Hi All,

This should be an easy one with all the resident experts ....

At my recent house blessing party, the ladies of the village made a good luck decoration. A picture is shown here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/gallery/album31/VillageElder3

When I got to Thai language class on Saturday, I asked my teacher what it is called. She pronounced it but I forgot how she said it.

I asked her to write it down in Thai but I have a hard time reading her scratch. I think it was:

บายคีร or baai-keen or baai-deen

But I'm not sure and wanted to be sure.

Can anyone clarify what the decoration is called (in Thai and transliterated), and what it symbolizes?

TIA for your help.

Cheers,

Spee

Mrs Scouse reckons it's called a บายศรี - bai-sii and that it's for good luck. That's as specific as it gets I'm afraid.

Scouse.

Update......

Apparently it is something to do with the spirits and ensures only good ones will inhabit your gaff.

Scouse.

Mrs Scouse reckons it's called a บายศรี - bai-sii and that it's for good luck. That's as specific as it gets I'm afraid.

Scouse.

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ok that makes sense with the final consonant silent, cheers, thanks

It's not a decoration, but an offering platter, draped with sacred cotton string that will be tied around the wrists of the participants to 'bind' the 32 khwan -- invisible spirit entities that protect your bodily functions -- to your body.

There was a brief discussion this kind ceremony in the Buddhism branch of thaivisa.com recently, see:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24699

It's not a decoration, but an offering platter, draped with sacred cotton string that will be tied around the wrists of the participants to 'bind' the 32 khwan -- invisible spirit entities that protect your bodily functions -- to your body.

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Cheers ... thanks SabaiJai,

Didn't use the term decoration as derogatory or taking away from the symbolic meaning of the bai-sii. I just didn't know how else to describe it.

Everything you said here and in the referenced thread makes sense. The bai-sii was filled with eggs, pieces of string and other objects, and things like food, drink and clothes were laid around it.

After all of the speaking and chanting, all of the ladies from the village came over a took a piece of string, rubbed it up and down my wrist, said some words for good luck and blessing, and then tied it around my wrist.

It was a very touching gesture and I was really quite overwhelmed by the whole ceremony.