Thailand’s ‘Death Fest’ invites visitors to embrace mortality

Thailand’s “Death Fest” brings people together to talk openly about death and plan for it in practical ways. Organizers of the three-day fair near Bangkok linked the idea to Buddhist teachings about suffering and old age and death. Visitors can meet experts in health care, palliative care, finances, funerals and new memorial services. One exhibit lets people lie in coffins and look into a mirror above them. Some say it feels calming. Companies also showed greener options, like biodegradable coffins. Others promoted online memorial pages, which many people create for their pets.