Khon Kaen, Thailand

In Thailand, the death of a loved one is never a sad occasion. In the Buddhist tradition, family members celebrate the life of the deceased. As a guest at a cremation ceremony, I saw female friends and relatives throw rice and flowers in beautifully made bamboo baskets on the funeral pyre. Considered the mother of life, rice is placed with the body as an offering to aid with passage into the next life. — Anna Yalouris ’09