Odd Or Obscure Thai Traditions

[necronx99]

There is a little girl in my village who has her head shaved with only a topknot or ponytail thing growing out of the crown of her head.

i was told that when she was born the monks said she was cursed and needs to maintain this hairstyle until she is 13 or something.

If she cuts the ponytail it is believed she will get sick and die.

Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?

Any more odd things you have seen?

[Pseudolus]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

[Mosha]

A few years ago, people where putting sticks with clothing on outside their homes to tell ghosts (phi) that no one in the house was born on a certain day. May have been Thursdays.

[necronx99]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

Well at least she is not going to burn for all eternity for the lack of a good head wetting.

[Pseudolus]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

Well at least she is not going to burn for all eternity for the lack of a good head wetting.

Maybe she will though. What if she has backed the wrong religion; the wrong god, and all these parent induced antics are not placating some god or spirits but instead winding it up. Maybe the real god is indeed a vengeful smoting god. Dangerous territory.

[CharlieH]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

Well at least she is not going to burn for all eternity for the lack of a good head wetting.

Maybe she will though. What if she has backed the wrong religion; the wrong god, and all these parent induced antics are not placating some god or spirits but instead winding it up. Maybe the real god is indeed a vengeful smoting god. Dangerous territory.

All a matter of belief, and who's to say what's right or wrong, correct or stupid, as we here so often......."up to them"

[Pseudolus]

All a matter of belief, and who's to say what's right or wrong, correct or stupid, as we here so often......."up to them"

Totally agree Charlie. By the way, I tell you you are cursed. In order to break this curse you need to sit outside 7/11 drinking bottles of Leo for the next 10 years.

[thequietman]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

Exactly. one moron monk in my village predicted via astrology that my wife was going to die soon. she was really worried for a while and it took me a while to get it out of here what was the matter. when she told me I went to the local wat looking for him. i really was going to kick him around the wat. when he found out i was looking for him, he made a new prediction..... she wouldnt die if she sat under a tree in the temple and meditated and yes.......... she gave a small donation to the temple !

Heres the good part....................... he died a few months later. he didnt see that cummin......

[UbonOz]

A while ago I wanted to get a haircut.

I was told that hairdressers are not open today, it was a Wednesday or Thursday, supposedly bad luck or something.

I did not ask any more, just rolled my eyes.

[elliss]

"Does anyone know the background or any more information on this tradition?"

Yes - ignorance, poor education, and a culture that allows a small group of people to be believed no matter what dribble they say. I wonder how much dosh the parents also had / have to pay for the monks to cleanse the bad spirits?

Well at least she is not going to burn for all eternity for the lack of a good head wetting.

thats what the civilised world used to do to the witches, burn burn burn.

life was a lot less complicated in those good old days.

[CharlieH]

" i really was going to kick him around the wat."

hahahahaha

[thaifkrlim]

another oddity is i have seen a group of thai people being submerged in the river by some man holding a book before being able to join some cult

[necronx99]

Ok, here's another.

Next to my BiLs place in Mahachai there is a large empty lot. It's all overgrown and a bit of a dump site but;

Right in the middle there is a large red umbrella, beach umbrella size, mounted on a 7ft pole.

Under the umbrella are sets of what look like the white outfits women wear in the temples.

It looks a funny place for a clothesline. Anyone know what it is?

[Semper]

another oddity is i have seen a group of thai people being submerged in the river by some man holding a book before being able to join some cult

There is also the 'tradition' of trying to maim or kill each other with water. The phenomenon is called Songkran.

[Orac]

A while ago I wanted to get a haircut.

I was told that hairdressers are not open today, it was a Wednesday or Thursday, supposedly bad luck or something.

I did not ask any more, just rolled my eyes.

Wednesday

[Pseudolus]

another oddity is i have seen a group of thai people being submerged in the river by some man holding a book before being able to join some cult

There is also the 'tradition' of trying to maim or kill each other with water. The phenomenon is called Songkran.

Thought it was a teacher breaking up a school gang riot.

[nisakiman]

A while ago I wanted to get a haircut.

I was told that hairdressers are not open today, it was a Wednesday or Thursday, supposedly bad luck or something.

I did not ask any more, just rolled my eyes.

Yes, my wife refuses to cut my hair with the clippers (I keep it short and simple) on a Wednesday. Bad luck, apparently.

It's not even that she's uneducated, either - she's a qualified accountant - but ghosts are real and I'm not allowed to work on New Year's Day and so on.

I've given up arguing.

[RubbaJohnny]

Despite some education and time overeas my wife takes the long way round home at night so as not to pass the cremation place.

Only adds a few minutes but she like all locals really believes in ghosts hence all this Jowtee spirit house stuff.

It often occurs to me the old KMT Chinese guy who is the only one within 400m of the joint has a really quiet place exctly where I would locate any future retirement home.

[telldem]

Spirit Houses:

They have to keep the spirits happy, or else all hell will break loose.

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[farangme]

Try this one: I'm told women shouldn't wash their hair while on their period. Sounded so bizarre I didn't bother to ask why.

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[rics21]

Haven't been having hair cuts on Wednesdays for years.

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[travelmann]

Child abuse no less!!

[SeaVisionBurma]

Try this one: I'm told women shouldn't wash their hair while on their period. Sounded so bizarre I didn't bother to ask why.

