Thai and their ghost stories

[TingTongJohn]

Spooks and ghosts seem to hold a special spot in the Thai culture and being or so I have found. Movies and Thai Lakons seem to love these story lines as well. My wife who has a degree believes very much in spirits and such. If she has certain dreams off she goes to the temple to confer with a monk and pray. Well I think she is effecting my mindset now too. Last month we stayed in Rayong at the Palmeraie Beach Hotel. It was an older hotel and the room was o.k. But the door to the bathroom would never stay shut. I mean we go out and come back it would be open. I would leave the light on but close the door to sleep and I woke up and there is the door open while we slept. O.K maybe house cleaning opened it during the day but middle of the night? And the ballons I got my wife we put in the corner would drift across the room all the time and the A/C was above the doorway so the airflow should have pushed them against the wall and when we left the room to eat you take the key no power right how could they move..We came back and the ballons were in the bathroom and I know closed the door. We checked out as my wife refused to stay any longer and we went over to Koh samet where all was quiet but it was kinda spooky.

[margaretcarnes]

Your wife wouldn't stay any longer - says it all. In fact I'm surprised she stayed in the room at all. Often Thai people sense things as soon as they enter a room.
You'll get used to it and accept it as a way of life - non of us farang can explain it except by 'TIT' - and no amount of education will change their spiritual convictions.
Even the most senior government officials consult astrologers for example. And you'll get used to someone just turning up out of the blue as you are talking about them. Happens all the time - why? TIT.

[bcrglobal]

I LOVE the explanation that I heard (Somewhere I can't remember)

Thai's don't believe in ghosts, they KNOW ghosts are a fact, and don't understand how Farang can doubt them.

EVERY important decision in this country is made with advice from fortune tellers, monks, spirit guides, etc. In the west a politician would get laughed out of office for doing this, here they would get chased out of office for imperiling the country if they DIDN'T do it.

[hollister]

They should consult a ghost that can do some number crunching when taking business decisions. And another one that understands logic when doing business with westeners.

[hhfarang]

Yes, we had to delay the pouring of the first cement by two weeks when we built our house so that it would be done on a day of good luck (the mother-in-law is always consulted on these things, I think she talks to the village monks).

[richard]

Here in Condo Chain some Thai's will not take a room on the 10th floor as there have been 2 jumpers in the past

I've also known it that when someone dies in their hotel room the room must be spring cleaned and then the monks come to banish bad spirits

Despite our western skepticism I do know of places where it seems nothing business wise flourishes and when asking a Thai in the know I have been told that bad spirits are there because of some tragedy in the past

[margaretcarnes]

Ours is not to reason why! But 2 jumpers from the same room is strange in itself....

[dtaai-maai]

2 jumpers from the same room is strange in itself....

What floor are you on, Richard...?

[richard]

Mags

2 jumpers but not same room or date. I said good morning to them on their way down

DM

9th

[PeteC]

.......9th

That's a lucky floor Richard in terms of Thai thinking. No ghosts there. Pete

[margaretcarnes]

Mags

2 jumpers but not same room or date

DM

9th

Thats alright then. But seriously it's just one of those things you have to accept in the LOS. Like HHF's cement delay for example. Bar openings also have to be set for a certain auspicious day. Monks have to be imported to bless new places - bars included - and Buddha help any farang who questions the positioning of the shrine - or the location of the Spirit house.
In fact maybe this subject should be linked with that 'bar fine' thread - because in my experience most of the bar fine moneys went to buy Buddha flowers.

[Nereus]

I don`t think the ghosts are to blame, but one of the weirdest ones I have come across concerned the Hong Nam.
7 or 8 years ago I had a small house built in a Village in the North. The builder would not even consider building it because I wanted the Hong Nam on the East side of the building!
I had to redraw the whole thing and rearrange the layout. It was ok to have an upstairs toilet above a downstairs bedroom, but again, not on the East side of the house.

The other thing that is not good is to have the front door and back door arranged in such a way that the wind can flow straight through the house. It seems that it blows away all the good luck!
In Australia older house`s may be built this way intentionally to encourage a cool flow of air through the house on a hot day; its is called a "breezeway".

[sandman67]

Thais aren't alone in their ghost traditions....we in the west still have them as well.

Next time you attend a funeral take note of how the coffin is carred. We carry a coffin with the body the way it faces based on an old Norse tradition so that the spirit cant find its way back to the house or church. When the pall bearers are family and freinds the undertaker will make sure they carry the coffin facing the right way. A mate in the UK who is an undertaker explaned that one to me.

I saw a documentary on True recently about SE Asian horror cinema and the bit on Thailand explained the stories are based on a small number of common "themes" such as Mae Nak the betrayed and vengeful wife spirit. Interesting watchng.

[dtaai-maai]

We carry a coffin with the body the way it faces based on an old Norse tradition so that the spirit cant find its way back to the house or church. When the pall bearers are family and freinds the undertaker will make sure they carry the coffin facing the right way. :

Not sure I was specifically aware of the story behind it, but I'm pretty sure I would have thought something was wrong if I saw a coffin being carried feet first - it just wouldn't look right...

[margaretcarnes]

Thais aren't alone in their ghost traditions....we in the west still have them as well.

Next time you attend a funeral take note of how the coffin is carred. We carry a coffin with the body the way it faces based on an old Norse tradition so that the spirit cant find its way back to the house or church. When the pall bearers are family and freinds the undertaker will make sure they carry the coffin facing the right way. A mate in the UK who is an undertaker explaned that one to me.

I saw a documentary on True recently about SE Asian horror cinema and the bit on Thailand explained the stories are based on a small number of common "themes" such as Mae Nak the betrayed and vengeful wife spirit. Interesting watchng.

Interesting SM - we still hear people say 'they'll take me out of here feet first' So is that where the saying comes from? I'd always just assumed that carrying coffins head first was just a respect thing.