Luis Cuenca Castro

White Joy

Luis Cuenca Castro

A funeral ceremony is the last ritual of life. It marks the departure of a person from their family and society. When an elderly person passes away, it is known as “white joy”. An ensemble of suona plays throughout the days of mourning, the sound both joyful and full of sorrow. The joy signifies the completion of a life cycle and the sadness for grieving the deceased. This piece captures the last day of the funeral ceremony - the banquet, the procession, and the burial. This is a profile into Dong people’s peculiar ritual, their idea on life and death, moral ethics, religion, family, and social structure.