What are perfume houses. Houses of good spirits

Houses of spirits in Thailand. The first thing that catches the eye of a traveler who has visited Thailand is the small colorful houses that stand everywhere: near the houses where ordinary Thais live,

houses of spirits in Thailand near the complex of villas

at supermarkets and hotels,

perfume houses in thailand by the hotel

houses of spirits by the cafe

perfume houses in Thailand near the real estate sales office

and shopping centers

perfume houses near the mall

You will be met at the airport by a bus (or you sit in a taxi) - a flower wreath (malay) hangs on the driver's mirror (which are sold at busy intersections around the clock and are woven by hand from jasmine flowers, yellow marigolds and other flowers).

You go on a boat trip - you will certainly see bright ribbons and again flowers that adorn the bow of the ship.

You go for a walk - and in front of you is a huge tree, around which a rainbow-colored fabric is tied.

wood tied with rainbow-colored fabric

You check into a hotel - next to it is again a house with various figurines inside and gifts outside.

perfume houses in Thailand by the hotel

Naturally, the question arises: what does all this mean? This means that Thais really believe in spirits. Here animism is widespread - belief in spirits and the animality of nature.

Although the main religion in Thailand is Buddhism (96-98% of the population is Buddhist), many teachings and beliefs are mixed here. This is Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and animism. It has long been an integral part of Thai life.

Let's say you bought a house. Thais believe that spirits are everywhere: both on the site and in the house. Houses for spirits are built so that spirits do not live in a large house of people, which would cause inconvenience and anxiety to the owners. Spirits who previously lived on this piece of land and were disturbed by people settle in them. In order not to bring trouble and harm yourself and your loved ones, a whole housewarming ceremony is held. The owners will never spend the night in the house if the houses for the spirits are not installed. A monk (brahmana, brahmin) is invited in advance, who, by the stars and the moon, determines where to put houses, and also calculates an auspicious day for moving. A very important point: the houses should be placed so that the shadow from the dwelling does not fall on them, on a dais, preferably in a secluded place.

houses of spirits in Thailand at the future construction site

The first to appear in the house is a statue of Buddha (something like a mini-altar is set up). An image of an enlightened person is brought into the house and must be placed somewhere at a height. Then it is tied with a white thread around the statuette, along the perimeter of the entire house and plot. The white thread is a kind of amulet, you kind of outline your territory. Subsequently, at the end of the housewarming ceremony, the monk will cut the thread. And the part that is along the perimeter of the site will remain there.

The spirits-newcomers, touched by such attention and care, will prefer their personal apartments to the master's house and will protect, help in business, and contribute to a good harvest.

There are two houses for spirits: in fact, for the spirits that live in the house and next to it, for restless spirits

house of spirits

The second is for the spirits of the ancestors. The latter differs in that it resembles a traditional Thai house in appearance.

ancestor house

The houses for the spirits are "populated". Purely symbolically, statuettes are placed inside: men and women (as if the owners of the dwelling), figures of ancestors and various animals. It is customary to give gifts to spirits. These are flowers, scented candles, various incense, food, drinks. Among other things, soda is most striking. It is placed in an open bottle with a straw. Soda is usually red in color. It turns out that this is due to the fact that Thais believe that perfumes like shades of red.

houses of spirits in Thailand near the cafe

Those Thais who cannot afford to buy a house for spirits build it from improvised means: for example, from pots of earth. However, usually Thais tend to buy a bigger and more expensive altar: the better the house for the spirits, the more luck there will be!

offering to perfume by a small market

You can't just throw away or change the perfume house for a new one. To begin with, it will need to be resettled to a new one with the help of rituals and prayers, and the old house will have to be taken to the places of "burial" of old houses for spirits - this may be next to some temple, or maybe next to some tree or any other object , which is chosen by the Thais by the cemetery of old houses for entities.

cemetery of old houses for spirits

All religious beliefs have their own traditions. Some of them overlap in different religions. Only their manifestation depends on the degree of religiosity of the people. In our country, for example, it is customary to believe in a brownie. And, probably, after the adoption of Christianity, he is the only spirit in which they believe to this day. In the villages, treats are still left for him for the night, so that he is a faithful guardian of the dwelling and does not do nasty things to the residents. In big cities, this tradition has almost exhausted itself.

In Thailand, the religious influence on the consciousness of people is very great, and every Thai believes that the space around is inhabited by many invisible spirits that directly affect their lives. Almost all the events of his life depend on how much a Thai man can placate his spirit - success in work and love, health and financial well-being. That is why, coming to Thailand, tourists are faced with a manifestation of religiosity at almost every step.

