Recently I have noticed that several cultural tradition share the same idea of remembering dead relatives and sending them good vibes or symbolic messages with gifts. Last month of October seemed to have encompass the Chinese, Thai and north-eastern tradition of performing some kinds of ceremonies for dead relatives and family members. The funny thing was that they all took place on the same day on the lunar calendar! These different ceremonies went back over thousand years. There must have been some cultural exchanges in ancient days gone by.
The coronavirus situation made it difficult for me to get together with my long lost Chinese relatives with whom I have recently connected. The usual Buddhist ceremony I did almost every year did not sync with my schedule so I opted for the most convenient solution. I went to make merit at Wat Hualamphong where people could go to donate money for buying simple wooden coffins and funeral cloth for poor dead people without any relatives.
This temple (or wat) is well known for its support for donating free coffins to poor dead people and the charity has a wide network of volunteers in many cities. It was originally started by an immigrant Chinese merchant who wanted to help poor Chinese workers who died all alone without friends or relatives who could not afford a to arrange funeral ceremonies. This has grown over the years into a well respected charity with many VIPs and film stars as occasional volunteers.
I went to the temple in the evening hoping to avoid traffic, but I was amazed by the crowd waiting to donate money for coffins. Many people felt the same need to do something good for the remembrance of loved ones. I often felt quite guilty when I realised that I was too busy with daily routine and struggles that I forgot to reflect on their memories and good deeds. I did not mean to be ungrateful but it felt that way somehow. As Buddhists we are supposed to make merits for the spirits of dead members of our families at least once a month on Buddhist holy days. But we always have the excuse of being too busy.
That was probably why there were so many people waiting patiently for their turns to donate money for free coffins for the poor. We would be given a pink paper slip and an orange receipt for our donation. The pink paper is for writing our name before sticking it to the coffin in the next hall. People could be seen brushing the home-made rice glue on the pink slips before sticking them on the sides of coffins.
We do take this small ceremony seriously. Some people could be seen doing a long prayer in front of the coffin. I would quiet myself down so I could ‘talk’ or send my messages that I was sending this merit to my dead relatives and hoping that this ceremony would help them to reincarnate into a higher realm or dimension. We believe that there is a pause period for most dead people’ spirits before they would be reborn again. There are cases of exceptions which sounds rather too complicated and long for this post.
Then, people would proceed to the shrine hall where several sacred Chinese deities have been gathered for people to pay their respect to or ask for assistance. With the coronavirus situation, some procedures had been curtailed: burning incense has been banned, which is a very good idea for health and safety reason. I could see that most people’s faces reflected unhappiness and anxiety as a result of the pandemic. But they had expressed so much patience and forbearance.
To complete the ceremony, people would burn the orange receipt in the big brass bowl while saying some prayer. Then they could pay respect to some deities and ask for their blessings. The donation could be from a few cents to any amount; people would say it is the intention that counts. So, this temple has offered a charitable place for people who need to do some good deeds or repay old debts as a safety valve for their mental appeasement. We all hope that our loved ones would receive all the goodness that we have sent through this ceremony.
เดือนก่อนเราไปทำบุญโรงศพที่วัดหัวลำโพง เพราะว่าปีนี้เราไม่สะดวกที่จะไปทำบุญที่วัดเหมือนทุกปีที่ผ่านมา ปีนี้มีเหตุการณ์ที่ไม่คาดคิดเกิดขึ้นหลายอย่าง ทำให้ชีวิตของคนเปลี่ยนไปมากมาย ทุกคนได้รับผลกระทบไม่ทางตรงก็ทางอ้อม มีคนเสียศูนย์มาก ความทุกข์ยากเกิดขึ้น ทุกคนต้องการทางออก ทางหนึ่งคือการทำบุญแผ่เมตตา พอดีเราต้องทำบุญให้ญาติพี่น้องที่เสียไปแล้ว เราก็ไปวัดหัวลำโพงเพื่อทำบุญดีกว่า
เราพยายามเลี่ยงรถติดและผู้คนโดยการไปตอนช่วงเย็น แต่เราต้องแปลกใจที่เห็นคนมาเข้าแถวคอยบริจาคเงินจนล้นห้อง โชคดีที่ทุกคนใจเย็นและคอยกันอย่างเป็นระเบียบ ดูเหมือนว่าคนตั้งใจมาทำบุญจริงๆ ส่วนหนึ่งคงเป็นเพราะต้องการแก้เคล็ดหรือเพื่อเป็นที่พึ่งทางใจ ส่วนหนึ่งคงมาทำบุญให้ผู้ที่ล่วงลับไปแล้วเหมือนเรา พอดีเดือนก่อนเป็นช่วงเวลาที่ชาวจีนและไทยต่างมีพืธีทำบุญให้วิญญาณคนที่ตายไปแล้วปีละครั้ง ที่อีสานก็มีพิธีท้องถิ่นแบบนี้เหมือนกัน เราก็เลยไปทำบุญโรงศพแทนการไปทำบุญที่วัดในปีนี้
เวลาทำบุญเราจะได้กระดาษสองแผ่นกลับมา แผ่นหนึ่งมีสีชมพูสำหรับให้เราเขียนชื่อและอาจจะเขียนชื่อผู้ที่เราทำบุญไปให้ก็ได้ ส่วนอีกแผ่นหนึ่งสีส้มเอาไว้ตอนท้ายพิธี เราต้องเอากาวเปียกทาที่แผ่นสีชมพูเพื่อเอาไปแปะที่โรงศพในห้องโถงใหญ่ เมื่ออธิษฐานเสร็จก็ไปไหว้พระไหว้เทพเจ้าจีนในศาลาจีน เพื่อขอพรและขอให้คุ้มครองดูแลให้ปลอดภัย แล้วก็ไปเผากระดาษสีส้มในกระถางทองเหลืองใบใหญ่ คล้ายกับการกรวดน้ำในทางพุทธศาสนา ทุกคนก็แสดงความตั้งใจจริงในการอุทิศส่วนบุญไปให้กับคนที่ล่วงลับไปแล้ว เราก็หวังว่าเทพเจ้าทั้งหลายจะช่วยปกป้องให้ประเทศไทยคลาดแคล้วจากภยันตรายและอริราชศัตรูทั้งปวง
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.
