Runny Noses & Dirty Faces - Children

Bringing Home the Harvest in Upper Mustang

It has been quite a while since I last posted on this blog.  I had been preoccupied with many activities.

My biggest and most enjoyable activity, was a tour of the Former Kingdom of Lo in the Upper Mustang region of northern Nepal.  It was a truly trip of a lifetime.  There were many photography opportunities that I took full advantage of.

A Runny Nose Greeting

Many of my photographs from the Nepal journey were of children - children photos that compliment my most popular photo gallery, "Runny Noses & Dirty Faces - Children", on my personal website.

Thirty-three selected photos from Nepal have been added to the gallery - pages 25 and 26.

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Children/Runny-Noses-and-Dirty-Faces

These photographs capture moments in the life of many independent and self confident little people that experience a life much different from what most of us are accustomed to or, for some, are comfortable with.

Kahn Ha Kahn Phet - A Child's Contrition

This past Sunday was quite a busy day for my wife and me out at Wat Pha That Nong Mat.  I had expected to witness and photograph the daily ritual of offering food to the Monks, a special ritual associated with casting a statue of a Naga, and the actual casting of the statue. I also had the unexpected opportunity to witness and photograph Ajahn Ott creating two Sak Yant tattoos on a young Monk. However, the biggest surprise of the day for me, and even more so my wife was a special Thai ritual called "Kahn Ha Kahn Phet"  My spelling may be off because Romanicing Thai words is very difficult and flexible not to mention comprehending Thai words with the five different tonal versions of many words with each way having a completely different meaning.  I confirmed twice with Duang that I had heard and comprehended "Kahn Ha Kahn Phet" properly.

Kahn Ha Kahn Phet is a Thai ritual for sons and daughters to apologize and atone for transgressions against their parents.  Respect for one's parents is a cornerstone of Thai society.  I have often been reminded of that by Duang but I won't get into those details!  Duang does not gossip about people and is very tolerant.  However I have many times observed her disdain for people who do not take care or respect their parents.

On our visits to hospitals, she has often rhetorically asked me the question why some elderly person was at the hospital alone to see the doctor and not accompanied by a son or daughter.  Often she has answered her question by pointing out to me that their family do "not have good heart".

Duang's daughter and her boyfriend had been visiting Thasang Village for 10 days.  She is thirty-three years old and expecting her third child.  Since she was in high school, her relationship with Duang has been as some people state "it's complicated".  She has been very busy recently with the pregnancy, relocating with her boyfriend to Rayong, and the imminent death of her father due to cancer.

After the pouring of the concrete for the Naga statue had been completed, the young Monks and young male laypeople were occupied casting small detail pieces required to complete the assembly of the statue.  Ajahn Ott and Por Tong (the Abbott from the rustic Wat near our home) were relaxing under the shade trees along with Duang, me and several of the women who had participated in the casting ritual.  After a while, Por Tong motioned to me to take some photographs and pointed to Duang who was seated upon a saht at my side.  I did not understand but who was I to question a Monk?  I turned to look at Duang and prepared to take some photographs.  I noticed that Duang's daughter approaching Duang carrying an ornate offering bowl filled with offerings.

She reverently knelt before Duang and offered up the bowl to Duang.  As Duang accepted the bowl, Pell bowed before her mother and asked for forgiveness for having lied and being disrespectful to her.

Duang was just as surprised as I was.  However, Por Tong, Duang's pahn sii kwan teacher and the other people from the rustic Wat near our home were not surprised.  This was not a spur of the moment act.  It apparently been planned and arranged by Pell.  Pell had contacted Duang's friend and teacher to help make the offerings that were presented in the bowl to Duang.

Inside of the ornate pressed metal offering bowl were 13 cones constructed from banana leaves.  The 13 cones were segregated into two groups - one group of 5 and the other group of 8.  The configuration was not by chance or without significance.  "5" signifies the "5 Precepts" of Buddhism while "13" signifies "The Noble Eightfold Path".

