Cant start building after July 9 ??

[sirineou]

Project postponed  at work, other projects on auto pilot. Good time to come to Thailand for a few weeks and start building a retirement home.. 

(will be retiring in a couple of years)

Wife and MIL says we cant start building after July 9th  "big Buddha days" and will have to wait three months. He says I can start if I want but she is not coming to the property because something bad will happen. 

  Having grown up with three sisters , a daughter and on the second wife, I have learned enough about women to know , she will make sure something bad happens to me if I don't listen to her, Personally I don't think Buddha will care. 

Is  it true about the July 9th deadline?  

[ubonjoe]

I asked my wife and she gave me a what are you talking look. So I would say that it is nonsense.

[whatawonderfulday]

There are many local superstitions, especially so in the Isan region which vary from area to area.

[Crossy]

Could be a local superstition, we had all sorts of suitable start dates from the local monks, in the end started when the contractor was ready, but did the monk stuff on the auspicious days.

 

[janclaes47]

You could always put a sticker at the entrance of the plot that says " It's early May"

[sirineou]

We are in Khon Kaen

She says that if I has started before the 9th it would be ok to work  during the next three months , I think it is because the  monks  will not bless the foundations during this next three months. Is that true?

I could not care less if they were ever blessed, but what good is a house the wife will not live in, and even if she did, anything bad that happens would be my fault.

(as if it isn't now) LOL

 

[colinneil]

sirineou i have spoken to my wife about this july 9th thing, and she agrees with your wife.

Monks will not bless the foundations because it is in the buddhist lent.

We live just south of Khonkaen.

[kannot]

57 minutes ago, sirineou said:

We are in Khon Kaen

She says that if I has started before the 9th it would be ok to work  during the next three months , I think it is because the  monks  will not bless the foundations during this next three months. Is that true?

I could not care less if they were ever blessed, but what good is a house the wife will not live in, and even if she did, anything bad that happens would be my fault.

(as if it isn't now) LOL

 

get  a  new wife..............easier

[Been there done that]

28 minutes ago, kannot said:

get  a  new wife..............easier

But not before the 9th of July 

[Alantct]

Different beliefs in different villages.
We get this all the time when we are hired to build a new home. The amount of deadlines we get for lucky days etc is crazy but this is Thailand [emoji23]
Sometimes we literally have to go and knock one pile into the ground to allow the blessing and then we come back a few weeks later and start construction. All they need is that the house be physically started before the bad voodoo days or that it be started on a good voodoo day [emoji12][emoji12]


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[berybert]

Dig a couple of holes before 9th of July and the problem is solved.

Maybe its true, Farang think to much.

[Denim]

Simple solution. Explain that under western astrology we also have our own superstitions. If the build does not start sometime after July 9th then you will have to wait for the next planetary alignment between Mars and Venus before the build can begin. The alignment will happen again in 2022. To build before this will be absolutely catastrophic in terms of bad karma so best to shelve the whole idea and live in rented accommodation until the auspicious planetary alignment.

Edited July 1, 2017 by Denim

[sirineou]

5 hours ago, Denim said:

Simple solution. Explain that under western astrology we also have our own superstitions. If the build does not start sometime after July 9th then you will have to wait for the next planetary alignment between Mars and Venus before the build can begin. The alignment will happen again in 2022. To build before this will be absolutely catastrophic in terms of bad karma so best to shelve the whole idea and live in rented accommodation until the auspicious planetary alignment.

After I do that should I run downhill or  assume the fetal position 'couse  I heard that pissed off wives don't run down hill or eat the dead ,

or was it bears I cant remember?

Oh whats the difference? they are both just as dangerous when pissed of.

Personally I'd rather take my chances with the bear. 

[Crossy]

8 hours ago, berybert said:

Dig a couple of holes before 9th of July and the problem is solved.

Maybe its true, Farang think to much.

 

That's pretty much what we did, although we started before the appointed date. One pile hole was left without back-fill until the monks had done their stuff.

[whatawonderfulday]

10 hours ago, kannot said:

get  a  new wife..............easier

But don't forget this is Thailand and whilst Thai Monks may not bless the ground during certain periods or on certain days, they are still Thais mostly clowning around in saffron robes, 90% of whom are hiding from someone or something.  Rest assured there is no such nonsense when accepting money,  they will bless money received any day of the week or year and the bigger the offering the better the blessing.  Unfortunately this hypocritical way of life, and not doing things on certain days (apart from taking money),  has filtered down and become transformed as a superstition.

[wildewillie89]

I think it is more a 'what the family' believe type thing, than a geographic location thing. The 'good dates', are done with anything people do, build a house, get married, baby ceremony, open a business, whatever. Everything is just an excuse for a big party in Thai. Like anywhere in the world, you get your bigger cities in Thai that don't allow the people to do these types of things anymore (rightly or wrongly...mostly rightly from our point of view). 

The family will go to the local 'brahmin', i think is the guys title from memory. He is basically a fortune teller, but obviously Buddhist. He will tell you a 'good' date and come bless the house at the ceremony where everyone lifts the first pole in. He will come again when the house is completed (on another 'good' date), and do all sorts of weird shit like pretend to fall asleep in the bedroom. The village people will have a good laugh as your <deleted>/get out of the house face (you can tell even they think it is ridiculous). Then the 9 monks will come and eat all your food...i mean bless your house. 

 

Easier just to let it slide for the older generation (the grandpa/grandma age group in the village really get off to it), my Mrs has no idea about the process and finds it silly. But seems your Mrs (maybe being pushed by the parents, or a strict Buddhist), will be hard to budge.

Seeing as you're on a tighter schedule common sense should prevail (famous last words for some families though). 

