Issan Superstitions

[macb]

I thought I would start this section because I come across so much of the above living in the village full time:

1 It could be an interesting discussion

2 It will also be useful for those about to embark on village life in our Issan

Beliefs in dreams they all have a meaning to the villagers

PeeBob not forgetting this character of course

I let the Topic get started then put some experiences on here of my own in the village

Edited January 17, 2007 by macb

[macb]

Well when the wife became pregnant our house had to be protected against PEEBOB: Food was put out for the ancestors and each door that gives access to the house had a special wood hung on it also the bedroom door.

There image of PEEBOB I dont know if I am permitted to give a graphical description on here I will ask the Moderators about this, but the PEEBOB like pregnant women.

Another instance of local Khmer Belief, blackmagic,witchcraft what ever you decide you think it is, was one of the cousins had a dream that one of there houses was on fire, so they called some local guy in that deals with this and food is bought etc he is paid for his services and something takes place to protect the proprty from evil sprirts.

Another instance is connected to a relative and her husband they have what you might call matrimonial disfunction

There are 2 trees next to there house which they depict represent the husband and wife so again a guy was called in fooood was brought, some wooden steps were made at the base of one of the trees leading about 1 metre up the tree then cotton was tied between the two trees and a ceremony to bring the two together was carried out. mmmmmmmmmm This was about 6 months ago they are still the same.

But to put a confusing cap on this incident one of the trees was cut down last week, does that mean they are now divorced

Edited January 17, 2007 by macb

[Bellatrix]

Is this PeeBob the same as Pi Krasue?

[Cuban]

> Well when the wife became pregnant....

In the past I have seen new borns being protected from the full moon as if it were a midday sun.

Also (but this might have been a Chinese custom) when a child is returned to the family house and is visited by well wishers, they comment how ugly the child is. This is I understand to mislead and distract evil spirits that are looking to steal beautiful babies.

[macb]

Is this PeeBob the same as Pi Krasue?

I asked the wife its means the same

[macb]

Well this morning my wife told me that after I fall asleep she could not sleep, but saw a light like a torch on the window flash by twice like lightening, but was afraid to get up and look out the window:

I said why you not wake me I go look!!!!

She tols her mama, who said the same as me.

AS a result her sister went off this evening and came back with a plant Pinapple leaf and another leaf, these have been hung on all windows and doors on the outside of the house, to ward off Pi-Bob:

A description of pi-bob as described locally (if not permitted I ask Moderators to edit) is a skeletal body but with the entrails showing and a head on top that floats about.

Here are the pics of this evenings decor

[macb]

Some other rituals :

You will see dek dek (Children) with shaved heads and one strand of hair left this is when kids cry to much and the belief is that the child wants her hair cut and one strand of hair left, its seems that when the hair is cut the children do stop crying, then later as the child ages there is a party and blessing and that last strand is cut off and the hair allowed to grow again

[PattayaXpat]

I have limited experience with this but I can tell you that my girl is from Chaiyapoon and has a very real fear of Khmer girls. I have seen it with my own eyes. A friend was having trouble with his girl (Buriam) and we all knew that she was in the wrong but she called my girl for something and I witnessed some very serious butt kissing going on. She really feared a "Spell" being put on her!

The same girl had been hiding statues in my buddys room which my girl said were "Love Spells" to drive him crazy so he would marry her and give her all his money!

The same girl recently went home and came back with wrists full of budda bracelets with two rings intertwined and is seriously pressuring this guy in to marriage.

I of course live in Pattaya where none of the rules are the same due to BG/Falang relationships but to me it's scary none the less!

[jayenram]

A description of pi-bob as described locally (if not permitted I ask Moderators to edit) is a skeletal body but with the entrails showing and a head on top that floats about.