The "5 Precepts" of Buddhism are refraining from:

1.         harming living things  
2.         taking what is not given
3.         sexual misconduct
4.         lying or gossip
5.         taking intoxicating substances such as drugs or drink

The "Noble Eightfold Path" is considered to be the means to end suffering, pain, and unsatisfactoriness.  The path is:

1.           right view
2.           right resolve
3.           right speech
4.           right conduct
5.           right livelihood
6.           right effort
7.           right mindfulness
8.           right concentration

Each of the 13 cones contained 3 joss sticks (incense), 2 white candles, and "dogmai" - floral buds (white jasmine).

Three is also extremely important in Buddhism.  First and most, 3 represents the Triple Gem of Buddhism - Buddha, The Teachings of Buddha, and the Buddhist Religious Community (Sanga).  There are also three roots of evil - greed, hatred, and delusion. There are 3 characteristics of existence too - suffering, impermanence, and enlightenment. The Noble Eightfold Path has 3 divisions - Wisdom, Moral virtue, and Meditation.

Two represents the "2 Truths" of Buddhism - relative truth and absolute truth.

There is a great use of symbolism in the Thai culture.  It is often the stitching that binds the cultural fabric of society.

After Duang had accepted the offering and her daughter's apology, Pell washed her mother's hands as her son Peelawat watched.

The act of washing her mother's hands was a demonstration and affirmation of Pell's promise to no longer lie or yell at her mother anymore - to properly respect her.

It was a very touching and moving ritual.  It was greatly appreciated and celebrated.  If farmers are not the greatest optimists in this world, it must be mothers.

I sometimes grouse about the tendency today for many American parents to solve their children's problems.  It is extremely important for children to solve their problems on their own without adult interference.  The interpersonal skills and techniques developed in childhood solving their own problems will form the foundation for them to become success and content adults.  They need at the earliest of age to understand and accept that are empowered and obligated to resolve their own conflicts.  The tendency today to identify just about everyone as a victim and teaching them to be dependent upon others for resolution and protection is a dangerous process. 

I share my observations from overseas experiences to provide insights as to how other cultures address issues and concerns that are common to all of us.

The Kahn Ha Kahn Phet ritual, a public act of humility, is a method used in Thailand to resolve conflict between children and their parents.  Humility is a trait lacking too often in today's society.  It is a very powerful trait.  Humility is often the path to forgiveness.

School Is Back In Session

Hoisting the flag at Thasang Village Elementary School

Yesterday was the first full day of the new school year here in Northeast Thailand. I ended up at Thasang Village Elementary School just before the start of the school day.  I was attending a religious event at the house behind the school and planned my arrival to coincide with the start of day activities at the school.

Thasang Village Elementary School

The elementary school that Duang attended for four years and the school that is still used for six grade levels is located on the main road just outside of Thasang Village.  When Duang went to school, students started school when they became seven years old.  Today the children start when they are three years old.  The school is comprised of several buildings.  There is the main classroom building - an elevated 8 room wood structure.  There is an assembly hall about 10 meters by 10 meters square with a tile floor at grade that is also used as the 3 and 4 year old classroom.  There is a library building similar to the assembly hall but smaller.  There is a kitchen building.  There is a bathroom building.  A large playing field separates the school building from the road.  The school is typical of the schools scattered amongst the villages throughout Isaan.



This year, forty of Tahsang Village's children attend the school.  They are instructed by 4 teachers (a couple of teachers instruct in more than one class at a time), a Principal, a Deputy Principal and acting Nurse, and Administrative person.

There are some differences in this typical Isaan school and public schools in the USA.  Outside of the building there is a Buddhist shrine near the flagpole.  In the classrooms there is a religious Buddhist picture alongside a photograph of the King and a picture of the Thai flag. The Buddhist religion is an integral component of Thai daily living, Thai government, and Thai education.

Although 97% Buddhist and with Buddhism being the official state religion, Thailand is tolerant of other faiths.  I have seen and visited Catholic, and Protestant churches along with Hindu temples.  I have seen many Mosques and I have seen Mormon missionaries out and about Udon Thani on their bicycles.

