Category Archives: Thai Superstitions

To say that Thai people are superstitious is an understatement. Couple this with a desire to win the national lottery then you will get some very odd behaviour. People will do anything to find the latest lottery number. They will even rub the bark of a lucky tree to see if they can work out any numbers. At our local Erawan Museum, someone apparently won a million baht after wishing for good luck. Since the news broke thousands of people go there to pray now.

People also look for anything auspicious or unusual. Over at our sister blog, ThaiPhotoBlogs.com, we have reported a couple of times about these unusual ways of looking for lottery numbers. One was the footprints of a Naga snake on top of a car. People were looking for numbers in the patterns. Another was a pig which had two faces. Today comes another story from the Thai Rath newspaper. A man from Udornthanee bought a betel nut palm to decorate his restaurant. After a short while, he noticed that the leaves of the plant were growing into the shape of the King of the Nagas, a highly respected serpent snake. As soon as the locals heard about this they came flocking to his restaurant to pay respect and also to beg for the winning lottery numbers!

Related Links: ThaiLotteryResults.com – the latest winning numbers
Related Links: WinThaiLottery.com – how to find your lucky number

Throw a hole into the hole for good luck!

(1) Don’t whistle at night because you will invite ghosts into your house.
(2) Don’t let women eat chicken feet because they will have an affair
(3) Do not let pregnant women whistle because her baby will have a crooked mouth
(4) Do not allow an adult pay respect to a child (wai) because that child will have a shortened life
(5) Do not joke while you are eating because the ghost will steal your rice
(6) Do not cover your head when you go to a temple because this will make you bald
(7) Do not sharpen a knife at night time because you will offend the angels
(8) Do not look at naked people because your eyes will become swollen
(9) Do not have sexual intercours on holy days (wan phra) because bad things will happen.
(10) Do not let the bride and the groom meet three days before the wedding because their marriage will not last
(11) Do not smile while sowing corn because it won’t grow
(12) Do not stand in a doorway because a ghost will enter the house
(13) Do not sew at night because the ghost will haunt you
(14) Do not throw money away because you will lose your finger
(15) Do not sing while you are eating because the ghost will curse you.

You can find other Thai superstitions by clicking here.

(1) Do not take off a ring from someone else’s finger because you will be taking away the people they love.
(2) Do not spit in the toilet because you will have a mole on your lips.
(3) Do not spit towards the sky because it is a sin.
(4) Do not pluck your eyebrows during the evening because bad things will happen to you.
(5) Do not plough on holy days because the rice won’t grow.
(6) Do not say to a baby that they are cute because the ghost will come and take the baby away.
(7) Do not break anything on your wedding day because it is a sign that your marriage won’t last.
(8) Do not drop chopsticks during the Chinese New Year because you won’t make a good living.
(9) Do not let a woman sit on a staricase for a long time because she will have a difficult labour.
(10) Do not sit higher than a monk because it is a sin.
(11) Do not sit on the big water jars because it is a sin.
(12) Do not sit on pillows meant for your head because you will get a painful rash on your behind.
(13) Do not count off the names of people that have died because you will be next.
(14) Do not keep anything belonging to the temple inside your house because a disaster will happen to you.
(15) Do not offer the same food to your dead ancestors and to the monks because you will then rot in hell.

Tourists dressing up in hilltribe costumes to have their picture taken.

Here are some more Thai superstitions:

(1) Do not let your children play with shadows during the evening. The shadow guy will come and take them away.
(2) Do not pick flowers in the temple grounds. You will go to hell when you die.
(3) Do not walk with your face down. It will make your life shorter.
(4) Do not stomp as you walk around the house. You will scare the guardian spirits of the house.
(5) Do not walk heavily. You won’t be able to save any money.
(6) Do not walk across any sharp objects. It will make them unsharp.
(7) Do not hit your parents. You will become a very bad ghost.
(8) Do not boil an egg in a rice cooker. It will make your life worse.
(9) Do not set up a spirit house in the shadow of a house. The owner of the house won’t be successful.
(10) Do not cut your hair on Wednesday. It is bad luck for you.
(11) Do not cut your nails during the night-time. It will be like breaking the bones of your ancestors.
(12) Do not insult a Buddha image. You will go to hell.
(13) Do not get married on odd numbered months. It is a bad omen for your marriage.
(14) Do not spit or complain about the smell at a funeral. Bad things will happen to you.
(15) Do not take off your clothes or sleep next to the closet. A ghost will come to haunt you.

More Thai Superstitions: http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php?blog=5&cat=85