I've heard this many times in Myanmar - during menstruation Burmese women won't wash their hair... They also won't wash their hair for a month or more after having a baby - brings bad luck apparently ...

[David48]

Try this one: I'm told women shouldn't wash their hair while on their period. Sounded so bizarre I didn't bother to ask why.

I've heard this many times in Myanmar - during menstruation Burmese women won't wash their hair... They also won't wash their hair for a month or more after having a baby - brings bad luck apparently ...

In the menstruation theme (not the hair cutting or styles) neither will a Thai lady eat an ice-cream during that time of the month.

[bina]

whats wierd to you is ok to them and vise versa... hubby works for a glatt kosher restaraunt. he is not allowed to cook the eggs, cookt the rice or fry the meat. he can make sushi. he cannot light the fire for the wok, but can do the stir fry. he is also the shabbas goy (lookthat one up) for the restaraunt. it drives him to distraction taht he cant just go and crack a few eggs in a bowl and whip them up and then make the omelot for the sushi he makes. (u can only crack one egg at a time n the bowl to check for a blood dot. if there is one, then the egg is thrown out.therefore if u have a bunch of eggs in same bowl, are all thrown out.)... as a thai, he thinks we are a bunch of religious nutcases (forbidden! to turn on lights on saturday, or drive, cant eat milk in coffee at meat meal, no shrimp calamari etc... all the tasty stuff... no sex for two weeks during and after menstruation, and sleeping in separate beds... men dont hand things to women cause they mgiht be menstruating.... all parsley, rice, beans etc must be hand searched for insects, stones, etc before cooking,. house must have double sets of utensils marked with red, blue or yellow (meat milk parve).... at week old, baby's weewee is snipped.

personally, i would go for a ghost house in my garden, lucky numbers, and no hair cuts on wednesdays in lieu of all that mumbojumbo we have here....

i forgot: men cant light candles on friday, women cannot bless wine. women cannot open wine for men (during menstruation, so better just not do it at all), ...

and scientists, doctors, and politicians believe in this stuff... primitive or not... so really, its not just thailand. its what is wierd to YOU.

(along with fathers, sons and holy ghosts) (no offense)

bina

israel

[nisakiman]

whats wierd to you is ok to them and vise versa... hubby works for a glatt kosher restaraunt. he is not allowed to cook the eggs, cookt the rice or fry the meat. he can make sushi. he cannot light the fire for the wok, but can do the stir fry. he is also the shabbas goy (lookthat one up) for the restaraunt. it drives him to distraction taht he cant just go and crack a few eggs in a bowl and whip them up and then make the omelot for the sushi he makes. (u can only crack one egg at a time n the bowl to check for a blood dot. if there is one, then the egg is thrown out.therefore if u have a bunch of eggs in same bowl, are all thrown out.)... as a thai, he thinks we are a bunch of religious nutcases (forbidden! to turn on lights on saturday, or drive, cant eat milk in coffee at meat meal, no shrimp calamari etc... all the tasty stuff... no sex for two weeks during and after menstruation, and sleeping in separate beds... men dont hand things to women cause they mgiht be menstruating.... all parsley, rice, beans etc must be hand searched for insects, stones, etc before cooking,. house must have double sets of utensils marked with red, blue or yellow (meat milk parve).... at week old, baby's weewee is snipped.

personally, i would go for a ghost house in my garden, lucky numbers, and no hair cuts on wednesdays in lieu of all that mumbojumbo we have here....

i forgot: men cant light candles on friday, women cannot bless wine. women cannot open wine for men (during menstruation, so better just not do it at all), ...

and scientists, doctors, and politicians believe in this stuff... primitive or not... so really, its not just thailand. its what is wierd to YOU.

(along with fathers, sons and holy ghosts) (no offense)

bina

israel

You're absolutely right, of course, bina. Just about all religions have oddball taboos and bizarre customs. Not to mention the beliefs...

Makes me glad to be atheist...

[zzdocxx]

Despite some education and time overeas my wife takes the long way round home at night so as not to pass the cremation place.

Only adds a few minutes but she like all locals really believes in ghosts hence all this Jowtee spirit house stuff.

It often occurs to me the old KMT Chinese guy who is the only one within 400m of the joint has a really quiet place exctly where I would locate any future retirement home.

Yes I heard people are dying to get into that neighborhood.

[necronx99]

Spirit Houses:

They have to keep the spirits happy, or else all hell will break loose.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Thaivisa Connect App

Glad you mentioned spirit houses. A broken spirit house is supposed to be very bad, and apparently you're not allowed to throw them out or burn them.

whats with all the spirit house graveyards you find on backroads?

Big piles of broken spirit houses in the middle of no where.

[hookedondhamma]

Spirit Houses:

They have to keep the spirits happy, or else all hell will break loose.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Thaivisa Connect App

Glad you mentioned spirit houses. A broken spirit house is supposed to be very bad, and apparently you're not allowed to throw them out or burn them.

whats with all the spirit house graveyards you find on backroads?

Big piles of broken spirit houses in the middle of no where.

They upgraded to a spirit mansion when they got a mia noi.

[pigeonjake]

my wifes pregnent with our little girl due 14sept, she has had a safety pin on her dress or whatever all the time, i asked why, she said to keep away spirits from baby,,

who am i to argue,

jake