What is the purpose of funerals?

[loong]

I am told that funerals that last 3, 5 days or more are for merit making. I assume merit making for the deceased.

Can any of the experts in this forum please explain to me how bombarding the neighbourhood with noise for up to 24 hours a day for 5 days makes merit?

How does having a load of drunkards gambling until they pass out make merit?

I may have a lower tolerance of noise than most Thais, but I know for a fact that many Thais are annoyed by the constant noise. But nobody will complain, it is a funeral after all.

It seems to me that annoying neighbours by playing music at extremely loud volumes would not make merit, but a de-merit.

It almost tickles me that with the Grand Patriarch dying, entertainment venues are ordered not to play loud music.

That suggests to me that playing loud music during a period of mourning is considered disrespectful.

Sometimes, if there is space available, part of the wake/funeral will include a mobile movie theatre that shows movies with a volume that can be heard 5 km away and rattles the windows of any nearby house until 4 or 5 AM.

The movies invariably consist of lots of explosions, machine gun fire, violence and death. Is that really suitable for a funeral?

As you probably realise, I have one of these noisy parties going on near me at the moment.

[hookedondhamma]

? I think there will be noise and parties even if there wasn't a funeral. Drunkards as well.

Merit making has nothing to do with those, I believe. Sometimes anything can be an excuse to have 'fun.'

I think your options are limited in getting away from it completely. I always keep earplugs with me, you could try that??

[transam]

Party time............. ..........?

[qdinthailand]

I don't get the OP's question.

First - his bias shows through immediately. It is not a funeral! Funerals are a western - probably Christian - thing.

Second - you have no cultural awareness. You complain about the burial traditions of your adopted country?

Third - do you live in an area that people are dying every day? You make it sound like you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, what with all the death happening around you.

Or you just complaining about a once or twice occurrence in the past year or few?

I just don't get it.

[manarak]

OP, I think the funeral festivities have more to do with face than with merit.

Just another good occasion to show the whole village how much money one can spend.

[revar]

In our village and in many other small villages:

The 3+ days are to allow lots of family and friends from far away to pay their respects. Feeding them is expected and lots of people from the village (Including me) help. Sometimes beer and 40 are served. The 'village police' keep things in check if its big.It ends around 22.00 or earlier. The only loud noise are the monks chanting when they visit each day. We have these several times a month(Lots of old people in our village). Sometimes the family want something bigger with a movie screen and music. In that case there are policemen from the Ampeuh present and arrest troublemakers.

If you and others have a problem with many loud parties of any type, talk to the Village head, PuhJaay baan. If he is the problem, the head-monk might also help.

Sent from my i-mobile i-style 7.1 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Bosse137]

I don't get the OP's question.

First - his bias shows through immediately. It is not a funeral! Funerals are a western - probably Christian - thing.

Second - you have no cultural awareness. You complain about the burial traditions of your adopted country?

Third - do you live in an area that people are dying every day? You make it sound like you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, what with all the death happening around you.

Or you just complaining about a once or twice occurrence in the past year or few?

I just don't get it.

"What is the purpose of funerals" What is it you do not understand? Seems to be the word "funerals" that confuses you,even though we all,including you,seems to understand what OP means..

Second-Do you call drunkeness and gambling cultural? Oh,well...Traditional,may be.. Third_ I don`t know where YOU live,but in my village,there are "burials" (ok?) every week,often more than once a week actually. And weddings.And celebrations of this and that.Never a dull moment.After more than 20 years,I have become somewhat immun to all the noise.As have the villagers,I guess.

[Theo007]

I don't get the OP's question.

First - his bias shows through immediately. It is not a funeral! Funerals are a western - probably Christian - thing.

Second - you have no cultural awareness. You complain about the burial traditions of your adopted country?

Third - do you live in an area that people are dying every day? You make it sound like you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, what with all the death happening around you.

Or you just complaining about a once or twice occurrence in the past year or few?

I just don't get it.

Think perhaps you might understand the problem if you were a next door neighbour, lol!

[Jawnie]

Doesn't sound like a funeral to me. Evidently, what may have started out as a funeral got co-opted by the self-denial, self-indulgent, clueless party crowd.

[Torrens54]

Do you think you are going to get people to change?

Stop grizzling, no one held a gun at your head and forced you to come to Thailand, or did they?

[fabianfred]

A lot of things which have become common practice are now classed as tradition by those who enjoy them.... and the monks will not complain as they don't want to annoy their main benefactors.

It needs a strong abbot from the start who tells his villagers what he considers acceptable and what not.

It is usual for some villagers to stay up all night guarding the coffin and funeral area and they often gamble and drink. Funerals are seen as a good chance for free drink by the village drunks.

If poor people hold their funeral at the temple instead of at their home, the abbot should prohibit gambling and drinking...but often isn't brave enough.

[jmdf103]

Do you think you are going to get people to change?

Stop grizzling, no one held a gun at your head and forced you to come to Thailand, or did they?

buddhism was brought to thailand by foreignors

[qdinthailand]

I don't get the OP's question.

First - his bias shows through immediately. It is not a funeral! Funerals are a western - probably Christian - thing.

Second - you have no cultural awareness. You complain about the burial traditions of your adopted country?

Third - do you live in an area that people are dying every day? You make it sound like you haven't had a good nights sleep in weeks, what with all the death happening around you.

Or you just complaining about a once or twice occurrence in the past year or few?

I just don't get it.

"What is the purpose of funerals" What is it you do not understand? Seems to be the word "funerals" that confuses you,even though we all,including you,seems to understand what OP means..

Second-Do you call drunkeness and gambling cultural? Oh,well...Traditional,may be.. Third_ I don`t know where YOU live,but in my village,there are "burials" (ok?) every week,often more than once a week actually. And weddings.And celebrations of this and that.Never a dull moment.After more than 20 years,I have become somewhat immun to all the noise.As have the villagers,I guess.

Tradition, sort of like this?

[qdinthailand]

Do you think you are going to get people to change?

Stop grizzling, no one held a gun at your head and forced you to come to Thailand, or did they?

buddhism was brought to thailand by foreignors

same for Christianity! so the problem is the religion, or the foreigners?

[fvw53]

I prefer strippers at funerals

http://blogs.funeralwise.com/dying/2010/07/26/stripper-funerals-in-china-naked-funeral-directors-in-america/

[camerata]

In our village and in many other small villages:

The 3+ days are to allow lots of family and friends from far away to pay their respects. Feeding them is expected and lots of people from the village (Including me) help. Sometimes beer and 40 are served. The 'village police' keep things in check if its big.It ends around 22.00 or earlier. The only loud noise are the monks chanting when they visit each day. We have these several times a month(Lots of old people in our village). Sometimes the family want something bigger with a movie screen and music. In that case there are policemen from the Ampeuh present and arrest troublemakers.

If you and others have a problem with many loud parties of any type, talk to the Village head, PuhJaay baan. If he is the problem, the head-monk might also help.

Sent from my i-mobile i-style 7.1 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Good post. In Bangkok, it is quite common for funerals to last 7 days. The purpose of the funeral is to give support to the deceased's family, I've been told. Everyone gives some money to the family, and the family have to feed everyone.

I haven't experienced loud music or alcohol at funerals, but I imagine upcountry they make a party out of it.

[beautifulthailand99]

I had heard that the party atmosphere is to keep bad spirits away - rather like fireworks in Chinese temples. I'm sure the OP's funeral will be a quiet affair though so he may finally get what he wishes for - albeit a tad late.

[beautifulthailand99]

.my browser is playing -up deleted duplicate post.

Edited October 31, 2013 by beautifulthailand99