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Jakarta Post

The Spirit House

Sat, May 26, 2018   /   10:59 am
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    A spirit house is placed under a tree in front of a restaurant in Chiang Mai, Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A wooden plate of offerings is placed in a tree on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in Denpasar, Bali. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A spirit house is located at the parking lot of an inn in Chiang Mai, Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A stone alter at a parking lot of a restaurant in Renon, Denpasar, Bali. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A spirit house is located on a sidewalk in Lopburi, Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A wooden alter is placed in front of a store on Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Denpasar, Bali. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A spirit house in Chiang Mai, Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A stone alter on Jl. Narakusuma, Denpasar, Bali. [JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A spirit house is located underneath a billboard in Ayutthaya, Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    A stone alter on a Denpasar road near Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    Small porcelain dolls inside a spirit house in Thailand. JP/Anggara Mahendra

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    Offerings are placed in the stone alter in Denpasar, Bali. JP/Anggara Mahendra

Anggara Mahendra

The practice of animism is very obvious in Thailand, although 95 percent of its people are Buddhist. However, they still believe in supernatural spirits.

The Thais believe that every home has its own invisible guards who live on the front gates of the house. They call these guards Saan Chao Thii and Saan Phra Phum.

Instead of getting rid of them, they believe that providing a special space in each house and befriending the spirits are a better solution. They believe it will also create harmony in the world.

When Thais are about to leave their house, they inform Saan Chao Thii, or the House Spirit. They keep grandpa or grandma dolls as a symbol of the spirits. Other symbols are dancer or elephant dolls. Thais usually feed them red soda drinks, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

This tradition is similar to a practice in Bali. Balinese Hindus also believe that each house is guarded by spirits who live on the front gates. The Balinese also provide offerings for the spirits. [yan]