Here are the pics of this evenings decor

Please post pictures of Pi-bob, Mac

[PattayaXpat]

A few Issan superstitions:

1) No cutting finger or toe nails at night

2) At night You can sweep the house but can not put the refuse in the bin

3) If you sneeze someone is talking about you

4) If you butt spoons while eating some one will stop by unexpectedly

5) If you spill/ knock over a plate of rice something bad will happen that day (Stay off the bike!)

[macb]

A description of pi-bob as described locally (if not permitted I ask Moderators to edit) is a skeletal body but with the entrails showing and a head on top that floats about.

Here are the pics of this evenings decor

Please post pictures of Pi-bob, Mac

WEll you should know by now I see that as a challenge, so just for you

Just to add a light hearted note to the Topic:

Hows that mate

[phibunmike]

1. A couple of nights ago, whilst my wife and I were away from home on a trip, my wife had a dream in which her teeth fell out. The next morning, she told me about the dream and said we must be careful, as someone in the family was going to have an accident. Later that day, her daughter phoned - she had been pushed over at school and one tooth was broken and fell out.

I have decided not to even bother to try to imply that these events are unrelated....

2. We were all at some ceremony at the temple one evening. I saw a beautiful white owl fly low overhead, and was surprised that no-one else noticed it. "Look!" I said, pointing. They missed it. Later my wife came over (she had gone to the loo or something) and I explained what I had seen. "Don't talk about! Don't say!" she said. Too late, I admitted. She explained that anything unusual seen or heard at night should be ignored, and should not be mentioned to others. "Why?". "Don't ask!".

3. As we leave home on a long trip, beep the horn three times for luck. Luckily she usually forgets this one, as it makes me feel a bit silly.

Cheers,

Mike

[phibunmike]

A few Issan superstitions:

1) No cutting finger or toe nails at night

2) At night You can sweep the house but can not put the refuse in the bin

3) If you sneeze someone is talking about you

4) If you butt spoons while eating some one will stop by unexpectedly

5) If you spill/ knock over a plate of rice something bad will happen that day (Stay off the bike!)

6. A female should not tend plants during her period, as the plants will die.

7. Do not whistle at night.

[jayenram]

A few Issan superstitions:

1) No cutting finger or toe nails at night

2) At night You can sweep the house but can not put the refuse in the bin

3) If you sneeze someone is talking about you

4) If you butt spoons while eating some one will stop by unexpectedly

5) If you spill/ knock over a plate of rice something bad will happen that day (Stay off the bike!)

6. A female should not tend plants during her period, as the plants will die.

7. Do not whistle at night.

8. Don't have your hair cut on a Wednesday

(So why aren't all the hairdressers closed on Wednesdays?)

[macb]

1. A couple of nights ago, whilst my wife and I were away from home on a trip, my wife had a dream in which her teeth fell out. The next morning, she told me about the dream and said we must be careful, as someone in the family was going to have an accident. Later that day, her daughter phoned - she had been pushed over at school and one tooth was broken and fell out.

I have decided not to even bother to try to imply that these events are unrelated....

2. We were all at some ceremony at the temple one evening. I saw a beautiful white owl fly low overhead, and was surprised that no-one else noticed it. "Look!" I said, pointing. They missed it. Later my wife came over (she had gone to the loo or something) and I explained what I had seen. "Don't talk about! Don't say!" she said. Too late, I admitted. She explained that anything unusual seen or heard at night should be ignored, and should not be mentioned to others. "Why?". "Don't ask!".

3. As we leave home on a long trip, beep the horn three times for luck. Luckily she usually forgets this one, as it makes me feel a bit silly.

Cheers,

Mike

Well I had a dream about my wifes father having false teeth (Funnily) 2 nights ago also his left eye was grey I told the wife next morning:

She has also just told me that if shehas a dream relating to her losing blood that means she lost money,or going to have to pay something

[phibunmike]

She has also just told me that if shehas a dream relating to her losing blood that means she lost money,or going to have to pay something

My wife says a dream involving blood (because it is red) means money is coming ! I must admit we have had "coincidences" there too....