Elementary schools in Isaan are constructed out of wood rather than steel, brick and concrete.  The schools here do not have air conditioning which makes sense because the schools do not have glass in their windows or ceiling insulation or even insulation in the walls.  The windows in the school do not have screens either.  There are a couple small fans in the class room to move the air around - just as in the student's homes.  The floors of the school are wide wood planking - I suspect teak wood.  The floors are smooth from many years of many students walking over them.

There is a TV mounted in a sturdy steel frame on the classroom wall so that media can be integrated into the teaching program.  There was also an old desktop computer on the teacher's desk of the classrooms.

The classrooms are illuminated by a couple of bare florescent tube lights - no reflectors or diffuser grids - just a bare tube - like in the student's home.  The school roof is corrugated steel with no sound damping application which must make for difficult hearing during downpours.  The classroom furniture is heavy wood and utilitarian.  I suspect that some of the chairs and desks that Duang used over 40 years ago are still being used.  As in so many aspects of Lao Loum culture here in Isaan, the schools fully utilize what is available and take care of what they have.  There is a focus on items being "fit for purpose" rather than "stylish" or "modern".

After parking my truck in front of the school, I was soon surrounded by some of my young friends from the village - Tey, Fugh, Nong Kem, Pizza, Eat, Omsim, and Care.



While older students were busy sweeping out the classrooms and corridor of the school, the younger children were free to play.

Omsim made it a point to show me what she could do with the playground equipment.

The playground equipment was quite rudimentary but fit for purpose.  There is plenty of ground for the children to run around - flat ground - dirt and some grass.  There is a small section that is paed over with concrete with a basketball hoop at each end.  There is also a soccer goal with tattered netting at each end.

There is a run set up similar to the tires that American football players run through during training.  However rather than being constructed of car or truck tires, this running maze is made out of recycled motorcycle tires painted with bright colors and bound together with parachute cord.  Little Omsim ran through the maze like a little champ!

Perhaps the most popular equipment was a series of wood columns of different heights and spacing driven into the ground.  Each of the columns was painted with a different bright color.  It was so much fun that even I gave it a try.  However my knees and tentative sense of balance reminded me that it has been a long time since I was in elementary school and that this piece of equipment is meant for children.

Another fit for purpose and recycled piece of equipment was a climbing structure constructed out of motorcycle tires lashed together with paracord and painted with different bright colors.  It looked  like a great deal of fun but was not meant to support someone my size.

After a while, the school principal struck a metal bell, which sounded like a ship's bell, several deliberate times to signal the official start of the school day.  Three of the older students came forward to the flagpole with the Thai flag.  All the other students lined up by class on the play ground.  The younger students, wearing their distinctive school uniform - red shorts, red skirts, pale blue shirt, and smock, formed up at the left closest to the flagpole.  The other students formed up by class and separated by sex to the left of the small students.

As the Thai flag was raised, all the students sang the Thai National Anthem.

https://youtu.be/BrcGzLIEsAU?t=11s

It was quite a moving rendition of the national anthem.  The children more than compensated for their lack of singing sophistication with their energetic enthusiasm.

After completing the anthem, the student's attention became focused on the platform to the left of the flag pole. Inside of a cage on top of the platform is a statue of Buddha.  Led by one of older girls, all the students prayed and chanted.

Upon completion of the religious aspect of the start of day ceremony, the children then paid their respects to each other.  In Thailand, people demonstrate greetings and respect by performing the "wai" gesture.  The wai is performed by raising the hands in a praying position while bowing the head.  The degree the head is bowed and the height to which the hands are raised indicates the level of respect for the person and is dictated by the social status of the person that the gesture is offered to. The significance of the wai to Thai culture and social fabric is so great that children are taught how to do it starting when they are 6 months old.

After showing their respect to their classmates, the students then showed their respect to the older students and finally to their teachers.

The principal then made some announcements.  After the announcements, she had the older students pair up with the youngest students prior to all the students setting forth on "yard duty"  The students set forth about the school grounds picking up trash.

Yard Duty

After clearing the school grounds of plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic cups, scraps of paper, candy wrappers, foam containers, plastic sheeting and assorted debris, the students assembled at the edge of the playground.  One of the teachers than gave the students a lecture on recycling.  She talked about recycling plastic and glass.  The students then placed the materials in the appropriate recycling bin.

