dok maijan (ดอกไม้จันทน์)
Thai. ‘Sandalwood
flower’. Name for artificial flowers (dokmai) made of
sandalwood
(mai jan).
They are used in cremation ceremonies for their fragrance,
as it is believed
that the fragrance of sandalwood will lead the souls of the deceased to
heaven, but also
because their name in Thai is reminiscent of a similar word with an
auspicious meaning. Though initially used to light the funeral pyre,
they are nowadays often just offered symbolically or burned separately
at the ceremony, akin to the Chinese ritual of
gong de.
Originally, they consisted of very thin slices of sandalwood made into flower shapes and used almost exclusively among the
elite. When the practice later spread to general public, it led to an
enormous demand of the product and due to the scarcity of sandalwood
trees, sandalwood flowers are nowadays usually made from another kind of softwood,
though they are still referred to as sandalwood flowers.
There were seven
types of sandalwood flowers used in the royal cremation ceremony of King
Rama IX,
each with a specific meaning and all made from sandalwood trees taken
from Kui Buri National Park
in
Prachuap Khirikhan
Province, were the King spent
much of his last days in life. The seven types include the
Narcissus (dararat),
which signifies honour, bravery and hope; the Rose (kulaab),
which is a symbol for true love and loyalty; the Cotton
Rose (phuttan),
which is analogous to the
cycle of life and represents stability and fertility;
the White Lily (Lilium candidum), which represents honesty and
loyalty; the
Orchid, i.e.
a symbol of stability, love, and
grace; a new kind of
Hibiscus
known as
chabathip, that represents demise and
divinity; and the
Sleeping
Hibiscus
(chabanu),
which represents the heartfelt condolences of the people and a symbol of
all in paying their final tributes to the late King.
Coins of the
maritime empire of
Srivijaya, which were used in trade
in the region from approximately the 8th to 13th century AD, bear
imprints of quatrefoils, that are also referred to as sandalwood
flowers. These coins are hence called sandalwood flower coins.
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