Spirit Houses of Thailand
Thailand is a land of rich traditions and spirituality. Their deep belief in Theravada Buddhism is one of the main reasons, Thailand is a religious nation. Take their spirit houses for an example. You can see them in front of nearly every building in Thailand. Some of them are ornate, while the others are simple. Some of them are large, but the others are small. But, whatever their shape, size or design, they exist almost everywhere.
Now, you may ask, why do people construct spirit houses in front of every building. The reason is that before someone occupies a piece of lands and builds something on it, they have to build a spirit house for the spirits currently living in that piece of land. By building this spirit house and by giving them offerings, they are apparently taking their permission to build on their land.
This allows the human occupants and the spirits to co-exist happily on the same piece of land. As part of this tradition, one can see a lot of offerings like incense sticks, fruits, rice, flowers and vegetables in front of the spirit houses. These offerings are made on a daily basis and it is believed that it is their duty to take care of their house spirits and in return the spirits will take care of them.
As far as I have seen, these spirit houses are kept in direct connection with the natural elements, which means they get ample sunshine, moonlight and rain. I have heard some local Thai people mention that it is unlucky for the house to keep the spirit house in the shade, though I am not sure of the reasoning behind it. These spirit houses are a small example of the depth of Thai culture and their Buddhist beliefs, making it a fantastic country for a culture seeking traveler.
Now, you may ask, why do people construct spirit houses in front of every building. The reason is that before someone occupies a piece of lands and builds something on it, they have to build a spirit house for the spirits currently living in that piece of land. By building this spirit house and by giving them offerings, they are apparently taking their permission to build on their land.
This allows the human occupants and the spirits to co-exist happily on the same piece of land. As part of this tradition, one can see a lot of offerings like incense sticks, fruits, rice, flowers and vegetables in front of the spirit houses. These offerings are made on a daily basis and it is believed that it is their duty to take care of their house spirits and in return the spirits will take care of them.
As far as I have seen, these spirit houses are kept in direct connection with the natural elements, which means they get ample sunshine, moonlight and rain. I have heard some local Thai people mention that it is unlucky for the house to keep the spirit house in the shade, though I am not sure of the reasoning behind it. These spirit houses are a small example of the depth of Thai culture and their Buddhist beliefs, making it a fantastic country for a culture seeking traveler.
