The Spirit House can be
seen at a prominent spot outside every
business establishment in the country. It can be seen on a pedestal in
Front of every hotel. It dresses the corner garden area of a
restaurant, the Front of a bar, disco or put Spirit houses are even
seen at outdoor food markets. They are built on the grounds of
Buddhist temples. outside caves in the mountains, near Fishing ponds
in the valleys, and occasionally in the middle of an otherwise
uninhabited forest. Most importantly, however. the Thai Spirit House
is built at the yard of every home.
The purpose of the Spirit House is to provide an appealing shelter for
the spirits, or celestial beings, who would otherwise reside in the
heavens, Find a place in large trees, or in caves, cliffs. waterfalls
or other natural surroundings. According to folklore, the spirits
themselves are either good or evil, but most are just finicky and
mischievous, demanding respect from humans and capable of disastrous
interferences if they don't get their way, The spirit of the land, for
example. expects to be informed when a human intends to start a
business or engage in improvements to an existing business. If the
spirit is not informed, and if the human does not respectfully request
permission, the spirit can indeed cause the venture to fail.
The style and construction of a spirit house may be as simple as a
typical Thai-style shelter or as elaborate as a Thai palace. The exact
style often depends on two Factors, which spirit the person wishes to
invite and how much one can afford for the spirit house construction.
Construction itself is a specialized field and only an expert Spirit
House builder would be considered for proper construction. His
responsibility, in addition to construction, is to be familiar with
all the necessary rituals involved so that the spirit to be invited
will find it an acceptable earthly abode.
The house may be permanent or temporary, made of wood, concrete or
brick. At certain times the spirits are invited down only for special
occasions and this is when temporary spirit houses are built. the size
may vary from the very small to a large, walk-in, ground-level affair.
The houses are finished with statues, small figures, or symbols of
many other sorts in the center within the spirit house. In addition,
there may be various animal figures, such as elephants or hones;
figures of people, such as a married couple or other images; and even
furniture. Outside, around the balcony that usually surrounds a spirit
house, incense holders, candle sticks, and vases for flowers are
placed.
There are countless gods and other celestial beings in Thai folklore,
The primary spirits the Thai's are concerned with, however, are called
the Phra Bhum Jowthee , or Guardian Spirits of the Land, There are
nine of guardians and each offers a different type of protection. The
Guardian of the House and the Guardian of the Gardens are so
frequently consulted with and prayed to that they are the only two
that have permanent spirit houses built for them.
The Guardian of the House is the spirit that watches over and protects
the home. It is uncertain whether there is one spirit that watches
over all homes, or if individual spirits do this for each home.
However, all you have to do in Thailand is look around and you'll see
that every home has a spirit house. Thai families who believe
wholeheartedly in the spirit house and it's importance light incense
every morning and ask the spirit to watch over and protect the home.
Others do it on ritual occasions.
The Guardian of the House includes the spirit or spirits who help In
business matters, and spirit houses at business sites are of the same
type. More often than not in Thailand, the business and the home are
in the same location.
The Guardian of the Gardens also has a permanent spirit house shelter
built for him. This spirit watches over and protects the natural
surroundings, yards, gardens and orchards of the Thai family. There is
a separate spirit for rice fields, so the Guardian of Gardens should
not be mistaken for a spirit protecting all of agriculture. Rather,
nature, flowers, plans and fruit are so important to the Thais that
the Guardian of the Gardens receives a separate and permanent house of
his own.
The other seven Guardians of the Land are Protector of Gates and
Stairwells, who is believed to reside in the home doorstep which
explains why one should never step on the doorstep of a Thai home;
Protector of Animals ; Protector of Storehouses and Barns; Protector
of Forests; Mountains; fields and Paddles; Protector of Temples;
Protector of Waters ; and Protector of Military Forts and Defence.
The various temporary spirit houses built at times requiring the
intercession of a particular spirit can be constructed at any time and
at any place. An example of this is a spirit house that sits in the
rhododendron forests at the top of Doi Inthanon in northern Thailand.
Here In the middle of a forest hundreds of years old is a spirit house
constructed for soldiers who died in a helicopter crash years ago. At
the front of this spirit house, in addition to candle holders and
incense holders, are small ledges for the placement of burning
cigarettes. This because those in the helicopter were believed to have
liked to smoke.
Offerings to a spirit house and the spirit who is intended to reside
within can be nearly anything. The traditional offerings include
flower garlands, betel leaves, bananas, rice, chicken, duck, and a
wide range of other edibles and nonedibles. Candles are often used
while incense is usually lit daily before a spirit house.
There are spirit houses everywhere In Thailand. Some very famous ones
such as the one that houses the Chiangmai City Pillar are large enough
to walk into. A visit to Wat Chedi Luang in Chiangmai will give you an
opportunity to see it for yourself. At these people go to make
offerings and request aid from the spirits to help them in monumental
tasks such as bringing in the coming rice harvest. The ritual involved
at such events often involves hundreds of people with a common goal
and the spirit is called upon to help all. In return the people make
promises of future offerings in the event that they are successful.
Thus. a return visit to repay the spirit for his help is another
important part of the ritual.
The Spirit House is one of the most fundamental features of Thai life
even today and it is easily the most obvious. In Thailand devotion to
Buddhism most often shows itself in ritual within a temple while Thai
devotion to the spirits and especially the Guardians of the land and
most often shows itself in their own front yards.