[macb]

She has also just told me that if shehas a dream relating to her losing blood that means she lost money,or going to have to pay something

My wife says a dream involving blood (because it is red) means money is coming ! I must admit we have had "coincidences" there too....

Well if I cut me throat my wife will have money coming lol

But if I cut me finger to seewhat happens some one will say Sum num nah

[Bizz]

On a recent trip to Issan.

I witnessed my Gf brothers baby girl 6 weeks old crying continuously.

This was causing great loss of sleep to my GF mother.

This guy came to the house about 30 years old put some herbs in his mouth chewed them and started spitting on the Childs head first then on its back and belly,

I asked GF what was going on and she said this is Issan way baby stops crying.

Ya the baby did stop crying shortly afterwards

[llso]

We were in the Village one time in BuriRam and we were riding out to the rice paddies as it was planting time. My wife says stop and runs out into a field and wais and gives some money to an old lady. I asked my wife who was that? She says that is my mother. I said mother well then who is this lady I been calling Mama all these years.

She then went on to explain that when she was a baby she got very sick. Her "real" mother sold her to this lady for 1 baht to fool the ghosts. When she got better she went back home to live. The idea being that the ghost that was making her sick was trying to get at her mom. By her mom selling her to another lady the ghost gave up.

Strange but true Issan Buriram story.

Another time 2 doors down form our house at the her aunts I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a huge bonfire under the big Mango tree in front their house. The next day I asked waht were they doing? In was told that her cousin (The fine one) baby was crying and that they built a big fire to scare away the ghost.

WE bought a rai of land a few years ago and built a big warehouse for my equipo from our factory. We had to clear it and fill it and when we were building the warehouse I got bit by something on my ankle and my ankle swell all up and I got a very high fever, spent 2 day in Hospital. When I got back all the old ladies got together with the pig head , whiskey and other stuff and had a Voodoo cermeony at the site to appease the ghost that made me sick for cutting all the trees and stuff. I had to go and it was raining slightly and they began chating all this stuff in Khmeer . They asked me why I didn't look surprised but then I come from Louisiana and am no stranger to Voodoo and superstition. I also had a girlfriend when I was young in Miami who was a Santeria priestess.

I also posted a while back about a freaky experience in Phuket where a locked door unbolted and flew open in the middle of the night with noone around.

LL

[sutnyod]

If one dreams of somebody dying one actually gives that person an additional life (meaning they will not die when they were normally supposed to).

If you see a snake crossing your way, you will get a new boyfriend.

[leisurely]

New boyfriend if a snakes passes you? I should have a harem of gigolos then. I see tons of snakes (not sure what they are, the only ones I am certain of are cobras, these I avoid!) Facinating thread. I had one of our daughters in the MIddle East and some of the beliefs there are astonishing. A favourite was that she shouldn't be allowed to look at herself in a mirror or her teeth wouldn't grow! another one was to rub oil in her hair so it grew black and thick. When I pointed out that two westerners with extremely fair skin and fair hair were unlikely to have a black haired baby it was turned back on me with 'well you didn't rub oil in her hair!'

[macb]

Found A link relating to Burriram area which fits into this Topic I will add the link here as I have posted it in my Burriram Topic it can be read there if you are interested

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1188108

[Gary A]

When they were building my shop/garage one of the workers dug into a clay pot filled with what looked like small pieces of bone and ashes. They spent a couple of hours carefully digging it out of the ground and the only damage to the jar was a small hole where he initially hit it. All work stopped and the monks were called. After a lengthly two day ceremony, chanting and wrapping string around everything it was decided that the spirit was appeased and construction could begin again. The jar was re-buried near the local watt.

Of course my wife has dreams and they usually result in her buying certain numbered lottery tickets. She never wins so she has pretty much lost faith in her dreams. Other than that, I'm pretty lucky that she is not too superstitious.

