2. Closing the Coffin
Depending on the deceased’s position in society, the body is then sealed, either in a coffin or an urn by the morticians (there are several different types of coffins or urns, depending on social, political or professional position). The coffin is then sealed with wax. Then sornklin, a species of traditional funerary flowers — the name literally means hide the smell — are arranged around the coffin or urn. The body can be kept at home or at a temple where prayers are chanted by monks for the deceased’s soul. This normally lasts for three, five or seven days depending on the host or number of hosts (the bereaved from the extended family or community can be invited or can offer to host services). The body is traditionally kept for another 50 days or more before cremation but this practice is dying out. Prayers are usually chanted every 50 days until the body is cremated.