Witchcraft or voodoo or brujeria or not?

[oloro]

My brother in law opened a new restaurant. Next door business is a Thai restaurant that has been in business for many years.. Two days ago my sister caught the thai restaurant owner's wife hanging something on a tree growing in our patio. She grabbed and opened. it was hair wrapped in paper towel, maybe something else. My sister took it with gloves, put it inside a plastic bag and handled to the Thai restaurant owner. He started screaming at his wife all sort of insults... Then he apologized saying she was buddhist and she just cut her hair and wanted to put it high on a tree bla bla bla some odd explanation followed.

Can someone tell me what is that or what it means, or what they were trying to do?

Thanks!

[Costas2008]

OP, I would have put a bomb and not just some hair, if your BIL opened a restaurant next to mine

[oloro]

Sure greek boy. Maybe you don't have hair to spare... bombing your neighbor would blown you out too... greek -1= less greek ;-/ .

Vinnie, my sister did not opened, so we don't know what else was inside. But take a look at the pics attached. Thanks!

[wvavin]

No cause of alarm. Just burn it the next time its there again. Fire can conquer evil.

[OmarZaidMD]

Not exactly the darket black magic... She was just marking her territory so that jinn accompanying potential customers would avoid you. Would be different if it was your hair or toenail clippings (better check eh?) ... in that event she be marking you for more serious misfortune.

[Gimbo]

The wife does that whenever she cuts her hair or the boys hair...

She says it's for good luck, and that "old people say" that if you do, your life will be long like the life of the tree.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....my wife...another 'good Buddhist'.....goes to temple after temple...monk after monk....buys charm and icon after charm and icon...to put on her altar...

....for some people..whatever works....blinders on for what they want...at all costs...even their souls....

...hmmm...that would explain a lot of things....

...including why 'The Walking Dead' is so popular in Thailand......???

[oloro]

Thank you guys!

Business is doing well, so whatever she tried did not work. I will go with Omar answer. It seems to be the more logical based on the circumstances. I heard about the "good luck" option, but she could have picked a tree behind her business, not the one next door....

[thongsuknork]

Hey no such thing do not be afraid of such thing s let life run smoothly concentrate on business not on whithcraft good luck buddy

[connda]

Most Thais are Buddhist upfront, but Animists under-the-covers. And Hill Tribe folk are just Animists. Yeah, some will 'cast' bad luck to you. I don't know the Thai phrase for "Bad Ju Ju", but consider it "Bad Ju Ju". Don't believe in it? That's fine: they do! Want to counter. Ask a monk to come in to your shop to bless it after explaining the situation. Equally bad karma for a Buddhist attempting to harm you with Animistic magic. Like Karma. If the lady did it to harm you, Buddha would have equated that to picking up a burning coal with bare hands with the intention of throwing at someone else. Best of luck.

[oloro]

Connda, thanks for your thoughts. We are atheous, but we respect all religions, mostly if it is based in a real person and not a God, like Buddhism.

The tree is ours. If anyone needs one, they should use theirs or one on the street, not ours, and definitely not without our consent. That's impolite and highly disrespectful.

Thank you thongsuknork. We definitely will ;-) We don't believe in witchcraft anyway but it was worthed knowing, or trying to, the intention behind the act...

Thanks again everyone. We can close this chapter!! Happy eating!!

[connda]

Connda, thanks for your thoughts. We are atheous, but we respect all religions, mostly if it is based in a real person and not a God, like Buddhism.

The tree is ours. If anyone needs one, they should use theirs or one on the street, not ours, and definitely not without our consent. That's impolite and highly disrespectful.

Thank you thongsuknork. We definitely will ;-) We don't believe in witchcraft anyway but it was worthed knowing, or trying to, the intention behind the act...

Thanks again everyone. We can close this chapter!! Happy eating!!

Yeah. There is no 'god' in Buddhism. Siddhārtha Gautama was as much a real person as you and I. It is totally a (without) - theism (belief in the existence of a god) as it's basis for practice. Siddhārtha Gautama himself, if alive today, would shake his head at the deitization of his likeness in statuses. He didn't teach worship, he taught a technique. Why is Buddhism a religion? Beats me. To practice Buddhism is to practice the technique. Those who follow the 'Buddhist religion' simply believes in the dogma of devotion and faith, ritual, and superstition; the technique becomes secondary, if practiced at all. People praying to Buddha, but Buddha's not here (and yet Buddha is everywhere). It's a paradox.

[elgato]

Don't mess with the hoodoo. But you already did by taking it down. Get the local "witch doctor" over to put a counter-spell on it. Might cost you a lunch and a small lao khao;) The believers will rest easy.

[fishingforsquid]

I don't think this happened in Thailand, just next to a 'Thai' restaurant, judging by the trees in the photo.

I guess oloro was reaching out to the Thai 'experts' such as Costas2008, who suggested bombs?

[nelson bunker]

Looks more like sorcellerie to me...

[elgato]

Looks more like sorcellerie to me...

Huh?

[seedy]

I belong to the Frisbee faith.

I believe that when you die your soul goes up onto the roof, and you can't get it down.