[khunandy]

When my wife an I stayed in a hotel in Lom Sak overnight on a road trip I noticed a small calibre bullet hole in a big bay window in our room, it looked like it was shot from inside the room (Thanks CSI).

When I started looking around I noticed that the lounge was covering what looked like blood stains and the walls had suspicious scrubbed areas. It gave me the creeps but as the wife was taking a shower I decided not to say anything about it knowing her beliefs etc.

She had a restless night and in the morning told me that a man was sleeping on the floor next to her side of the bed and wouldn't "let" her get out of bed during the night. I showed her the bullet hole and stains , then it all made sense to her.

Khun Andy

[KK-Mike]

The one I saw about ghost was a family taking apart their house board by board until the house was completely down. I thought they were going to build a new house. A few days later they rebuilt the house using the same lumber to exactly the same house. I ask my wife what was going on and she explained that the house had a ghost living there, so they dismanteled the house so the ghost would have no place to live and after the ghost moved on they rebult the house.

[toptuan]

Superstitions about house lizards (jinjos):

1) If a jinjo makes a sound as you go out the door, bad luck.

2) If a jinjo falls on you from the ceiling/wall, bad luck. (Yeah, heart attack).

Superstition about sleeping:

1) Don't sleep with your head to the west. That's the position dead bodies are placed in (at funerals?).

Superstition about howling dogs:

1) You know how those dogs sometimes set up a chorus of long, eerie howls in the middle of the night? Every dog in the neighborhood chiming in together? Of course, every Thai knows! They've seen a ghost.

[macb]

WEll my daughter had her head shaved as apparantly it promotes even growth or something like that !!

Now there is this flower in the garden called Dor-an-chan

Now beleief is that this Flower has hair restoring properties or hair growing something or other in the flower. As you can see in the next pic :

Now my thought isa why shave it off in the first place : Mind you is is cooler for her and the little bit of Cradle-Cap that Gloria did have has gone.

[frikkiedeboer]

A few Issan superstitions:

1) No cutting finger or toe nails at night

2) At night You can sweep the house but can not put the refuse in the bin

3) If you sneeze someone is talking about you

4) If you butt spoons while eating some one will stop by unexpectedly

5) If you spill/ knock over a plate of rice something bad will happen that day (Stay off the bike!)

6. A female should not tend plants during her period, as the plants will die.

7. Do not whistle at night.

8. Don't have your hair cut on a Wednesday

(So why aren't all the hairdressers closed on Wednesdays?)

in my village,they are! i used to make a point of cutting my kids' hair on a wednesday night just to piss off my ex mother-in law! it was pointed out to me too,that i should not have my washing line strung in front of my house, obstructing the entrance, since thai people in isaan will not walk under a washing line................so i put them up all around the place. only kept about half of them out,though so i guess this belief is not too strong.

[frikkiedeboer]

On a recent trip to Issan.

I witnessed my Gf brothers baby girl 6 weeks old crying continuously.

This was causing great loss of sleep to my GF mother.

This guy came to the house about 30 years old put some herbs in his mouth chewed them and started spitting on the Childs head first then on its back and belly,

I asked GF what was going on and she said this is Issan way baby stops crying.

Ya the baby did stop crying shortly afterwards

it was probably too shitscared to cry in case some weasel came back and spat on it again...............

[RusT]

> Well when the wife became pregnant....

In the past I have seen new borns being protected from the full moon as if it were a midday sun.

Also (but this might have been a Chinese custom) when a child is returned to the family house and is visited by well wishers, they comment how ugly the child is. This is I understand to mislead and distract evil spirits that are looking to steal beautiful babies.

They say it is bad luck to say a baby is cute so they said "Luk Mah" (dog baby) or just "Kirae" (ugly) when they really when they really want to say how adorable the baby is. This belief is spread right throughout Thailand not only Issan. Whether it has Chinese origins I don't know.