Cambodian Death / Funeral Rituals
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How we deal with the reality that a person of social and personal importance will no longer be around however is vastly different throughout the world.
Although there are many religions, cultural customs, and views of life throughout the world, death is generally considered a somber time across the board. How we deal with the reality that a person of social and personal importance will no longer be around however is vastly different throughout the world.
Even with religions ranging from Catholicism to Lutheranism in the United States, funeral rituals can be generalized by a service that can include a eulogy from a close friend or family member of the deceased, prayer, a viewing of the body (open or closed casket) or a display with a box or vase with the cremated ashes, an exhibit of their favorite personal property, and perhaps even a slideshow highlighting favorable moments from their life. Funerals in the United States for the most part are for celebrating the life of a loved one and saying good-bye as it is believed that they are now in heaven or hell for eternity.
Although the amount of grief Cambodians endure during death is the same as any Westerner, it has more of a positive afterthought. Because most Cambodians are Buddhist, they do not view death as the end of a person’s entire life, just the conclusion of this life cycle. Buddhists believe that life or being changes in a consecutive cycle of birth, sickness, old age, death, and rebirth or reincarnation.
When death takes place, it is important to perform Buddhist traditions properly or else it is believed that the deceased will be unable to be reborn into their next life cycle. From the beginning, a monk plays a vital role in Buddhist rituals. In more westernized religions a priest or pastor may be asked to pray with the family, where in Buddhism it is common that a monk is called upon to recite sermon at the bedside of a very sick patient to chase away bad spirits and bless the sick to recuperate. A monk is usually at the bedside of a dying person to prepare them for the next life. It’s very important that a monk be at the place of death if possible. It is believed that this is where the soul exits the body but stays nearby in a state of confusion and fear. The monk calms the soul.
When westerners think of death, it is relatively very open and shut where rituals are concerned. A person dies, their family plans a funeral and/or wake, and the physical rituals are over. Although it may take a week or so to organize, it is a fairly quick ritual, lasting only one day. In Cambodia, the process is a bit more hands on as well as longer, and it is much more precise among Buddhist believers. In western culture, the family is usually given responsibility of decisions regarding the body and arrangements. In Cambodia however, the family takes care of everything, including the physical care of the body. They bring the body home where it is washed, dressed, and placed into a coffin. The body can’t be dissected, embalmed, and organs can’t be donated— it is believed that these would affect the rebirth.
Imagine being in your home for a whole week while the body of your deceased loved one is on display in the front room. Most families can hardly handle the one-day of public mourning— not to mention the smell that a dead body would create, but in Cambodia the body is traditionally kept inside the house for seven days (sometimes longer) before it is cremated, but it is common today that it is only kept for three days, each of which a monk recites sermon by the body. On the third or seventh day, a funeral is organized so that the body can be carried to the temple before it is cremated nearby or on temple grounds.
The funeral procession consists of Buddhist monks, family members, and an achar (priest). Unlike the US, where pallbearers are usually family members, other mourners escort the coffin to the temple. The children and spouse shave their head and wear white clothing to mourn their loved one. In Cambodia, white is the color of mourning, where in contrast the United States recognizes black as the traditional color worn to mourn the deceased.
In westernized culture, there is an anniversary of death, but it is not a celebration. People usually take a trip to the cemetery and leave flowers on the deceased’s grave and sometimes spend time with other family members. But Buddhist rituals include a funeral (or remembrance ceremony) that is held on the seventh or one-hundredth day after death, held at a temple or home.
When westerners decide whether to cremate or bury the body, it is often swayed a little by religious beliefs but it does not entail why the choice is selected. In Buddhism it is believed that cremation lets the soul part from the body, where it goes to heaven or hell awaiting reincarnation. After cremation the ashes are often kept in a stupa on temple grounds, where they are close to Buddha and monks (it is believed that they will be reincarnated sooner). Although some keep the ashes at home, not many westerners have such religious reasons for keeping ashes on mantles in their homes. Some even have a part of the deceased’s bone or tooth that they wear around their neck so that they have their ancestor’s protection.
While there are many differences in westernized funeral rituals with those of Cambodians, death is never a very happy time. All kinds of people are filled with grief when a loved one passes away, but the way in which the deceased is celebrated is immensely different.
Contributed by jessica_ledford
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