Odd Or Obscure Thai Traditions

[Morakot]

Good news! We're all healed of the obscure traditions of the distant past.

We might be, but the local population isn't.

And so the delusion continues. May haughtiness guide us forever.

And so the delusion of grandeur continues, feeling that no counter argument or proof is required and merely putting some dull one liner is enough. May arrogance guide us forever.

Proofing a value judgement? What is odd or obscure about any tradition? You're imposing your "rational" view of your world onto a very different context by making such value judgements that something is "healed" (which I admittedly provoked you into saying) for instance.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Morakot

[David006]

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

amazing ..such a modern world and it is still run by this "BS" and it's totally unproductive minions?

Had a good customer in Canada was a JW always refused to clink glasses of beer ie "cheers" over lunch..said it was heathen.

Me I don't believe any of it ..touch wood...

[Pseudolus]

Proofing a value judgement? What is odd or obscure about any tradition? You're imposing your "rational" view of your world onto a very different context by making such value judgements that something is "healed" (which I admittedly provoked you into saying) for instance.

Proofing? Am I half way through baking a loaf here and letting the dough rise?

Now go back and read your points again. You were saying that western culture is still riddled with daft superstitions, and I said maybe, but they are recognised as such, and no one lets them lead their life or takes them seriously, to which you tried to firstly prove they did, and then that Thais do not let superstitions lead their lives.

The way to go about proving your point, or at least adding a modicum of support to your stance to is offer up some evidence. Instead you prefer to insinuate that I am not rational because I do not believe that having a ghost house outside my residence will keep the ghosts out, and that making my daughter into a laughing stock with a daft haircut will achieve anything, and that a bloke who broke the law was to blame for poor finances as opposed to a piece of land.

Off you pop and try again.

p.s., you did not provoke me into anything sunny - superstition is a form of psychological condition, and indeed the west has been healed by it. The ones who have not are those still living in the dark ages; Thailand, Africa.....

Edited August 27, 2012 by Pseudolus

[lomatopo]

In addition to not getting a haircut on Wednesdays, there are a few other things you are not supposed to do on Wednesdays. The only one I can remember is that you should not wear new clothes, for the first time, on a Wednesday.

[Payboy]

Did anyone mention the wooden dildo's yet?

i saw a pair of these in a roadside antique store in Uthai Thani yesterday.

Full on 6 ft tall. Impressive looking specimens.

I was wondering how they would look either side of my entranceway.

Better either side than actually in your entrance way. Especially the back entrance.

Just tap them on your back entrance every morning - to officially declare that business is open.

[Morakot]

Now go back and read your points again. You were saying that western culture is still riddled with daft superstitions, and I said maybe, but they are recognised as such, and no one lets them lead their life or takes them seriously, to which you tried to firstly prove they did, and then that Thais do not let superstitions lead their lives.

All I said was: "Some more obscure traditions..." making a value judgement in jest. The rest must be going on in your head. Transposing, imposing again, are we? (Thanks for pointing out my spelling mistakes. That was actually funny.)

[Pseudolus]

Just tap them on your back entrance every morning - to officially declare that business is open.

[Morakot]

Did anyone mention the wooden dildo's yet?

i saw a pair of these in a roadside antique store in Uthai Thani yesterday.

Full on 6 ft tall. Impressive looking specimens.

I was wondering how they would look either side of my entranceway.

Better either side than actually in your entrance way. Especially the back entrance.

Just tap them on your back entrance every morning - to officially declare that business is open.

Careful. That might turn into a tradition.

[Morakot]

superstition is a form of psychological condition, and indeed the west has been healed by it.

Hmm, and along the way we have new psychological conditions: e.g. the fluctuation of stock markets...

Edited August 27, 2012 by Morakot

[yourauntbob]

When home alone at night, wife turns on all the lights and turns tv volume all the way up. Keeps the ghosts away.

Sent from my PC36100 using Thaivisa Connect App

mine to, exact same thing!

[Pseudolus]

superstition is a form of psychological condition, and indeed the west has been healed by it.

Hmm, and along the way we have new psychological conditions: e.g. the fluctuation of stock markets...

Well, actually it is. There are many forms of superstition and most of them have psychological reasons behind.

For example, sportsmen who do certain things such as rituals or wearing certain items prior to competing. They call them superstitions but in reality are coping mechanisms for anxiety disorders and often demonstrated through OCD (like bouncing a tennis ball a certain amount of times.....

Another reason is paranoia, and superstition is more often than not trying to create an element of certainty with the reasoning being that false certainty is better than no certainty at all. When people have no control over something, the overpowering need is to try to do something. Superstitions is one thing they can do and feel "at least they did something".

Then you have the placebo effect as well. Placing a rabbits foot on your key chain will not give you luck. However, if you believe it will bring success in relation to a certain event, the power of your own belief can bring about your desired result. It's not the rabbits foot, its you believing you will do it and thus doing it. Counter wise, not doing your superstition prior to something, you believe you have lost before you started. So you give up. And it doesn't happen. You then blame it on not holding your 4 leaf clover in your bum cheeks or what ever the superstition is. Doing something when you have not completed your superstition though is very much a psychological condition known as perceived helplessness. You believe you can not do something, so you don't.

On such as the number 13 / Friday 13th; these are phobias. Simple irrational fears.

So you see, all superstition are rooted strongly in psychologically. Not new. Don't understand what you are talking about re: stock market fluctuations though. Any fluctuations are a result of the people working at them and the people trading stocks and they are all affected by the aforementioned, and also by greed. Mostly greed.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Pseudolus

[orpheus454]

"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.

