Ritual for the Unclaimed: Thai Tradition Honoring Deceased without Family or Name
Revamped Rite: The Lang Pacha Ceremony in Thailand
The Lang Pacha ceremony, a unique funeral tradition carried out by Thais of Chinese descent, offers a respectful burial to the unidentified and forgotten. Hospitals in Thailand often pass on unidentified bodies and those with no family to provide them with a proper send-off to local foundations. These foundations then bury the bodies in graveyards, sometimes for several years, until they undergo a week-long ritual that culminates in the exhumation, cleaning, and cremation of all the exhumed corpses together.
According to Buddhist beliefs, the spirits of the uncremated linger between worlds and cannot be reborn until monks carry out the necessary rites. Pisit Pongsirisupakul, vice president of the Dhamma of Buddha Nakhon Ratchasima Foundation, which organized the event, explained, "Spirits without cremation still roam. They suffer and cannot be reborn. We help them move on, and that's why this is an act of merit."
Buddhists believe that death signals the birth of a new life, and engaging in merit-making activities ensures a favorable rebirth. "It's not scary," said Pisit. "When people die, we all look the same -- like skeletons."
The ritual commences with volunteers exhuming graves, reminiscent of a jungle clean-up. After brushing away dirt and flesh and rinsing the remains in holy water infused with tea leaves, one volunteer diligently cleaned an empty eye socket with a toothbrush. Despite the grim task, there was an air of cheery determination among the volunteers, as they acknowledged their work as a form of helping others as well as accumulating merit.
The festivities included friendly banter among the participants. Pimjai Sornrach, a 54-year-old shopkeeper, gleamed as she cradled a skull, exclaiming, "It's so good, it's so good," while her smiling companion proudly displayed a femur for the cameras. "I just want to be there whenever there's an event like this," Pimjai shared, explaining how witnessing a hit-and-run accident at 17 inspired her to volunteer.
The remains, having been carefully cleaned, were left out to dry before being separated by bone type and organized on mats or piled in buckets—hundreds of skulls, leg bones, and more. This family-oriented occasion even saw two young girls sitting alongside rows of skulls, each tendering an anonymous head in her lap.
In the days leading up to the ceremony's climax, volunteers affixed gold leaf to the bones and attempted to reconstruct faces on a select few. Each set of bones was loaded into two separate crematorium towers, one for the men and one for the women, with the skulls atop the stacks. As monks chanted and prayed, the flames were lit, and later, the ashes from each tower would be interred in a graveyard.
Thitiwat Pornpiratsakul, 63, began devoting his time to the ritual following a bus crash that left him, his family, and his sons wondering if they would ever be saved. "Our bus flipped over, and no one came to help us," he recounted. "My family and I felt helpless." Since then, he has taken part in the ceremony annually, believing that assisting in this rite has kept him and his loved ones healthy.
The Lang Pacha ceremony not only honors the dead but also sheds light on the need for improved systems to identify unknown deceased individuals. Pisit has long advocated for government support to expand DNA testing and streamline the connection between civil registration and police forensics to assist families in locating their missing loved ones. "We need a centralized database where families can search by ID and find their relatives," he emphasized.
[1]Enrichment Data:- The Lang Pacha ceremony serves as a means for Thais of Chinese descent to honor their ancestors by providing respectful burials for the unclaimed deceased. It acknowledges the cultural significance of ancestor veneration and the communal responsibility to ensure that everyone, regardless of their social status, receives a dignified burial.- For Buddhists, the ceremony echoes the belief that the cycle of death and rebirth commences with death. By participating in merit-making activities, such as organizing proper funerals, the faithful can enhance the lives of the deceased in their next cycle of existence while accumulating spiritual merit for themselves.- The Lang Pacha ceremony also raises awareness about societal issues, including the need for improved systems to identify unknown deceased individuals. Advocates stress the importance of enhancing DNA testing capabilities and streamlining the connection between civil registration and police forensics to help families locate their loved ones.
- Declaring the Lang Pacha ceremony an integral part of Thai culture, it serves as a lifestyle choice for Buddhists, enriching the home-and-garden of life with the essence of ancestor veneration.
- A week-long ritual involving the uncremated, the Lang Pacha ceremony is a testament to Buddhist beliefs about death and rebirth, with the act of cremation signifying the beginning of a new life cycle.
- As a unique funeral tradition, the Lang Pacha ceremony brings to light the need for a better home for the unclaimed deceased, advocating for improved DNA testing and streamlined connection between civil registration and police forensics to declaring the whereabouts of loved ones.
- Engaging in the merit-making activities of the Lang Pacha ceremony, such as cleaning and cremating the exhumed bodies, can not only offer spiritual healing for Buddhists but also improve their own health in the here and now.
