I've been to a several Thai funeral cremations in the past. Most Thai towns and villages have an outdoor location, where after several nights (usually three) of funeral rituals and activities at the temple, the casket and body are taken and burned. Any remaining ashes and bones are gathered up the next day after the ashes are cool.
When I first arrived here in January I noticed a tractor clearing a large plot of land next to one of the temples by the lake. I thought construction was going to begin on a new building or something - well I was partially correct as they were clearing the land for the cremation of one of the highest ranking (perhaps the highest ranked) Buddhist abbot in Maehongson province who had died some 100 days ago. Eventually an elaborate ornate funeral pyre was built and after a week of ceremonies and holding vigil, the cremation time was set for 3PM, Sunday February 12. The body and casket was pulled in a lengthy procession the day before and lay in rest overnight - lit up by ever changing lights.
The grounds were set up with tents and pavilions for the many who would attend including the many food and drink stalls. (Hint - if you ever find yourself in Thailand and you are starving, all food and drink is usually provided free at a funeral.) I don't pretend to understand all that was said and done with many many dignitaries and hundreds of monks some from around the country (the abbot was a big deal) but eventually after all the officials had finished paying their final respects, everyone else was invited to come up and do the same. As the crowds surged toward the pyre, many others began removing elements from the pyre - ornaments, decorations, a truck pulled up and loaded up all the potted plants and flowers - and soon though still quite ornate, it was a little more bare.
By this time the fire department was also in attendance and at three pm the official 'fire starter' appeared to do final checks. Once the ok was given, another senior monk lit a torch from a candle at one of the covered tents a couple hundred feet away from the pyre where all the priests were sitting and this was raised to a fuse that was lit and then like a screaming rocket went zipping across the now empty field toward the pyre. It zigged and zagged around the pyre until it rocketed into the top of the fire and instantly everything was an inferno. At the same time, huge bomb like fireworks were being set off into the sky. (see videos below) The fire fighters were in place for whenever the conflagration got a little too big and another fire truck began spraying water in the air over the tents where most of the people sat as hot ash was beginning to rain down on them.
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