Cremation day ...

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Geo: 16.392, 103.924

My first visitor this morning id Jai's son Boy who had arrived with Jiap last night.
I was hoping for a cold morning and a cool day as we will be out in the sun for most of the afternoon I guess but no such luck. BY 07:00 I can already tell that it is going to be a hot one.
Oh well, its cremation day. Makes it sound like a Hollywood movie and I am sure that many of the things that happen today will be surreal enough not to look out of place on screen.
I know that everyone is due to leave Bepat's house just after 12:00 and I have tailored my morning to this timescale.
About 09:30 Jai's brother Sai and his family from next door all leave and ask if I am coming but to the best of my knowledge nothing is happening yet this morning so I stay at our house out of the way. Later I discover that four of the family are becoming monks for the day, something that usually happens at funerals. They were leaving to witness the ceremony of the having their heads shaved and being presented with their robes. I have missed this ceremony on a number of occasions in the past ad it looks as though I have missed it again now.
About 11:00 Jai, Jiap and Fin arrive to get ready and I keep out of the way of a busy bathroom until they leave and go back to Bepat's. I make myself some lunch, shower, change and am ready to leave. I had decided to wear socks and shoes today for the first time in 6 months but as I step out of the house the entire sole drops off one of my shoes. Oh well, back to sandals I guess.
Get to Bepat's about 12:00 just as the monks are arriving, complete with their new additions, for a bit of chanting before leaving the house. A group of chaps carry the obviously heavy coffin out to a pick-up truck and load it on the back for the drive to the crematorium. Normally, at this point, a length of blessed string is attached to the pick-up and everyone holds on to the sting and leads the coffin out of the village. This doesn't appear to be happening today though.
Things have changed a lot in the 10 years or so that I have been here. The used to cremate people on a wood pyre in a small clearing in the woods back then. It seemed a lovely send-off but I guess wasn't that practical. They now have a proper crematorium that Khamnadie shares with several other villages, still set amongst the trees where this has always happened.
I take the bike to keep my independence and follow everyone the few km out of the village.
The pick-up carrying the coffin stops short and everyone leads it along the track for the final few hundred yards and then on three circuits of the building.
I find a chair that is almost in the shade and wait for the proceedings to start. As well as the 'monks for the day', Fin and a couple of others are all dressed in white like the female monks here – mair chi – and will take place in the ceremonies. Fin is still a bit scared when she comes to our house that Jai's mum's spirit is still floating around somewhere so it will be interesting to see how she deals with confronting a dead body.
Bepat's son Kay wanted a ‘posh do' so has invited a load of local dignitaries who along with doctors, schoolteachers, etc all turn up in uniforms bedecked with medals. Everyone here seems to have a uniform and they must give out medals for reading, writing and cycling proficiency !
The monks start things off with more chanting then people are presented to the nobs, speeches are made and group photos taken in front of the crematorium. I have been to a few funerals here now and they have all been nice simple affairs but not today I fear. It all seems a bit false and I don't like it at all. An important nob is due to arrive at some point but I haven't been able to find out who he is and no-one seems to know when he will be coming so I guess it's going to be a long, hot, afternoon.
The small coffin is removed from its refrigerated outer and is opened. Everyone now walks past the coffin pouring water from coconuts over Bepat. Don't know the significance of this although water in this context is seen as a ritual cleanser so that's probably it – looks like a job for Google at some time. The monks lead off and I am surprised when Fin doesn't flinch when it comes to her turn. It's not everyday you get to pour water on a dead person so I join Jai in the queue and say a final goodbye to Bepat.
The coffin is covered again and carried up the stairs of the crematorium and placed next to the oven. We have all been given small paper flowers that we will lay against the coffin when it is time for it to enter the oven later.
It is now time for the top nob to come – or is it ? The family and lesser nobs line up besides a red carpet to await his arrival. They then have to stand in the hot sun for 30mins whilst he is probably sat comfy in aircon with a cold drink watching TV somewhere. He finally arrives with an escort, walks slowly past the family line-up, places his flowers and incense then takes a seat in the shade – job done.
Time for a few more speeches and group photos then some presents are given out. New robes to the monks, cash to the village schools etc then I think that the tosh is just about over.
The monks start things off again by filing past the coffin and laying their flowers and incense. This is normally followed by everyone who is present in an orderly two by two queue. But not today. I think that most people have had enough and just want to get things over with and there is a scramble like the first day of the January sales as people push to get up the stairs. I get carried along in the mass, leave my flower, collect a token gift on leaving – today it's an umbrella ? – then back to my seat whilst everyone else walks through.
Its all just about finished now and Jai leaves with most of the family to go back to Bepat's to get ready for everyone descending on the house to be fed, nobs and all, and probably about 200 people in total.
I stay at the crematorium with Jiap to witness the coffin go into the oven. They have an unusual way of lighting the oven here. Why just press a button when you can fire a couple of rockets into the oven instead ! A wire passes overhead from the rear of the clearing and the rockets are shot along the line. A bang comes from behind us and the first rocket makes it way across the clearing and to a tree on the edge where it fizzes for a while before exploding. The explosion lights a second rocket which flies overhead and into the oven. It too fizzes for a moment before it explodes and ignites the oven and the door is closed.
We bike back to the village and I drop Jiap off at Bepat's before I go back to our house for a shower and cool down.
About 20mins later I walk to Bepat's and am greeted by a couple of old ladies who are welcoming everyone with the traditional string bracelet blessing. I find Jai sat at a table and join the group to eat.
With the food finished the nobs and most of the other people leave. I help with clearing up; taking down the tables, stacking hundreds of chairs etc. For the first time this week a few bottles of beer ad dodgy whisky arrive and, as I have been ‘working', I am forced to join the chaps for a couple of drinks.
I thought that was it, done and dusted, but no. Apparently the monks will continue to come to the house each evening for the next three days. We return to our house to shower and change then back to Bepat's in time for the monks leaving Jiap in bed trying to catch up on her sleep after her drive from Bangkok yesterday.
It is just a small family gathering tonight so I place myself in the doorway where I can get a good look at proceedings having kept myself out of the way so far this week.
With the monks finished and gone it is time to eat yet again. I give it a miss and return to our house for a cup of tea and bed.

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