The students then proceeded to the outdoor wash station to clean their hands and. for some, play with some water before heading off to their classrooms.

Cleaning up before going to class

Just like I have written about the differences in medical care and more importantly medical care costs here in Isaan as opposed to America, I have the same conclusion regarding public education here in Isaan.  A great deal of the costs of public education in America is involved in the physical facilities as well as maintenance of those facilities.  Those costly monuments, vestiges, and trappings of the current education system do not necessarily pay dividends in the quality of the student's education. They are more resume builders and testimonials to the administrators of the local education bureaucracy.  Here in Isaan the facilities no way compare to those in the USA however the students seem to get the education that they need for this society.

School Day

Earlier this week, I spent some time in the first grade.  I did not plan on going back to school but like so many things here in Isan, it just happens and leaves you wondering how you got to be so fortunate.


My wife had gotten a phone call earlier in the morning from a relative out in Thasang Village.  A special ritual was going to take place that afternoon - a healing and fortune ceremony for some people who could not afford to go to the hospital.  The relative wanted to know if I would like to come and photograph the ritual.  I have long ago learned to take advantage of all such opportunities - it is in line with my philosophy to experience life events and locations that are "not on the tour itinerary".


It turned out that the ritual was being conducted in a home located just behind the Thasang Village Elementary School.  Duang had me park the truck at the school for convenience.


We arrived at the school, the school that Duang had attended as a child, just after their lunch.  The school has about 50 students, all from Tahsang Village.  Several children were in the process of returning to their classrooms when we got out of the truck.  We could hear the children announcing to each other excitedly about Ta Allen (Grandfather Allen) and Yai Duang (Grandmother Duang) coming to school.  Elderly people are referred to as Grandfather and Grandmother as titles of respect and endearment.  Duang told them we were going to the house behind the school as we made the very short walk across the school grounds.


We attended the ritual and I took many photographs.  After a while I had taken all the photographs that I needed.  Duang asked me if I wanted to go home but I could see that she was involved in the ritual so I said that we would leave when she was ready.  I had my own idea of how to pass the time.  I think Duang knew what I had in mind because as I was getting up from the floor, she said that I could go take photographs of the students at the school.

I walked to the front of the school and entered a large room that served as the schools auditorium but was now the first grade classroom for all 10 students.  I had entered the classroom because even though it was "nap time", Pear was fully awake and welcomed me.  I knew many of the first graders by name - they are our grandson Peelawat's cousins or best friends.

I paid my respects to the teacher who was multitasking - doing some paperwork while listening to the students one by one reading to her.  I sat on the floor and took photos of the children as they woke from their nap and set about their routines.


The class room was an open class room - literally and figuratively.  The doors on each side of the room were wide open, opening to the outside.  The windows were also open - the wood shutters secured from closing.  As is typical for village schools in Thailand, there are no glass or screens for the doors or windows.  The class rooms do not have air conditioning.  Many of the rooms, this room was one of them, do not even have ceiling mounted fans.  Besides helping with ventilation, the open doors and windows also provide illumination for the rooms.  There are not many lights in the class rooms.


The first grade class room being at ground level has a tile floor where as the other classrooms in the elevated portion of the school have wood floors covered with linoleum.

Ancient blackboards and many instructional posters cover the walls of the school.  Since these were first graders, there was no furniture for the students.  Against one wall of the class room there were some cubicles where each student stored their sleeping blanket, pillow, toothpaste, pencil and paper folder and for many - their personal metal drinking cup.  To keep things organized, each cubicle door was decorated with a unique paper with the student's name and a picture that they had colored.

Student Towels and drinking Cups

Outside the class room, a wood rack stored the student's shoes.  Inside of the class room, the students were either barefoot or wore white socks.  Just inside the class room next to the door was a rack from which each student's personal towel and many of their drinking cups were hung.