#marketfriday created by @dswigle.
Interesting. When I was in Bangkok last year our friends translated some letters I kept from my mothers relatives. they were written in the sixties to my mother after she left for Canada. One letter said something about my grandmother going to the capital to make merit. I really didn't totally understand it but this must be the same as what she did.
Take care.
That could be possible as that temple is very well known and popular.
But some people like to have private ceremony performed by monks in a temple with formal chanting.
If you would like to have this for your loved ones, I could suggest how you could go about this in Bangkok one day.
Strange that in pretty much every religion it is this time of year that the dead are remembered. Catholic countries are 1st of November (all saints day). Here in France people often make trips to graveyards on or around this date to visit their relatives (the sale of horrible plastic flowers is very popular to decorate the graves). This is why Halloween is on the 31st October. I assume it is something to do with the change in the seasons.
This seems to be a common thread in the world, at this time of the year. Remembering out relatives who have passed through this world on to the next. This year was especially poignant for me with losing my brother.
I love the idea of paying into the fund for those less fortunate. Everyone deserves a decent burial, not everyone can afford one. That was so gracious of you and honestly, I have learned so much today about this custom. This is such a fabulously well-written post @kaminchan. Every post that comes from you is nothing short of awesome. I hope that many read this and learn a little something about your culture. It is a remarkable culture that has survived millions of rotations.
I have done my first reading all of the #MarketFriday posts, which I normally do before I comment on any. It has been my habit since the beginning of the challenge. I have told all of you how humbled I am, so many people taking the time to put a quality post together, so that we may share with each other.
To this day, I learn something new each time I read your post, sometimes only a small detail is new, but, it is a process, like building with blocks. Each time, more blocks are added until I understand how it is built, or how you think. Your culture is one to be proud of and I am so excited to learn more each week. I am fascinated by it all. I never like to miss anything on it. I cannot even begin to tell you how much they mean to me, that you take the time. There have been some really interesting ways that #MarketFriday has been presented, all of which add more charm to the mixing bowl. The challenge points out our differences, but, then, it also shows many things our cultures share. When the day is done, it shows off how human we all are and how we basically all care about our families and others.
I love the experience of it all. I appreciate the love and support given to #MarketFriday! Thank you! Truly! Your participation adds a piece of your world, and I have to say, people are interested in is seeing it. This entire challenge has opened up the world to me and so many others. Thank you again for being a part of all this! I am so happy to see you here@ I hope you have a fabulous day! Hive on!!
Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:
How to Participate:
Go to the market! Any market will do! Food, clothing, plant, or animal, if you wish. You can go to the zoo, an art auction, and restaurants. Anywhere or anything that you pay money for any kind of service.
Take pictures! Be creative! It’s fun!
Tell us a little bit about the market, what brought you here?
Post the picture.(s)
Don’t forget to use the MarketFriday Community #196308 to post from or hashtag it! #MarketFriday by @dswigle If you hashtag it, drop the link to your post here so I can easily find them.
As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!
Upped and reposted
!tip .20
Thank you so much for your kind attention and generosity to all of us in this tag community. You have been a shining example of how we could make a small difference in this world with compassion and kindness.
I do hope the overall energetic atmosphere has much improved for you and that the warm sunshine and colourful flowers surround you always.
Wishing you a very smooth and pleasant week.
🎁 Hi @kaminchan! You have received 0.2 HIVE tip from @dswigle!
Check out @dswigle blog here and follow if you like the content :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide.
Thank you very much for the kind tip!