Thailand is hosting its second annual "Death Fest," a fair designed to help people confront mortality through practical services and spiritual guidance. The event tackles a subject often considered taboo, yet it aligns with a core tenet of Buddhism, which profoundly influences Thai culture: the unavoidable sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Among attendees at the three-day event in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was Sangduan Ngamvinijaroon, with her mother. She explained that while death was once difficult for her family, over two decades caring for ill relatives – including her husband after a stroke and family members with cancer – have brought her a greater ease in discussing it.
