My Thai language instructor told an interesting anecdote in the first day of class today, about why almost all Thai people have nicknames that are usually given when they are newborns or young babies.

She said the custom dates back to the days of poor or no prenatal care and relatively high infant mortality. It was thought that the spirits did not have any children and would often come to take away little children so they could have their own.

So the parents and grandparents would think of ways to try to hide the little babies from the spirits. One of the ways they thought was to give the baby a cheu/f/-len/f/ literally a "play name" or nickname. This way, when the spirit came to look for a baby of a certain name, the spirit would find a "different" baby with a different name.

Her nickname or cheu/f/-len /f/ is "nuu/r/-lek/h/" or "little mouse" or just plain "Lek."

Cool story I thought .....

In the same way Thais, or at least older generation Thais, will never praise a newborn baby as "cute" or "na-rak" etc., some even going so far as to say how ugly the baby is. Just to avoid making any listening "spirits" jealous.

In the same way Thais, or at least older generation Thais, will never praise a newborn baby as "cute" or "na-rak" etc., some even going so far as to say how ugly the baby is. Just to avoid making any listening "spirits" jealous.

Yeah she also mentioned that, too. I had forgotten to mention it. Another interesting custom.

This is in fact true but the roots of it are not Thai, rather Hindu.

There are several Hindu customs relating to the naming of children and the use of nicknames (Devil's names).

You cannot be called to the spirits by anyother than your real name and you cannot be cursed in any name other than your real name.

Thais will often be very reluctant to give their real names to strangers for this same reason.

You cannot be called to the spirits by anyother than your real name and you cannot be cursed in any name other than your real name.

Thais will often be very reluctant to give their real names to strangers for this same reason.

yeah that's true...most Thais take their curses v seriously..

I believe there are some older European customs which were similar- calling the baby by another name so that the devil/fairies wouldn't come and take him away.

"Steven"

Another one is , if you see a person who is ugly or has a big nose or some other wierd abnormality, be careful not to criticise, as when you have your baby, it too will have a big nose or head like a smacked arse !!

But this does not make sense, as when Thai people have not seen you for a longtime they often remark about how fat you are !!

This custom comes from the Chinese too. It was probably spread to LOS via way of the Indo-China trade routes that cut straight through La Na (Norther Thailand). As someone mentioned it is a Hindu custom, and as Hinduism is 5000 years old, it seems likely that it came to China from India, maybe along with Buddhism (?).

In the west a few centuries past, many countries including the UK, would not give their children names until they were a certain age. This was to stop the devil/demons taking them as you refer to you baby as 'the baby' - it was thpought to confuse the demons as to which baby you was refering to and to stop them locating your baby and stealing them. After an amount of time, usually 7 days in the UK, but variable on place and time, the child would be named. This was likely as a way to explain why so many children died in their first few days/weeks of life then.

All very interesting I think. Different cultures explaining the same unexplained problem with the same superstition.

I believe there are some older European customs which were similar- calling the baby by another name so that the devil/fairies wouldn't come and take him away.

"Steven"

And as to the importance of guarding names in European culture, remember Fangorn considering Merry and Pippin hasty for telling him their names! The tale of Rumpelstiltskin also illustrates the importance of concealing true names. I don't know whether Odysseus's giving 'No-one' as his name to the cyclops is related to this theme.

But this does not make sense, as when Thai people have not seen you for a longtime they often remark about how fat you are

In a Thais eyes FAT equates to wealth, so this is a complement.

But this does not make sense, as when Thai people have not seen you for a longtime they often remark about how fat you are

In a Thais eyes FAT equates to wealth, so this is a complement.

Maybe Thai-Chinese but when my Thai-Thai friends see me after some time away and remark how fat I am - they mean I'm genuinely oowan! (which is true)