Bad luck ?

[bifftastic]

Have same in my home, no worries, its all nonsense in my opinion but upto the individual. No one has ever commented about the bedroom at the front though.

Had a nightmare with my mrs as she wouldnt have the bed pointing where the sun goes down! Something about death, they all seem to have one quirk or another, all part of Thailands rich tapestry.

We have many if not all the homes in our area have scarecrow type figures wearing red shirts to keep spirits from stealing the men apparently. Ask me, for many it would be no great loss!

Beds should face North/South not East/West and if your headboard (on the East/West axis) is facing East then that is certainly bad luck. In the house that I rent the headboard is the type fixed to the wall and the wall is on the East side of the house. Our bed now runs North/South with this strange headboard hanging all alone on the East wall.

Well, that's us and our whole family doomed then!

[sfbandung]

And the front door should not be in line with the back door as all your money will flow out of the house.

I've heard that one before, but our house, which was built by Thai people for Thai people, has exactly that arrangement.

I've also heard that beds shouldn't face east (not sure exactly how a bed can actually 'face' in one direction or another) but my brother-in-law and my nephew (+ wife and baby) all have beds in that direction, as does their front door.

Anyway, can't you just say that the house faces the other way round? Call the front the back, job done

Hadn't heard about the bathrooms but ours are all away from the front.

And I heard it is the head of the bed that can't face west ...

Head of the bed....ok, I'm calculating it in my head now......and we're fine phew, that was close!

What about the doors? Ours faces East, those on the opposite side of the road......are they in trouble?

Ha ha. We have doors on all sides of our place. Not heard anything. Apparently the head of the bed can't face west because that's where all the spirits of the dead people go. It's all a bit of fun.

[proovms]

It's amazing they can remember all these nonsensical superstitions but can't remember what time they are meant to go to work.

[Jasun]

Might be a buddhist thing. I know at temples and homes for monks, they deliberately keep the sleeping quarters and the toilets well separated

[champers]

The Bundy residence in "Married With Children" had the toilet next to the front door.

Each episode featured daddy Al Bundy flushing the toilet loudly and emerging with a constipated face to huge applause. Crappy feng shui (literally) didn't seem to harm the Bundys.

Didn't do Ted much good.

[Torrens54]

Just in case you ever want to sell the place, don't take any chances.

We built a Buddha Room at the front, top corner of the house, facing the Mountains, so I hope that will be a Selling Point if we ever want to sell.

Years ago, when I was living in a flat above my office, my staff were very concerned for me well-being, because I had located the head of the bed, pointing to, as they put it, "a place where they arrange funerals."

I was of course pleased that they thought enough of me to warn me of my "tempting fate" and promptly re-positioned the bed.

My wife also takes great care that we don't have any photographs located in the wrong position, in particular they shouldn't be at the same height or (heaven forbid) higher than pictures of Special Monks. I have managed to sort-of get around that a bit.

I have a very nice photograph of me meeting the Dali Lama, (whom I admire greatly, I was more impressed meeting him than I was the Pope) anyway, despite the fact that I am taller than His Holiness, the picture commands Pride of Place in our house.... with my Wife's blessing!.

[dao16]

I don't mind the toilets being far away, actually....especially considering the stench when it rains really hard that seems impossible to avoid.

[Rimmer]

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.166-7), Hamlet to Horatio

[belg]

you/he will be flushing money right into the toilet

never will get rich or lose it all

is the superstition if i am correct

[wileycoyote]

This is more Feng Shui ,than Thai superstition

[menorah]

I recently renovated my partner's old house / restaurant and converted it into 4 studio apartments and a house for ourselves. Three of the wet room WC's are effectively next to the entrances of 3 units, although they sit at 90dg to the front elevation.

Apart from a passing comment about Thais preferring WC's at the back of a property there was no other objections. All the apartments were let in a matter of 4 weeks..

It's worth noting that European planners generally try to avoid WC's being located to the front or adjacent entrances but on the grounds of privacy and modesty. Let's face it, who likes to hear bathroom noises from outside while you wait to be greeted inside !

What is worth considering is the more widespread belief by Thais that a bed should properly be positioned North-South. Placing it East-West , means your body aligns with the passage of the sun as it 'dies' each day.

Generally, Thais realise the origin of these superstitious beliefs but find it hard to break the habit since such beliefs are continually reinforced in the nightly TV 'dramas'.

My own partner occasionally observes some of the Voodoo but normally dismisses it as 'Old Story' and for the uneducated.

