a present from a couple of big bags. It was a can of soda, and a bottle of special medicine. Kyaw Kyaw told me not to eat it, which I assured him I wouldn't.
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Joanne
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Fascinating Funerals
Hi Terry! I'm so happy you got to experience this! I think funerals reveal soooo much about a culture. And that's so cool that they welcomed you into their family during this important time. I've been wondering if many people in Burma are vegetarian given their Buddhist religion. I think vegetarianism in India original came from Buddhist doctrine/philosophy about not harming animals, but it seems to have been lost elswhere in Asia where many are Buddhist but big carnivores too. Enjoy the rest of your trip! Joanne