The deceased was lying in a coffin and guests would go over and pay their respects but the atmosphere was almost partylike. He expected it to be a solemn occasion but when he arrived at the deceased’s apartment the atmosphere was anything but grim.
On a recent visit, he told me about the time he had to represent the company at the ‘funeral’ of a colleague who had passed away. The Thais have a unique take on what happens to the soul after death and hence their funeral customs are quite different from most everybody else.My nephew works for a multinational and is currently posted in Bangkok.
