Thailand is a devout Buddhist country that also fuses old animist rituals into daily life. All over Thailand outside almost most every home or business are beautiful shrines and a spirit houses.
Shrines and spirit houses are quite similar – they are used to call the spirits to pray for something and offerings are left to appease the spirits.
Usually a shrine will be dedicated to a particular deity and different gods require different offerings. I’ve noticed everything from flowers and coconuts to red fizzy drink bottles and small toy like figures left as offerings at different shrines.
The spirit houses look like miniature temples and are constructed to encourage the spirits of the ancestors to live independently from the family.
Thais seem quite superstitious and are worried about having ghosts in the house but want to make sure the spirits are comfortable so that they bring good fortune on the house.
The shrines and spirit houses come in many different colours, designs and degrees of elaborateness and really brighten up my journeys around Thailand with flashes of colour and magic.
Related articles
- Spirit Houses (naucratesblog.wordpress.com)
- Thailand’s Temples: The Buddha Statue and Spirit House (tingtingszheng.wordpress.com)
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