As the children arose from their nap, without instruction, they quietly rolled up their blankets, gathered up their pillow, and placed them in their cubicle at the far end of the room.  The children were well aware of my presence but they maintained their discipline and composure.  Although the children were interested in my photos and enjoyed seeing them on the viewer of my camera, order was maintained without any intervention on the part of the teacher.  The students did not act like they were fearful or suppressed.  They acted more like responsible little adults - knowing what was expected of them and doing it as a matter of duty.

Two young girls broke off from the others and sat with their backs up against the low stage at one side of the room.  Sharing a workbook, they quietly practiced their reading together.


One boy sat at a table on the stage studying and doing some work in a workbook.

Opposite of him, a girl was doing the same but had time to pose for the camera.

Some of the children silently left the room after taking both their towel and metal cup from the rack by the door.  Outside at a wash station they washed and dried their faces and hands.  After a drink of water from a water jug, they just as quietly returned to their classroom.  They stopped by the teacher's desk to sprinkle powder from a container on their hands and rub the powder over their faces as well as necks.  I am always amazed at the amount of powder that is applied to babies and children after they are washed.

Once inside the classroom, the children started to work on puzzles - most of the puzzles were wood with bright colors.  It was at this point that I started to work on some of the puzzles with the children.  It was fun for everyone involved.  It eventually evolved into the children teaching me using a special wood puzzle - a brightly multi-colored shrimp with ten pieces each with a unique Thai number painted on it.  I knew the numbers in Thai but I did not know the Thai numerals so it was a learning experience - for me.

At about this time, the school principal showed up.  Was I in trouble?  No, this is Thailand or as Duang so often says "Thailand not same Ameerika".  She was checking up on the teacher and as I was later to find out upon returning home and getting on Facebook - taking and posting photos of me interacting with the students.


One by one the children went up to the teacher's desk to demonstrate their reading abilities.  If they struggled at some point the teacher quietly and gently guided them through the rough spot.

Duang arrived to find me hard at work trying to read Thai numerals and after exchanging some pleasantries with the teacher and the children, it was time to return home but not before each of the children saying goodbye to us.

Omsim says goodbye in her own charming way

Thasang Village Elementary School is typical of all the schools that I have visited in Thailand and Laos.  They are old and "spartan" - no way comparing to the physical standards of the USA.  However the standard and environment of the schools parallels the lifestyle of the children and their homes.


I was appalled when Duang and I lived in America to take care of my parents.  The school district tried to pass a bond issue to cover the predicted $45,000,000 cost to RENOVATE the junior high school that I last attended in 1964.  The renovation was required to convert the junior high (middle school" to a "Pre-School" 


As it turned out, Duang ended up attending Night School for English classes at my old school.  Although the school had grown approximately 50% in size, its physical condition was exactly as I remembered it back in 1964 when it was about 5 years old.  Forty-five MILLION dollars to renovate?


There in lies the rub ... just as in the matter of health care, I believe that people equate quality and effectiveness to the physical and material state of the facilities.  The philosophy of "fit for purpose" is no longer much of a consideration today in America today.  Organizations and individuals take much pride in the grandeur of their physical facilities - more of a passion for form rather than substance.


Living overseas I have experienced excellent health care in facilities that most people in America would never consider using because of their physical state.  However the cost of the health care was no where near what people pay for their care in those ultra-modern technological marvels in America.  You do not necessarily always get what you pay for - especially in regards to education and health care - often you are paying for ambiance and unnecessary bling.


There are many ways to attain goals.  The important thing is to have the ability and freedom to make choices - your personal choices.

Additional Photos Posted - "Runny Noses & Dirty Faces - Children"

Sixteen new photographs were added today to my photography website.  The photos are added to the end of the gallery.

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Children/Runny-Noses-and-Dirty-Faces

By far, "Runny Noses & Dirty Faces - Children" is my most popular gallery on my website.  As of the end of September 2015, there have been 189,605 page views compared to the next most popular gallery, "Maehongson Oct 2006", with 80,094 page views.

Twenty-six prints from "Runny Noses & Dirty Faces - Children" gallery are hung in a hospital located in Germany.  I am pleased to have been selected for the project to redecorate the hospital corridors.