Houses for spirits (in Thai "sanprapum") can be found near hotels and residential buildings, shopping centers and even massage parlors. Are there really so many spirits? - surprised tourists ask. Why are these houses at every turn? The answer is quite simple - each house has its own house for spirits, which the Thais call Prapumtyauti.

When erecting a residential building, or the place where Thais spend a lot of time, by tradition, it is customary to take care of the spirits, since when new housing appears, they are right there! And according to Thai beliefs, they need to hurry to evict them to a separate dwelling, so that the spirits "know their place", since the immediate neighborhood with them in the same room will not lead to good. But just building a house for them and ordering them to live there is impossible, the spirits must be somehow lured there. This is why each house is so colorful and decorated, one brighter than the other - so that the spirits who love everything bright feel good. It is customary to attract them to their new home with all shades of red, orange and gold, therefore, incense and candles, as a rule, are placed in the perfume house red, wreaths with orange flowers are woven, and even a crimson Fanta is placed!

The perfume houses must be kept clean, Thais regularly change offerings, put in fresh fruit and light new incense.

The architecture of the houses is comparable to the architecture of Buddhist temples, it is just as lush, there are many different elements, patterns and colorful shades - Thais approach the design of houses with all responsibility. In the houses themselves, they place various figures symbolizing anything, from deities from Ganesha and other deities to ordinary children's dolls and bunnies. Apparently, in this way the Thais are trying to create for the spirits some kind of "body", an appearance to which they could be tied.

The place for the construction of the house is chosen in such a way that its shadow does not fall on the main house, the shadow of which, in turn, should not fall on the house for spirits. Often the place of its installation is chosen by a specially invited astrologer.

Sometimes, driving along the road, you can see the discarded houses for the spirits, overgrown with grass. It looks strange and even blasphemous. But Thais say this: if the house had to be thrown away, it means that the spirits began to behave in an inappropriate way and create troubles for the residents, people may start to get sick, or quarrel. In such situations, it is customary to change the house, throw out the old one and install a new one.

Along with the houses for the spirits in Thailand you can see the houses of Ganesha and Brahma, as well as the houses of the ancestors.

The religious traditions of Buddhists are very diverse, but equally important for Thais. Neglect of them is immediately suppressed and punished. Every traveler planning to visit Thailand should remember this. And then this karmic country will ennoble you with unforgettable adventures and only positive emotions!

Near every building in Thailand you can find a small painted house, sometimes not small, and sometimes not just one. These are houses for spirits.

The houses are called sanprapum, they look like a miniature house with a high leg.

In fact, the custom is very similar to how we treat brownies.

Thais put up miniature houses so that the spirits are supportive of them and do not try to harm them. Each house can house one or several spirits.

Sometimes a brahmana or a Buddhist monk is invited to decide on which side to install the house of the spirits. He indicates the best location for the house and gives advice on design (which is also chosen for a reason).

After the installation of the lodge, a special check-in ceremony is held. And if for some reason you need to replace the house of spirits (for example, the seed moves), a relocation ceremony is held.

The most common colors are red, white and gold. Also, the color of the perfume house in Thailand can be selected according to the day of the week when the owner of the building was born.

If Monday is red, Tuesday is pink, Wednesday is green, Thursday is orange, Friday is blue, Saturday is purple, Sunday is red.

Every day, the houses need to be cleaned and gifts for the spirits left. It is believed that they love sweet, red and, for some reason, Phanto.

But you can often find plain water (there are always tubes in bottles so that the perfume is convenient to drink), flowers, fruits and other food.

If all the rituals are followed, spirits should bring a lot of happiness into the house. A happy spirit is a kind and good helper)

At the same time, the absence of a house of spirits near the house can cause a feeling of anxiety and anxiety in a Thai.

This tradition appeared much earlier than Buddhism, but now it coexists peacefully with it. There are even some legends about Buddha and spirits. Here he is so amazing, Thailand! Ciao!

If you have been to Thailand at least once, you have noticed that there are such small altars in the form of houses next to every hotel and apartment building and even a store. They are associated with the ancient animistic beliefs of the Thais that green spirits live nearby. These spirits can help or hinder. And older generations and young people also believe in this. And everyone brings offerings to their perfume houses to appease and attract good luck.

HOUSES FOR SPIRITS IN THAILAND.

