World's strangest funeral: Thai villagers fire rockets at pyre to honour late monk
- 6 years ago
This is surely the world's strangest funeral - where villagers fire ROCKETS at the pyre.
The bizarre event was held yesterday (May 7) in Pathumthani, central Thailand, following the death of a respected monk.
Locals made 3ft long wooden rockets crammed with gunpowder which were ignited and raced along metal wires.
They reach the end of the runway before launching in the air aimed at the red and yellow bamboo funeral pyres.
The winning rocket was the one that successfully smashed into the wooden structure, which after the event was used for cremating the monk.
Buddhist dignitary Phra Nakkarat said the tradition brought ''good luck'' to the dead monk's soul before he ascended into the afterlife.
Phra Nakkarat said: ''The event begins with a parade of the rockets before they're taken to the area where the funeral pyre is set up. It's a beautiful procession.
''The rockets are blessed. They're lit with a flame and they run forward with a fantastic noise. The winner is the one who knocks over the funeral pyre. That pyre is then used to burn the body.
''There's a lot of cheering from the crowd. It's a lot of good fun and the committee of monks spend a lot of time organising the day.
''Later on, the body of the monk is burned along with the rockets. It is a tradition we have enjoyed here for many years. It brings good luck to soul of the monk before they are reborn again.''
The bizarre event was held yesterday (May 7) in Pathumthani, central Thailand, following the death of a respected monk.
Locals made 3ft long wooden rockets crammed with gunpowder which were ignited and raced along metal wires.
They reach the end of the runway before launching in the air aimed at the red and yellow bamboo funeral pyres.
The winning rocket was the one that successfully smashed into the wooden structure, which after the event was used for cremating the monk.
Buddhist dignitary Phra Nakkarat said the tradition brought ''good luck'' to the dead monk's soul before he ascended into the afterlife.
Phra Nakkarat said: ''The event begins with a parade of the rockets before they're taken to the area where the funeral pyre is set up. It's a beautiful procession.
''The rockets are blessed. They're lit with a flame and they run forward with a fantastic noise. The winner is the one who knocks over the funeral pyre. That pyre is then used to burn the body.
''There's a lot of cheering from the crowd. It's a lot of good fun and the committee of monks spend a lot of time organising the day.
''Later on, the body of the monk is burned along with the rockets. It is a tradition we have enjoyed here for many years. It brings good luck to soul of the monk before they are reborn again.''