TU TRUOC LUA CEREMONY AT THE FUNERAL OF THE KHMER PEOPLE IN MEKONG DELTA

Abstract

Tu Truoc Lua (បួសមុខភើ្លង) is a ceremony that makes someone to leave his home to become a Buddist monk before the fire of cremating the dead) is one of the most important rituals of funeral of the Khmer people in Mekong Delta. This ritual not only means that the living expresses his filial piety to the deceased, but also encourages him to make merit for his deceased so that they can be reborn into a perfect world. Data was collected from ethnographic fieldwork in Kien Giang and Tra Vinh province from 2017 to early 2019 through observing funerals, making in-depth interviews with three types of informants such as: religious dignitaries who directly performed the ritual, the people who practiced this rite of passage and the ritual attendants. The article presents the process and the meanings of, which outlines the worldview and outlook on life of the Khmer in the Mekong Delta.