Lang Pacha: The Rite of the Second Burial :: Sirachai Shin Arunrugstichai Photography

Lang Pacha: The Rite of Second Burial

A volunteer handles a cleaned human skull after being exhumed from a grave during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, one of the largest Chinese cemeteries in Thailand, Saraburi, Thailand.	Volunteers are seen digging up graves and cleaning skeletons among a vast area of Chinese-style tombstones during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	Bone fragments found in the Chinese-style grave are passed along by the Thai Buddhist volunteers to be cleaned during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.
A human skull is cleaned in a bucket of water by a team of Thai Buddhist volunteers during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	Buddhist volunteers dressed in white are seen resting beside a human skeleton during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	Thai Buddhist volunteers pray to the mummified human remains decorated in gold leaf during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand. Mummified remains are perceived as magical and can give blessing to the participants.
Human skulls are washed in a tea solution according to the custom, during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	Human skulls are laid on a mat for drying after being cleaned in a tea solution by Thai Buddhist volunteers during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	Volunteers decorate skulls that are designated as the group representative of each gender in gold leaf during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.
At sunrise, volunteers pile up human skulls and bones onto a pyre during the last days of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	As the cremation of the exhumed bodies commences, mummified human remains are thrown into the cremation pyre during the last days of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.	A mummified human remain covered in gold leaf is seen atop a pile of human skulls and bone amidst a cloud of thick smoke after cremation begins during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, which is running out of burial space in Saraburi, Thailand.

The Lang Pacha ritual (cemetery cleansing in Thai) is a seldom-seen ceremony deeply rooted in the ancient rite of the second burial, which originated during the Song dynasty in China and brought to Thailand with the influx of Chinese immigrants after World War II. The ceremony, which rarely takes place, involves the cremation of remains from exhumed graves at times when cemeteries run out of burial space, with Buddhist volunteers playing a pivotal role. Driven by the belief in accruing good karma, these volunteers engage in the meticulous process of cleaning the remains of the deceased. They clean skulls and bone fragments using toothbrushes and a tea solution before adorning them with gold leaf. The cleaned bones are then assembled and subjected to a dramatic cremation ceremony in burning pyres. This rare ritual not only addresses practical issues of cemetery space but also serves as a religious journey for the devoted Thai Buddhist volunteers and is the remainder of this centuries-old Chinese ritual that no longer exists elsewhere.

Sirachai Shin

Arunrugstichai

Lang Pacha: The Rite of Second Burial

A volunteer handles a cleaned human skull after being exhumed from a grave during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, one of the largest Chinese cemeteries in Thailand, Saraburi, Thailand.

Volunteers are seen digging up graves and cleaning skeletons among a vast area of Chinese-style tombstones during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

Bone fragments found in the Chinese-style grave are passed along by the Thai Buddhist volunteers to be cleaned during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

A human skull is cleaned in a bucket of water by a team of Thai Buddhist volunteers during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

Buddhist volunteers dressed in white are seen resting beside a human skeleton during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

Thai Buddhist volunteers pray to the mummified human remains decorated in gold leaf during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand. Mummified remains are perceived as magical and can give blessing to the participants.

Human skulls are washed in a tea solution according to the custom, during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

Human skulls are laid on a mat for drying after being cleaned in a tea solution by Thai Buddhist volunteers during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

Volunteers decorate skulls that are designated as the group representative of each gender in gold leaf during the later phase of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

At sunrise, volunteers pile up human skulls and bones onto a pyre during the last days of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

As the cremation of the exhumed bodies commences, mummified human remains are thrown into the cremation pyre during the last days of the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, Saraburi, Thailand.

A mummified human remain covered in gold leaf is seen atop a pile of human skulls and bone amidst a cloud of thick smoke after cremation begins during the Lang Pacha ritual at Visutmakhiri Cemetery, which is running out of burial space in Saraburi, Thailand.

© 2024 Sirachai Arunrugstichai

© Sirachai