Ashes to ashes

Today Satish was cremated according to the Hindu traditions. Before the actual cremation a remembrance service was held at the family home where friends and family could pay their last respects and Hindu rituals were peformed to ensure safe passage to the afterlife. Like the two evenings before, many people attended. After the service we went to Weg naar Zee (Road to the Sea), the place where cremations take place that is about 30 minutes from Paramaribo. Cremations are usually held around the same time every day. When we arrived another cremation was also being prepared (up to 6 can be done simultaneously!). Everything is done in the traditional way. The coffin is put on wooden planks, piled about 1.5 metres high. On both the pile and the coffin Indian style butter (ghee) is poured and other items are also placed in the coffin as offerings. The pile is ritually lit and left to burn. The people witnessing the cremation usually stay an hour or two, but the pile generally smolders until the next morning.