From Russia with Faith: Tourists Participate in Unique Temple Coffin Ritual

Russian tourists traveled to Wat Luang Phor Pak Daeng Temple in Nakhon Nayok province to participate in a distinctive coffin-lying ritual believed to dispel bad luck and enhance personal fortune. The ceremony, held in the Ban Yai subdistrict, attracted both international and local participants. Participants lay inside one of five arranged coffins while monks performed traditional funeral rites, symbolizing a practice of contemplating mortality. Monks carefully turned participants' bodies from west to east, recited prayers, offered blessings, and sprinkled holy water to ward off misfortune. The event was led by Phra Ratchaphromkhun, the provincial ecclesiastical chief and temple abbot. In addition to the coffin ritual, participants received sacred markings on their foreheads and palms, along with prosperity-focused yantra inscriptions on their wallets. Temple officials emphasized that the ritual aims not only to eliminate bad luck but also to encourage mindfulness and reflection on life's impermanence.