Whooosh...!

[Morakot]

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.

Whooosh...!

I know, that's how I felt as well. But apparently as the poster claims it's all just harmless banter...

Edited August 27, 2012 by Morakot

[fin5prtw]

My boyfriend always finds things I am superstitious about quite funny, and so vice versa! breaking a mirror giving 7 years bad luck, walking under a ladder, black cat crossing the path, salt over the shoulder! so i equally find their superstitions amusing, but also very interesting

he's not particularly superstitious with the traditions, but he does believe that if he has his bullet from the monk on him, then if he gets shot he will not be hurt.

[UbonOz]

Is not wearing a seat belt with a child on your lap superstitious?

[Orac]

Why would you need to do that after your car has been blessed, had bits of gold leaf rubbed on it and the roof tipexed.

[tinfoilhat]

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 always find a way to make this about Israel. Relevant? i think not.

[loong]

you always find a way to make this about Israel. Relevant? i think not.

Of course it's relevant. Just the same as the British posters making comparisons with the UK and Americans, the US.

Don't take any notice Bina, there are a few contributors to this forum that I usually enjoy reading and you are one of them.

[Mosha]

Positioning of the bed/sleeping in the correct orientation. Head of the bed must not be orientated west or south

[Surin steve]

Living here for decades I've seen lot and lots of nonsense some of it beneficial to me I bought my first bit of land really cheap 30 odd years ago because noone else dare buy it because a young girl committed suicide on it

Some of the nonsense down right dangerous a 13 year old girl was having a fit one day possibly epileptic the parents instead of getting proper help called in the witch doctor and we had a crazy hour of nonsense while he tried to drive out the evil spirits , all the neighbours came round with helpful comments like "ask her what the lottery numbers will be"

About 8 years ago a 10 year old boy got bitten by a rabid dog again no striat off the the hospital like a normal thing to do it was call the witch doctor , he spat some betel juice over her and said he would be fine the boy died in agony 10 days later

And finerly just this year the wife's mother was running for pu yai barn (village headman) they consulted the village quack about how best to succeed after paying a large sum of money plus the usual pigs head and bottle of grog he came up with the priceless advice of " bribe all the villages with more money than your rivals and you will win !!!!!" she did so by the way and lost 

[Mosha]

Actually given SurinSteve's last point. Why are local election "enticements" far higher than general elections. The next Tambon the incumbent Kamnan was being challenged. She ran a if you think I'm doing ok vote for me. Her oppo paid 1000 Baht, and he lost. She was far more clever last time round. She just paid her oppo's friends.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Mosha

[travelmann]

Living here for decades I've seen lot and lots of nonsense some of it beneficial to me I bought my first bit of land really cheap 30 odd years ago because noone else dare buy it because a young girl committed suicide on it

Some of the nonsense down right dangerous a 13 year old girl was having a fit one day possibly epileptic the parents instead of getting proper help called in the witch doctor and we had a crazy hour of nonsense while he tried to drive out the evil spirits , all the neighbours came round with helpful comments like "ask her what the lottery numbers will be"

About 8 years ago a 10 year old boy got bitten by a rabid dog again no striat off the the hospital like a normal thing to do it was call the witch doctor , he spat some betel juice over her and said he would be fine the boy died in agony 10 days later

And finerly just this year the wife's mother was running for pu yai barn (village headman) they consulted the village quack about how best to succeed after paying a large sum of money plus the usual pigs head and bottle of grog he came up with the priceless advice of " bribe all the villages with more money than your rivals and you will win !!!!!" she did so by the way and lost 

All quite pathetic really but no worse than any religion.

[Mosha]

you always find a way to make this about Israel. Relevant? i think not.

Of course it's relevant. Just the same as the British posters making comparisons with the UK and Americans, the US.

Don't take any notice Bina, there are a few contributors to this forum that I usually enjoy reading and you are one of them.

Bina is one of the most respected posters here, even without her mod status.

[tigerfish]

not exactly a thai tradition, but it may as well be.

the belief in fortune tellers, especially when it comes to the lottery.

they go absolutely mad on a certain set of numbers indicated on the tables of the sellers written on a piece of paper by the so called respected members of a community.

[Surin steve]

Best one I saw a waitress in my village cafe fell over a sleeping dog with a bowl of noodles the next half hour was taken up by all the staff and customers trying to decide which numbers had been formed by the spilt noodles ( could only happen in amazing Thailand )

[onionluke]

Positioning of the bed/sleeping in the correct orientation. Head of the bed must not be orientated west or south

I have an orientated void , but , and i will get to the bottom of it ,listen up , it could be worse totall bastar4ds selling petrol on my street , sleepless i am

[lineofentry]

Religion eh! When you are dead, your'e dead. Get used to it.

One consolation though, time passes quickly.

[Mosha]

not exactly a thai tradition, but it may as well be.

the belief in fortune tellers, especially when it comes to the lottery.

they go absolutely mad on a certain set of numbers indicated on the tables of the sellers written on a piece of paper by the so called respected members of a community.

Along with trying to get the registration number of vehicles involved in accidents.

[bangkokburning]

My hunch about washing hair is that poor women have a bad diet and we know how Asians succombto colds when weather changes (even ac). Period is time which adds to the body's drama and lowers resistance and immunity.

Hair on Wends - my hunch is that is the day that barbers have always taken off. Working Sat and Sun?? So Wed is sacred to them and hence the bad luck.This has transf to superstition of no one wanting to cut hair on this day.

Just some hunches

[damo]

Falung who wear string around thier wrists to keep the dead spirits away, now that is strange.