[jackr]

What a load of horse human sh*t.

[beautifulthailand99]

The Bundy residence in "Married With Children" had the toilet next to the front door.

Each episode featured daddy Al Bundy flushing the toilet loudly and emerging with a constipated face to huge applause. Crappy feng shui (literally) didn't seem to harm the Bundys.

No harm there then if you like an audience for your comedy crap , khrap.

Edited November 7, 2013 by beautifulthailand99

[beautifulthailand99]

Superstition or not if a sizeable proportion believe one thing whilst the others do not or do not care and you are at the planning stage and it doesn't cost a considerable amount to effect then common sense for ease of resale if needs be would dictate when in Rome do as the Thais do.

[kikoman]

The bed pointing the "right" way is a big deal...my mother in law is always on about how I am sleeping in the wrong direction. I just laugh and smile and say I don't mind. We moved it for her once, but then my wife wanted the bed moved back so she moved it. She doesn't seem too concerned about that stuff....but the older folks definitely take it seriously.

I am also supposed to give the plants some of my beer when I crack one open at home, apparently. ^^

I always did that when opening a new bottle of whiskey, poured the first shot on the ground, for Buddha,

never have done it with beer.

Cheers

[umbanda]

It is not bull***. I cannot decorate our room in western standars because my wife is aware of the "good" and "bad" orientation of furnitures, windows,. doors, etc, etc....I have to give up..

Our offical "decorator" is a monk..............

[hellodolly]

Having a bedroom at the front of the house is a bad idea - traffic noise. People entreing the house can hear you on the toilet good idea? There are valid ressons behind Feng Shui.

Do the same reasons apply to a house built on acreage where your next door neighbor is a mile down the dirt road?

[hellodolly]

My wife had some beliefs of how a bed should be oriented, and some others that pop-up to a given situation from time to time,

*I may not totally agree with them but I chose to live in Thailand, Thailand did not choose to live with me.

*This is our house and getting along with your wife entails having to compromise, As it is her house also!

*I consider my wife to be my equal and as such, I do not interfere in what she has chosen to believe!

I view my Marriage according to this "

"Never let the situation, mean more than the relationship"

Live and let live,She has always given some of my weird ways the same consideration, as I love and married her for the person she is, and I would not attempt to change that,. Her opinion means more to me than any one else's in my life.

When I chose my wife it was for the right reasons, and it gets better with every passing minute.

Cheers

Well said. In are house I am just along for the ride. She will every so often decide things need moving around. I just make it my job to remember where she put certain things that are not obvious. Every so often I decide to look around for a new condo,Twice she has told me the building is haunted. That ended looking at any more units there. Her superstitions do no harm to me.

That being said I have often wondered about Feng Shui.

I do have a little bit of wonder about things like that. Not so much the evil spirits. Just the thinking behind it.

I believe in the human body having an aura and I am pretty sure that some of the moves martial arts are designed to lock it in.

[hellodolly]

Hadn't heard about the bathrooms but ours are all away from the front.

I've heard that one before, but our house, which was built by Thai people for Thai people, has exactly that arrangement.

I've also heard that beds shouldn't face east (not sure exactly how a bed can actually 'face' in one direction or another) but my brother-in-law and my nephew (+ wife and baby) all have beds in that direction, as does their front door.

Anyway, can't you just say that the house faces the other way round? Call the front the back, job done

And I heard it is the head of the bed that can't face west ...

Head of the bed....ok, I'm calculating it in my head now......and we're fine phew, that was close!

What about the doors? Ours faces East, those on the opposite side of the road......are they in trouble?

Ha ha. We have doors on all sides of our place. Not heard anything. Apparently the head of the bed can't face west because that's where all the spirits of the dead people go. It's all a bit of fun.

that dosen't maker sense. If the head board faces west you will be able to lay in bed and watch the spirits depart. why would she want to miss the free show.

[Bpuumike]

It is all a load of crap (IMHO).

It was really amusing to see the builders of my house and all the neighbours condemn me n mine for building the kitchen in the front of the house with just a counter top separating the kitchen from the living room.

Nobody had seen anything like it. The kitchen MUST be at the rear of the house, that is how it has always been.

House is built and everyone now in awe at what a great idea it was. The kitchen is now the heart and soul of the house.

I always did in Europe but doesn't seem to be be the Thai way, though they love to eat and live in the front.