I have already told the family the next child we have will not be having the baby ceremony (as I thought the first one was not only ridiculous, but not safe having so many people touch a baby/put money on it, at such a young age). Just have to try and use reasoning as best you can (and get the Mrs to stand up as usually she does not believe it, but she is being pushed by older members of the family). 

[Dmaxdan]

The same thing happened to me a few years ago. We purchased the land for our new bungalow, it was around about June or that year.

By July everything, as far as I was concerned was ready to go, but we didn't actually start building until December.

Apart from the religious factor, I think the rainy season also plays a part in why new houses aren't started at this time of year.

 

[Sharp]

My GF is very religious and just said it makes no sense to her...)

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[IAMHERE]

My GF is having the local Monks 'blessing' the start of her building house on 24 July because the Monks say that is the 'good' day to start build. That is in Sisaket Provence. 

[Laza 45]

19 hours ago, whatawonderfulday said:

There are many local superstitions, especially so in the Isan region which vary from area to area.

..not a bad idea to wait until the end of the rainy season.. in about 3 months... 

[khunPer]

My Thai building constructor had sessions with both monks at the temple, and a well reputed fortune teller, to check the right day to start building – all agreed on the same date – and he was also told which post would be the "lucky post" and, therefore the first one to make. Before starting there was a ceremony with both my building constructor's two foremen – one worked at another building site – offerings, and my clever little Thai girlfriend made sure we placed some gold under the lucky post; that she explained, is an important Thai tradition for having a new house full of good luck. As I'm a farang, both Thai gold and farang-gold were placed, i.e. the almost 24 carat Thai gold and a piece of 18 carat farang-gold; just small tiny pieces she cut from some gold chains we never used.

 

Of course I was skeptical, so I borrowed a pendulum from the French tarot fortune teller lady, living in next door bungalow, and went (alone) to the construction site for my future dream-huse. Methodically I started with one post and worked my way through them all, until the pendulum showed one as different – i.e. spin fast around in circles instead of just side-to-side. The next morning I was extremely curious to know, which post was the lucky post – indeed it was the one that I also found with the pendulum – and believe it or not, this is a true Amazing Thailand tale...

 

Offerings to the former inhabitants of the land – seem like the monks, or the fortune teller, or both, could see that these spirits would enjoy a good cigar...

 

The workers prepare the "lucky post" in the morning – believe it or not, the same post I found as the lucky one...

 

My girlfriend and our daughter together pour the first bucket of cement into the post on top of the gold offerings, while I balance the steel construction together with the oldest and most experienced foreman...

 

About same time my almost neighbor, a farang lawyer, began building a multi-million baht palace. They didn't bother about ceremony, or anything of that kind of superstition.

 

I'm happy I let it go on, because we – my lovely girlfriend and I – was extremely lucky with both building construction, and our new house, where we now stay on the 7th year without any (serious) problems. My almost neighbor however, who abandoned the ceremonies, had so many problems during the construction, and after; they don't even like to stay in the house (just told, that they liked their old place better), so they decided to move back to their former rented house, and rent the new house out on short term whenever possible, until someone will buy it for a minor fortune – and they complain that the roof is still leaking, and the deep well still not working, and...

 

By the way, I also installed a pair of beautiful wooden spirit houses, and I'm sure both the land-spirits, and the house-ghosts, love them so much, since we have never experienced any poltergeists or the like – I'm not superstitious, but just in case there may be more between Heaven and Earth than a Flying Spaghetti Monster; and then it's also quite an experience just to be allowed to be part of the local traditional life – my almost neighbor didn't bother about taking care of the former inhabitants of their land plot; and that may also be part of their problems...

 

Lesson learned, and I'm happy I listened to my lovely girlfriend; so I do think one shall follow the traditions, where one live – even they may seem silly...

 

OP; perhaps you shall listen to your ladies...

[tryasimight]

18 hours ago, Alantct said:

Different beliefs in different villages.
We get this all the time when we are hired to build a new home. The amount of deadlines we get for lucky days etc is crazy but this is Thailand
Sometimes we literally have to go and knock one pile into the ground to allow the blessing and then we come back a few weeks later and start construction. All they need is that the house be physically started before the bad voodoo days or that it be started on a good voodoo day


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Tried to Pm you, but cannot....why is that?

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

i.e. the almost 24 carat Thai gold and a piece of 18 carat farang-gold; just small tiny pieces she cut from some gold chains we never used.

 

You put REAL gold in your foundations?

 

Bangkok ghosts/spirits are evidently less clever, our gold and silver were painted wood 

 

[sipi]

We delayed our wedding for a day to appease the gods...

Whatever...

[colinneil]

30 minutes ago, sipi said:

We delayed our wedding for a day to appease the gods...

Whatever...

I was told saturday morning, we marry monday, what!!

The monks said it was a good day.

[Laza 45]

...you come here into a totally different culture with totally different beliefs and you are amazed that their world doesn't conform to your world view and call them superstitious and backward..  they have lived here successful for a very long time under very difficult circumstances.. they have worked a few things out during that time.. it may seem backward to you but it works for them... chill out.. jai yen yen.. relax and maybe learn a bit.. 

 

[garbolino]

what a load of codswallop.....

[Laza 45]

2 minutes ago, garbolino said:

what a load of codswallop.....

...says a man who knows everything..

[sirineou]

51 minutes ago, sipi said:

We delayed our wedding for a day to appease the gods...

Whatever...

I have also adopted the "Whatever" attitude

 

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

You put REAL gold in your foundations?

 

Bangkok ghosts/spirits are evidently less clever, our gold and silver were painted wood 

 

Yes, dare not take the risk with a haunted house...