Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

Haunted houses, restless souls and supernatural soap operas

Haunted houses are hardly unique to Thailand, what’s unusual is the sheer amount and how much phii (bad spirits) affect serious day-to-day perceptions. Ghosts are mainstay of newspapers, magazines, soap operas and movies.

Most potent is oral tradition. A purported 80% of Thais believe in the supernatural, and take seriously those who’ve experienced a visitation, or someone who knows someone who has. Some believe that dogs howl at night on seeing a ghost, others believe one can see a ghost’s true form when looking back between one’s legs. Even sophisticated urban Thais who poo-pooh superstition often find themselves assuaging the phii ‘just in case’, and uttering a mantra at moments of fright.

Thai ghosts come in over 40 generic kinds, with regional variations, each conveying moral message.

Other spooks derive their forms and habits from the way a person lived and died. When Thais expire their winyaan (soul) hovers around, sometimes spotted translucently near their body or past known or favourite hangouts. After seven days in limbo, karma determines their fate and that coincide with the usual time for cremation.

Dying prematurely causes the resultant phii tai hong to hang around, worried about the loose ends and unfinished businesses, including those they’ve left behind. A prompt cremation may avoid turning merely scary phii tai hong into vengeful phii phrai. On the other hand, those who die violently were buried to prevent angry souls being freed. Psychopathic phii phrai only find peace by luring victims to an identical death.

Pregnant women (and/or their foetuses) make the most virulent phii phrai, like Thailand’s most enduring ghost, Mae Nak Phrakhanong.

Some evil spirits purportedly possess the living. Normally, exorcisms aren’t violent and aim for a compassionate rebalancing of energy to right wrongs and begin again, like an audit clearing the books for a new financial year. Conducted by an unorthodox monk or a lay spirit doctor, exorcisms still happen.

Seeking answers in the occult has only increased with modernisation. In a culture governed by hierarchy and belief in karma, science and logic wilt before the unanswerable and at times arbitrary authority figures, both human and divine. Generic phii impart particular social messages, thus these spirits haunting each environment and activity formed a part of early Thai law. While the spirit house defies modern advancements and is a necessity in all homes, offices, and any properties which represent the belief of environmental or property spirits guarding the village, forest, mountain, field, path or pier.

Very Thai

by Philip Cornwel-Smith with photos by John Goss and Philip Cornwel-Smith B995

“Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture” is a virtual bible on Thai pop culture and an influential must-read among foreigners and Thais. It guides you on an unconventional technicolor tour of the quirky things that make Thailand Thai. Prepare yourself for the sideways logic and snap up a copy of the new edition at any good bookshop.