Our New Spirit Houses

Due to an auspicious occasion my wife had promised the spirits of our land a new house. Of course she had not told me that, but a few days later she said “I promised to build new spirit houses, is that ok?”. She knows I am not a real fan of spending money on things that are in my opinion useless. But we life here together so I thought “Why not?”. What harm could be done?

We life here already about 4 years and the Old Spirit Houses must be as old as the house, so now about 15 years. I always just wanted to renovate them but building (buying) new ones is also ok. Another thing why I did not worry too much was that I was in the impression that the Old Spirit Houses would be removed and replaced by new ones at the same place. How wrong I could be? While discussing that I learned that the Old Spirit Houses are actually at the wrong place. So let me tell you what I did learn.

You might have noticed that I speak about spirit houses, yes it are 2. Something you might have notice while traveling in Thailand. And it are 2 different spirit houses. For different kind of spirits of course. The one thing that is very easy to notice is that one spirit house is standing on 1 pole (leg) and that the other one is standing on 4 or 6 legs. There is also a significant difference in the style of the roofs. But I did not know yet.

So my wife told me that the Old Spirit Houses are actually on the wrong place, so there had to be made a new place for the New Spirit Houses. To be sure where to build the New Spirit Houses a specialist was needed. So my wife had a chat with one of the neighbors who know somebody in another village who knows all about spirit houses. And conveniently they also sell spirit houses. So the next morning a Thai boy of about 20 came to our house to look where the New Spirit Houses must be build.

Where should our New Spirit Houses be standing? 

1. Well north of the house you are living in. I am now wondering how you do that when your house consists of more buildings but lets not make it more difficult as it already would become. 
2. And they need to be build on a floor that is higher as the floor as where the house is standing on.
3. And they should not be standing in the shadow of the house.
4. And the spirits should be able to see the road.

The young spirit specialist pointed at a place in the middle of the garden. This was for me the moment to very politely interfere in descion of the new the location. I informed to the “rules” of the new location and said “So actually this would also be a good place?” pointing to a place a bit more near the house. The young spirit specialist was looking around (and did understand that I was not having my garden fucked-up by new spirit houses) and acclaimed that the place I pointed out was actually the best place.

So now the next question was, how big must be this floor for the New Spirit Houses? A few calculations came to 3meter by 3½meter and about 60 to 70cm high. Wait a minute I am not going to build a guesthouse! As we had already had discussed that we would buy small size spirit houses, we would not need a floor that big! Let say 2½meter by 2meter would be ok, right? And 10cm higher as the floor of our house is higher, so 50cm high would be ok, right? 

Now the last question was of course what was the best day to bless the New Spirit Houses? They young spirit specialist made some calculations again and declared 21 May a very good day. So 7 o’clock in the morning he would come here to bless the New Spirit Houses. And of course he will also bless the Old Spirit Houses and ask the spirits to move to their new house. And that all for the symbolic price of 6 baht. And of course a donation is up to you. My wife decided that she would give a donation of 1000 baht.

So now we had to look around to buy New Spirit Houses. To learn a bit about prices we roamed the street in search of New Spirit Houses. And we learned that for a price of between 4500 baht and 6000 baht we would be able to buy 2 spirit houses and of course 2 tables to offer food to the spirits. One morning I did ask my wife what else was needed for the New Spirit Houses. She did actually not know, but she would go ask the young spirit specialist. We drove to see him and check-out what kind of spirit houses they sell. They actually did not have much choice but we could go with him to the factory where he buys them. Far? No, just at the other side of route 36. Well “just at the other side of route 36” was a trip of 25km. We arrived at a spirit house factory. Hundreds of spirit house in different colors and different sizes. Suddenly I realized that choosing a New Spirit House was not that easy as I thought it would be. Of course my wife and me have a bit different taste but what the heck it are her spirits so up-to-you was my reply.

Luckily we managed to agree on a reasonable sized & priced set of spirit houses. For 5500 baht we bought 2 spirit houses and 2 tables. All made of cement of course and painted in a kind of red/brown with gold colored flowers. And they would be delivered the day before the blessing. And they would be installed on the still to build floor.

Next mission was to find people to build the floor for the New Spirit Houses. In mind came a few Burmese people who had also been working at our house before. We visited them at their “house” (actually an old shack on an abounded mu-baan). The deal was made and for 2500 baht they would come the next day to build the new floor. Of course they came a bit later as planned. Here again was an important job for me, to take care that they would really build what “we” (actually I) planned that would be build. Because we foreigners might have a plan but Thai have their own agenda. The first day it was too hot to work long so it was not even finished half. So the next day they started early and came with more people. Also his beautiful 18-years young daughter, working with stones and cement. Well lets not get distracted. That might end-up in another story. When the floor was finished it was actually not that disturbing as I thought it would be.

After the floor was finished one would think al was ready for the big day. No of course not, there needed to be bought some things for the New Spirit Houses. And of course it needs to be bought at a special place at the local market at Naklua. That little shop under that big old tree of course.

For each spirit house you need

• A horse & a elephant 
• A young lady & man
• 2 vazen for fresh flowers
• 2 candle stands
  1 cup met sand for the incent sticks
• 1 Yellow plastic flower
• 1 drinking glass water (there goes my whisky glass)

For the 4-leg spirit house

• A old man & old lady 
• Cigars

And of course some white rope, 4 fresh flowers and food as chicken, fruit, sweet dessert and a bottle of Lao Kao. After this final shopping al was done and we just had to wait for the delivery of our New Spirit Houses. Of course they delivered them a few days earlier, but that did not matter. All was installed on the new floor and it looked good. And our cats were happy with the new place to play around. My wife of course was not so happy with the cats playing in the spirit houses.

The morning of the big day my wife did wake up and 5 in the morning to prepare fresh food for the spirits (what of course would be eaten by herself and her friends). At about 7.30 the young spirit specialist arrived and the ceremony of blessing the New & Old Spirit Houses could begin. As also all people gathering at the ceremony will be blessed, there were some friends of my wife at the ceremony also.

All food and other things were placed on the right place at the New Spirit Houses and with the ritual water spraying the New Spirit Houses & all of us were blessed. Now the Old Spirit Houses was blessed and asked for forgiveness for replacing them. Now we had to remove the Old Spirit Houses. I had thought just to remove the houses but the all cement pole had to be removed also! And this cement pole is molded into the cement! That was the moment I was more as happy with some friends of my wife helping me or actually doing most of the work. And some neighbors came to help with a big hammer and with some tough breaking of cement we did manage to remove the cement pole.

Now all was done and the young spirit specialist received his salary of 6 baht and of course an envelope with a donation. But now what to do with the old spirit houses? Now I became to learn where all those old spirit houses under big old trees were coming from. We loaded the heavy load of the cement spirit house, the cement pole and the the wooden 4-leg spirit house in the back of my truck. Behind a nearby temple is a small lake and next to that lake is a big old tree. And that’s where of course are many old spirit houses. As ours now also.

We now live happily together with our New Spirit Houses and our cats enjoy their new place to play. And my wife gives weekly (on Buddha day) new flowers and fruit to the spirits. Now that the spirits are comfortable in their new houses my wife does not have to be afraid anymore to be alone at home at Buddha day. It all makes sense now to me.

Epilog : This story has been published in a travel guide book about Thailand.