In Thailand, despite the fact that the main religion is Buddhism, many Thais still believe in helper spirits. And especially for them, they create houses and make offerings. These can be incense, flowers, fruits, food, drinks, and other treats. These houses are usually beautifully decorated. They regularly put things in order there. They also hold special rituals for the spirits of the earth who have lived here since time immemorial. Interestingly, such houses are being built before the construction of any other buildings begins. First, a house for the spirits of the earth, then for yourself. Because the spirits guard the space. And if they don't like something, they can forget about well-being. So Thais placate their spirits with all their might.

Other Thai legends tell that these are the souls of people who lived here before or those who died, but did not leave and remained in spirit. Everyone should have their own home and disembodied creatures too. Otherwise, they will settle in a residential building, hotel or store and will interfere with living people. The spirits themselves are not evil, but they can be very capricious and harmful. And it is better for people to appease them initially, otherwise the business will fall apart and there will be no luck in the house. And if the spirits like everything, then they will help in business and bring people good luck.

Therefore, Thais care about the well-being of their spirits first of all. And they bring small offerings every day. This can be the freshest food, incense, fruits, flowers. Moreover, in no case should people first smell all this, because spirits are incorporeal beings, therefore they feed on subtle energies and aromas of gifts. Smelling a perfume offering is like taking a bite out of the tastiest bite and then treating.

The design and location of the perfume house, the color and even the date of arrival are important. There are even special people - most often they are Buddhist monks. These people know how to negotiate with the spirits and will prompt the exact location, color, design of the house. They will also calculate the date of check-in and hold a ceremony.

The location of the perfume house is very important. In large cities with dense buildings, they consult with a monk. And when building a new house, their recommendations are taken into account even when designing a building. The perfume house is usually installed in a sunny place, on a dais. Sometimes, on tall buildings, they are placed directly on the roof so that the shadow from the building does not fall. It is highly desirable that the spirit house faces north or northeast, and is also to the right of the main entrance and far from the toilet.

The design and color of the house is selected for a reason, but according to the astrological chart of the owner of the property. One of the primary colors is the birthday of the owner of the building. In Thailand, each color of the week has its own color and they are:

1. monday - yellow,
2. tuesday - pink,
3. wednesday - green,
4. thursday - orange,
5. friday - blue,
6. saturday - purple
7. sunday - red

And also gold and white are always present in the color scheme of the house. The perfume houses are sold in stores and made to order. The largest and most expensive houses are located next to the homes of wealthy people and large hotels.

Periodically, the spirit houses are changed. This usually happens when you change your place of residence, or if a new building is demolished and built, or the people living there are in big trouble. Then a special ceremony is held with prayers for the relocation of disembodied beings to a new house. And the old house for spirits is taken to a special place: to a temple, under a large tree, or just to the side of the road with a sharp turn.

In addition to the spirits of the earth, there are spirits of water and trees. In some temples, you can see large trees tied with colored ribbons. It is in such a tree that the home of local spirits is located. The ribbons are used to designate trees so that they are not accidentally cut down. Also, on Thai boats in the south of the country, ribbons of different colors are always hung on the bow as a sign of reverence for the spirits of water.

Be very respectful of other cultures. Do not touch what is in the house, do not photograph the rituals at the spirit houses without permission, and your vacation in Thailand will be great.

The most widespread religion in Thailand is the Theravada branch of Buddhism, but we are not talking about Buddhism now. Surely, when you arrive in Thailand, you will notice small, bright and colorful houses near buildings, houses, gas stations, hotels, or just in the field. Thais believe that every object, including our body, is inhabited by spirits. For example, 32 spirits live in the human body, the most important of which is the spirit of Kwan. He is the leader of all spirits and lives in our heads. :) Thais believe that spirits, like people, are evil, kind, envious, greedy and generous, and in order to ensure success in this life, you need to take care not only of yourself beloved, but also of brothers from a parallel world - about spirits. Belief in spirits is correctly called.

Spirits are offered food and drinks. Over time, snacks can become more modest. But enough to hear suspicious noises at night, the perfume ration will double!

Belief in spirits is very deeply rooted in the minds of Thais and signs of reverence for spirits can be found everywhere. The houses of the spirits stand not only near the ordinary houses of Thais, but also richly decorated, costing several thousand dollars, "adorn" the facades of modern hotels, shopping centers and skyscrapers. But not only houses of spirits testify to the world of spirits, even everyday life reminds of the world of spirits. Here are some examples:

Thais names

Thais use nicknames to communicate in everyday life. (Nickname) This is the second name of a Thai that they use in everyday communication. If evil spirits recognize their real name, then they can harm them, not knowing the real name of the Thais, evil spirits are helpless.

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