A Granddaughter's Farewell

Almost two weeks ago, my wife and I attended the funeral of an old man out in the countryside on the border of Changwat Udon Thani and Changwat Sakon Nakhon.  Attending the funeral was not out of morbid curiosity regarding death but rather an acceptance of one's obligations and duties as a member of a large family and an even larger community.

The grandfather of the young Monk from Wat Pha That Nong Mat outside of Tahsang Village had died and on 17 May he was to be cremated.  The young Monk is a close friend to Duang's family and many of the villagers of Tahsang Village.  A group of the villagers were going to attend the cremation to show their respect for both the dead man and his grandson the Monk.  I agreed to go and bring some of the villagers with us.

We first drove approximately 45 minutes south of our home to pick-up my mother-in-law, our grandson Peelawat, and two other older female relatives.  We then drove north for about two hours to Ban Dong Yen.

One lane of the two lane road in front of the dead man's home as blocked off - a typical situation for funerals, weddings, Monk Ordinations, housewarmings, and Bone Parties.  The additional real estate is used for parking and setting up pavilions for guests where they can eat and drink.

Son Carries Part of the Funeral Shrine From House to Pick-Up Truck

At roughly 12:45 PM the refrigerated coffin containing the consumable coffin and the corpse were removed from the home and placed in the back of a pick-up truck for the procession to the local Wat for the cremation ritual.

Family and Friends Load the Coffin On to Pick-Up Truck

I have attended many funerals here in Isaan, many more than I had attended in my previous 60 years in America.  I remember being sheltered as a child from attending funerals.  It was not until I was 17 or 18 years old that I attended a funeral.  Such is not the case here in Isaan.  At the earliest age and more importantly, throughout childhood, children attend and participate in funerals.

Children attend and participate in funerals as full members of the family or community.

I am often reminded of a wonderful quote from National Geographic contributor, Wade Davis, a renowned Canadian Anthropologist.  In his documentary series "Light At the End of the World" regarding the Buddhist attitude towards death ... "The Buddhists spend all their lives getting ready for a moment that we spend most of our lives pretending does not exist, which is the moment of our death". 

In Isaan death is a milestone of life which is familiar to and accepted by all people from a very early age. The conclusion of this life, which for many has been very difficult, presents the hope as well as opportunity for a better and easier life in the future - another step towards eventual enlightenment.

With this blog entry, my 20th related to the funeral rituals of the ethnic Lao Loum people of Isaan, what can be written or photographed that has not been done before?

Each funeral has been very similar but each had some unique aspects.  The different aspects are related to family traditions and the economic reality of the family.  For me, the most interesting aspect of the funerals, was the different people attending and their interaction with each other as well as with the ritual.

So with each funeral that we attend, I look for the special moments, the hidden details, and the personal moments of the event.  There are some standard shots that I end up taking at each funeral but I am always looking for the unique photos that tell a more unique and personal story or photos that better define the culture in regards to death.

This latest funeral was no exception.  There was an aspect to the funeral that I had not witnessed before.  Part of the funeral procession involved ritualized fishing.

Crossing the Bridge Over the River Songkhram, A Man Casts His Net Over the Road

At the front of the funeral procession, there was a man carrying a woven basket filled with popped rice.  Periodically as the procession marched along he would cast handfuls of the popped rice in front of the procession.  This is very typical in funeral processions.  The rice is offerings of nourishment to the local spirits.

However for this funeral, he was joined by three other men with unique responsibilities and duties.  One man walked at the head of the procession carrying a burning homemade taper.  Another man carried a hand fish net - the type used everyday to capture fish.  Another man next to him and often in front of him carried a spiked woven basket that is used to capture fish that are often found in the mud slurry of the rice paddies during planting season.

One end of the woven basket is a larger diameter than the other open end of the basket.  The larger end of the basket has the ribs of the basket exposed about 2 to 3 centimeters past the first hoop of the basket.  When a fish is spotted in the shallow mud slurry of the rice paddy, the larger diameter end of the basket is quickly shoved into the slurry to capture the fish.  The fisherman or more likely, the rice planter who has been interrupted in his work, reaches down through the small end of the basket to retrieve the fish.