[kannot]

google "feng shui"

or google "load of crap" get the same result

[MyFriend You]

I wanted to make sure I considered my wifes Asian beliefs when we started designing our house. One day while we were walking around our land discussing the layout of the house etc., I asked her where she wanted the "spirit house". She started laughing and said, "I don't believe in all that old superstitious stuff.....better we plant a mango tree."

Uh Oh!! No Spirit House?? That has been the first thing I have to make room for..........funny thing, I never see a bird land on it to make a nest, or bugs crawl up it to get the sweets & rice things put there by (???) I only put Mekong & Cigarettes there for the Guy Spirits..........no bad luck for me, ain't sayin it helped, but I did win 4 million baht in the lottery about 12 years ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Oh, I ain't married either, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

[tuky]

Just in case you ever want to sell the place, don't take any chances.

We built a Buddha Room at the front, top corner of the house, facing the Mountains, so I hope that will be a Selling Point if we ever want to sell.

Years ago, when I was living in a flat above my office, my staff were very concerned for me well-being, because I had located the head of the bed, pointing to, as they put it, "a place where they arrange funerals."

I was of course pleased that they thought enough of me to warn me of my "tempting fate" and promptly re-positioned the bed.

My wife also takes great care that we don't have any photographs located in the wrong position, in particular they shouldn't be at the same height or (heaven forbid) higher than pictures of Special Monks. I have managed to sort-of get around that a bit.

I have a very nice photograph of me meeting the Dali Lama, (whom I admire greatly, I was more impressed meeting him than I was the Pope) anyway, despite the fact that I am taller than His Holiness, the picture commands Pride of Place in our house.... with my Wife's blessing!.

I would hate to meet the pope. I'd end up in prison for assault.

[The Usual Suspect]

I wanted to make sure I considered my wifes Asian beliefs when we started designing our house. One day while we were walking around our land discussing the layout of the house etc., I asked her where she wanted the "spirit house". She started laughing and said, "I don't believe in all that old superstitious stuff.....better we plant a mango tree."

Uh Oh!! No Spirit House?? That has been the first thing I have to make room for..........funny thing, I never see a bird land on it to make a nest, or bugs crawl up it to get the sweets & rice things put there by (???) I only put Mekong & Cigarettes there for the Guy Spirits..........no bad luck for me, ain't sayin it helped, but I did win 4 million baht in the lottery about 12 years ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Oh, I ain't married either, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

That's funny T.R., because I was seriously thinking of putting one up regardless of what my wife thinks about it. I'm not superstitious but hey, it's the thought that counts. Anyways, I could sure use a few million baht!

[beautifulthailand99]

I wanted to make sure I considered my wifes Asian beliefs when we started designing our house. One day while we were walking around our land discussing the layout of the house etc., I asked her where she wanted the "spirit house". She started laughing and said, "I don't believe in all that old superstitious stuff.....better we plant a mango tree."

Uh Oh!! No Spirit House?? That has been the first thing I have to make room for..........funny thing, I never see a bird land on it to make a nest, or bugs crawl up it to get the sweets & rice things put there by (???) I only put Mekong & Cigarettes there for the Guy Spirits..........no bad luck for me, ain't sayin it helped, but I did win 4 million baht in the lottery about 12 years ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Oh, I ain't married either, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

That's funny T.R., because I was seriously thinking of putting one up regardless of what my wife thinks about it. I'm not superstitious but hey, it's the thought that counts. Anyways, I could sure use a few million baht!

Get a funky one so the spirits don't feel so out of date

[The Usual Suspect]

I wanted to make sure I considered my wifes Asian beliefs when we started designing our house. One day while we were walking around our land discussing the layout of the house etc., I asked her where she wanted the "spirit house". She started laughing and said, "I don't believe in all that old superstitious stuff.....better we plant a mango tree."

Uh Oh!! No Spirit House?? That has been the first thing I have to make room for..........funny thing, I never see a bird land on it to make a nest, or bugs crawl up it to get the sweets & rice things put there by (???) I only put Mekong & Cigarettes there for the Guy Spirits..........no bad luck for me, ain't sayin it helped, but I did win 4 million baht in the lottery about 12 years ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Oh, I ain't married either, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

That's funny T.R., because I was seriously thinking of putting one up regardless of what my wife thinks about it. I'm not superstitious but hey, it's the thought that counts. Anyways, I could sure use a few million baht!

Get a funky one so the spirits don't feel so out of date

That is WAY beyond cool! You sir, are a true inspiration. I can't wait to get started. Thanks for the great idea!