Hello, in rural Thailand I often see old helmets perched on fence posts near the driveway towards the family house. (See pic below.) Occasionally it may be something else, like a rotting stuffed toy or a boot, but usually it's a discarded helmet.

The helmet is always next to the driveway to the family home; it will not be on any fence post further away from the family home.

Is there any special superstition or funny belief/ritual connected to that helmet on a fence post?

I would like to hear from you if you REALLY believe to know it, not just general assumptions.

 

Thanks!

I admit to having seen perhaps 1 helmet or a shoe perched on a fence post but have always assumed it was someones attempt to provide the opportunity for reclamation rather than to satisfy some superstition or some related legend.

However back in the good ole days of the Red shirt mafia that dominated many areas of the Isaan local political "system" it was common to see a red shirt mounted outside a property .

The "explanation" was that it was a superstitious belief that protected the sons of the family from bad luck.

The more believable truth was that it displayed household loyalty to the Thaksin directives administered through and by the village heads and thereby avoid "issues" of various sorts.

Either could be true or even combined but I can't think of a connection to helmets or other items unless it represents that household's loss of family members on the roads which given the horrendous death toll on motorcycles may be a very pertinent heads-up to passing travelers ?