I spent most of my time ahead of the procession so that I could photograph it as it approached.  Rather than being a solemn procession as one would expect for a funeral, the front of the procession was quite joyous with a great deal of laughing, joking, and animated conversation.

Several times when throwing the fish net, the "fisherman" fell down - much to his amusement and the amusement of the other men.  I suspect that he was somewhat unstable from drinking the local whiskey all morning long.  On occasion it appeared that he was trying to net the other fisherman who carried the basket.  The road that we traveled on was not heavily used by vehicles but it was very apparent that water buffalo had come along that way.  Upon coming upon a large mound of water buffalo dung in the middle of the road, I cautioned the fishermen not to catch it - much to the amusement of everyone.

So what was going on with the net, basket and burning taper.  I asked Duang and she told me something along the lines of :  the men did not want to think about dying. they did not want the spirit of the deceased man to be sad so they were making believe that it was nighttime and they were all happy because they were fishing together.

After crossing the bridge over the Songkhram River we found ourselves in Changwat Sakon Nakhon and in the village of Khok Si.  The procession took a left turn down a narrow village road on its way to the Wat.

By this time, the men at the head of the procession had been joined by some of the children.  One of the aspects of life here that I particularly enjoy, is observing the confidence, self-reliance, self assurance and independence of the children. The children, at least one of them, a granddaughter were not timid or shy at the turn of events that they found themselves in.

I ended up taking several photographs throughout the cremation ritual of one granddaughter.  Her demeanor and demonstration of respect for her departed grandfather was inspiring and fit very well with the message that I intended to make about an aspect of life here.  "Life" here in a blog about a funeral ... death?  How can that be?  It actually is quite logical from the Buddhist standpoint.  Death frees us from this life and until we attain enlightenment, frees us to be born again.  So for Buddhists there can be no life without first having death.

Requesting Permission For the Procession to Enter the Wat Grounds

When the front of the procession arrived at the gate to the Wat, we could not enter.  The men at the front of the procession knelt before a Monk and talked for awhile.  They then seemed to ask permission as the truck carrying the coffin caught up to the group.  Perhaps as a symbol for the transition of the procession to a more serious mode, the man with the fishing net finally captured the other fisherman that had the basket to the delight of everyone - right in front of the gate to the Wat.

Personal Possessions and Prosthesis to be Burned As Part of Funeral Ritual

The procession entered into the Wat's extensive grounds at a side entrance at the back of the property. The crematorium was located very close to the entrance.

The coffin containing the corpse was removed from the refrigerated coffin and placed on two metal sawhorses at grade level in front of the crematorium rather than at the door to the furnace as in all previous cremations that I have attended.

A cardboard box of the deceased man's personal effects and his  two prosthesis were placed in a fire pit off to the side of the crematorium.  The man had both of his legs amputated due to the effect of diabetes.  Although obesity is not an issue in this area, and the people's diet is far removed from Western diet, diabetes is very prevalent here.  I suspect that it is perhaps due to genetics or possibly a virus.  As is typical in the cremation ritual, once the flames commence to consume the corpse, the personal possessions are burned.

A Granddaughter Watches As Her Grandfather Is Bathed in Coconut Water

The cover of the consumable coffin was removed to expose the corpse.  Monks and people came forward to pour coconut water straight from coconuts on the corpse.  Others poured water from bamboo stalk containers.  The granddaughter who had caught my attention showed no fear or revulsion.  She seemed more curious and remorseful over what she was witnessing.

 The young girl joined her parents following the coffin up the stairs of the crematorium for it to be placed upon a bed of charcoal on a heavy metal carriage.

The little girl remained alone at the doorway to the furnace as the doors were closed and the charcoal was ignited - a fitting and poignant tribute to the grandfather that she obviously loved.

People Scramble to Catch Candies and Coins Cast From the Raised Floor of the Crematorium

So it is ... life and death here in Isaan.  Life and death are embraced at an early age.

Children are integrated into their culture and society to prepare them for their future days ... in this lifetime as well as the others to come.