Music and Rites

Buddhist Samsara/ Wheel of Life

Oftentimes, the loss of a family member can be a very painful experience. The unanticipated separation families experience is something that changes their lives forever. After losing two family members over the course of the pandemic, I have become very familiar with Cambodian funeral ceremonies, rituals and gained new insight on death practices. Much like Westerners, Cambodians experience the pain of grief. Many Cambodians are raised as Buddhists who do not view death as the end of someones life but rather as the end of a life cycle. It is one of the passages in the successive cycle of birth, old age, sickness, death and rebirth. 

Buddhist monks receive offerings for performing funeral rituals.

The Cambodian culture and Buddhist traditions when a death occurs are very important to perform. If the rituals are not performed properly, it is believed that the deceased will not be able to move on to the next stage in the cycle, rebirth. When a person dies in Cambodia, their body is brought back to the family. The body is brought home to be washed, dressed, and placed into a coffin. The body is not allowed to be embalmed because it is believed to be bad luck and would inhibit the deceased’s rebirth. In Buddhist rituals, a monk plays a vital role in the funeral process. A funeral procession is conducted consisting of the priest, buddhist monks, members of the family and other mourners who accompany the coffin to the temple. The spouse and the children mourn their loved ones by shaving their heads and by wearing white clothing. White is the traditional color of mourning for the death, as opposed to black in America. 

Pictured here is the 2nd daughter and family or my Great Aunts (pictured left are my older cousins, her grandsons, with shaved heads in monk attire).

In Cambodian-American households, only some of the traditional rituals take place due to cultural discrepancies. We are not allowed to bring the body home, the body stays at the funeral home while the rituals that take place in the temple and at home. After my great aunt passed away, my family rushed over to help her children prepare food and get things ready for the monks to arrive. Food and offerings are especially important during this time, as it shows respect and gives thanks to the monks who come to pray. We also offer food to our loved ones because it is seen as their last meal they take with them through the next stage.This time is especially scared because you are not allowed to speak out of turn. You must remain close to the ground as it is disrespectful to be standing above the monks. In this time, I bowed to her alter while lighting incense, offered her favorite foods and offered food to the monks. A week later, a final ceremony was performed at the funeral home. The monks offer up their final scriptures and the family has a chance to speak of their loved one. As we view the body, we place flowers in the coffin and walk outside so that the family may carry it to the crematorium. 

There is little to no music that is played during the funerals, as it is a practice that is dying out in modern times. Sometimes though, you will hear kantoam ming, which is a style of music specifically for funerals. In kantoam ming ensembles you will hear only three instruments; the drum: score thum (big drum), the gong chime: kong peat, and the oboe: pei or sralai. The three instruments are played by three musicians which make up the entirety of the ensemble. In this short documentary on Cambodian funerals, one of the older musicians, Master Ling Srey, explains that the reason there are only three people in the ensemble that face away from each other as such; Because when we're alive, we're together and when we die, we separate. The music symbolizes the three elements we are left with when we die as the rest disappear. As to listen to this ensemble, you may notice that it sounds out of tune and is slightly disorienting in terms of rhythm. It is played like that on purpose as a way to symbolize our departure into the next stage of life. As there are only 12 songs in kantoam ming, the ensemble will continuously run through them because they are the only ones who know how to perform it.  

Another type of 'music' and chanting often heard in funerals is smot. Smot is generally a type of song that in unaccompanied that can be performed by men or women. It is almost like a lullaby for the family of the deceased. Usually it will consist of Buddhist Scriptures, however the person singing may choose to use their own lyrics in relation to members of the family.