Throwing Coins On The Street For A Funeral

[too true]

Was driving home from lunch the other day with my husband and he says "oh, there's a funeral ahead. Have you got 2 baht?" By funeral I mean a pick up truck with a coffin, not a ceremony at someone's house. So I give him the coins and as we pass the funeral procession he drops the coins on the street. I asked him, "Why did you do that?" His answer "That's just what we do." Right.....

I've never seen him or anyone else do that before, and was wondering if it's a Thai custom or is it a regional custom or is it just his own special thing to do when he passes a funeral.

We haven't got a language barrier preventing me from getting the answer. He's just generally vague about all things religious or spiritual.

Does anyone know the background behind throwing coins on the street for a funeral?

Cheers,

TT

[astral]

Never heard of that before.

In fact the exact opposite.

Once I picked up a 25 stang coin and dropped it again as not worth the bother.

My Thai stepson told me off, saying it was very rude to drop the coin as it has the King's head on it!!

[lopburi3]

I have indeed seen it done a funeral in Lopburi Province with all the village children encouraged to collect them so believe it is a custom in Central Thailand. Although this was done inside the Wat immediately prior to cementation.

[Nordlys]

I have indeed seen it done a funeral in Lopburi Province with all the village children encouraged to collect them so believe it is a custom in Central Thailand. Although this was done inside the Wat immediately prior to cementation.

I've seen this too at a funeral in Ang Thong last year. And yes, they threw coins around crematorium immediately before cremation. Never seen they do this at funerals in Bangkok.

[lungbing]

It's normal up here in Khon Kaen too. Towards the end of the funeral a tray of coins each wrapped in a twist of coloured tissue paper is thrown towards the children waiting for them. I have one such coin in the back of my wallet now from the funeral of the senior lady from my wife's family (her father's eldest brother's wife).

I have no idea why this happens, but if it doesn't happen in Bangkok with it's predominantly Chinese based culture, then it must be a Laos cultural import as it has happened at each of the 5 funerals I have been to here.

[Tingnongnoi]

ive also seen this with the coins in coloured paper at a funeral in Ubon

[camerata]

This is explained somewhere in the book, Phra Farang. I believe the throwing of coins symbolizes the fact that the deceased no longer has any need for worldly things.

[Rinrada]

When I was a kid this was quite a common pratice (Scramble)at a wedding.

All the wains-bairns -urchins would gather round the cars as they were leaving the church/chapel/syni etc and wait for the occupants to chuck a load of coins out of the windows and send everyone spralling around on the ground.

Only the strongest and fitest survived and great fun trying not to get run over by the departing vehicles....happened sometimes..

At funerals however the only punters who seemed to make any money out of it were the local priest,the gravediggers and of course the publicians.....

[AmeriThai]

I've never seen or heard that being done as the OP stated, but perhaps the idea is pretty much the same as throwing wrapped coins out to those present at various ceremonies. Sort of a merit making act of good luck on the behalf of the departed to symbolically share prosperity with others who find the coins. Or it may have been an opportune way of doing something with those one baht coins that always seem to pile up and are hard to get rid of.

[too true]

I've also seen it done at the ceremony, but we were at a traffic light turning right and passed the coffin carrying truck which was turning left - we weren't even part of the funeral.

Anyway, asked around some more yesterday and was told that people do it to offer something to the deceased so he/she doesn't decide to stay with us. I guess since we passed the truck on its way to the crematorium my husband figured there was a chance that the spirit could latch on to us and come home with us and not be sent on his/her merry spirit way.

Still, it's interesting to learn about the different funeral customs in Thailand.

Cheers,

TT

[nonthaburial]

Have witnessed this done in the Philippines also