Village life: A Wake

As far as I understand the purpose of a wake is to prevent the departed from being buried alive. The reason for lying in view for 3 days or more and the accompanying merriment is in the hope that there will be a resurrection or at least no mistake in the diagnosis of death. In the village of our extended family there are representatives of Germany, England, Sweden, South Africa and more, all fellas who have married into the Thai culture. Their lives are divided between working in Europe the most part of the year, then relaxing in Thailand during the European winters. About 6 months ago in Germany our friend died and the funeral took place according to European custom. His Thai wife has now arrived in her home for the winter and the wake is now going to take place. This particular affair extended over 3 days, starting with ceremonies by the monks of the village. The monks carry high status and many cushions were built in a wall-like stack alongside a huge 2metre diameter Buddah gong. Mourners went at intervals to strike the gong 3 times with a cloth covered mallet giving a deep echoing sound enough to shake up the dead. Mats cover the floor under a gazebo festooned with ribbons in yellow, the king's colour. The mother-in-law, wrapped in a quilt, received guests on behalf of the grieving widow. At 23°F it is considered cold here. We were feeling a bit chilled and had put on long sleeves for the occasion. After the initial meeting and greeting we headed off to the concert to be delighted by a stage set of twinkling, shining, sparkling gogo dancers and a prancing lead singer supported by a full band of guitars, drums and keyboard. The 2 banks of speakers were 5ft x 10ft each, and the mixer set was gleaming with lights and sliders. The sound distortion was so immense it hurt our hearts to go nearer than 30 metres. Fortunately one of the foreigners has great experience with sound mixers so in a very sweet way helped the music man to set the harmonies of treble and bass within human range. The 500 strong crowd of mourners/party-goers surged forward and really began to boogie. Police control was polite and discrete. Sangsong (Thai whisky) and Leo (beer) flowed freely and dancing was random and fun. And then we all got on our motorbikes and rode the kilometre home. A bellow emitted from one bamboo bungalow : wow, my wife is all furry! In our absence the labrador puppy had snuck into the hut and found the bed very comfortable, only to be turfed out smartly! That moorlan ended as the sun rose.Three days later there was another moorlan, this one 20 years after the deceased had departed to another world. In Thailand the moorlan takes place when funds are sufficient. One kilometre away we heard the bass thumping again until the early hours. And so while the departed sleep on, we are awake.