Funerals

Howdy again. We just got back from a funeral. Actually, we went yesterday and today. Yesterday was the funeral, and today was the ceremony before the cremation. It was very interesting to watch. many friends and family gathered there. There were several monks that chanted for about a half hour. Lots of flowers and such around the casket. The casket looked like a large jewelry box. It was white and covered with brightly colored mosaics. At todays ceremony, we listened to a speaker for a bit, then there was music. the music was mostly from two instruments. The first is like a xylophone, but it is on a large brightly colored wood frame that is shaped like a crecent moon. The other instrument looks the same, except it is a bunch of small wooden circles that make different soft "ploomp" sounds when struck with a little mallet. Afterwords, there was fireworks. These are supposed to help guide the departing soul to the afterlife. Everyone watched that very carefully. I soon found out why. The fireworks are homemade. Part of this envolves a half a coconut shell. So when the firework exploded a few hundred feet in the air, half a coconut came hurtling down at you. Everyone just casually moved a few feet in one direction or the other if there was any incoming. There was a photographer there, but we didn't take any photos. Sorry about that, but it didn't seem right. Seeya!