Spirit houses in Thailand, to keep the good and ward off the bad

In Thailand, most homes have a spirit house to welcome protective spirits and protect themselves from evil spirits.

Welcoming good spirits

These spirits are genies, guardians of the land, fields, trees, and houses…

They are protectors, distinct from the "phi" malevolent and traveling spirits.

The chao thi are responsible for keeping the phi at bay, which would otherwise bring misfortune and desolation to their environment.

Therefore, the Thai people have a custom of providing a shelter for the Spirit of the land, which will remain permanently after the construction of a house or building on the land.

You can find them throughout Thailand.

The shelter is called 'the spirit house'. It is a small construction perched on top of a column at eye level.

Design of spirit houses

A spirit house can be built in wood or concrete.

Although the classical Thai architectural style is generally adopted for these small sanctuaries, it can be noted that many of them have been created to resemble a miniature Khmer stone sanctuary.

A spirit house can be specially designed to match the style, theme, and landscape of the main building.

Spirit house shop in Pattaya

Ceremony for the installation of a spirit house

If the property owner wants to install a spirit house on their property, they must organize a ceremony to erect the shrine and invite the guardian spirit to reside there.

The ceremony is orchestrated by a Brahmin priest who determines the favorable date for the construction, location, and orientation of the shrine.

There are two general rules: the spirit house must face east and it must not be located where it can be overshadowed by the house or building.
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Duties towards the inhabitants of the spirit house

Once the house is built, care must be taken of the guardian spirit that resides there.

Daily offerings of food, flowers, candles, and incense sticks must not be neglected.

It is believed that offerings should take place before 11 am.

Visitors and the spirit house

In the past, it was common for visitors invited to sleep in the house to pay homage to the guardian spirit before going to bed to inform it of their presence, ask permission to stay, and apologize if, unknowingly, they committed acts that disturbed it.

Before leaving the next day, they again pay homage to the spirit and ask for protection and safety during their return journey.

A spirit house for all types of buildings

One can find a spirit house not only on private properties but also within the grounds of factories, hospitals, government buildings, markets, shopping centers, etc.

It is entirely possible for visitors to these places to pay homage to or make offerings to the spirit house in question.

It is in fact common for patients and their families to pay homage to or make offerings to the hospital's spirit house before receiving medical treatment there.

Spirit House for a Business

The Believers Rewarded

It is said that some guardian spirits are very kind to believers and grant them everything they wish.

Their sanctuary is therefore lively and very visited by people who hope to know fortune by trying to appease the spirits.

They make promises of gifts to the spirits that seem suitable to them, if their wishes are fulfilled.

Offerings for spirit houses

Spirit House in wood

Traditional offerings are dolls representing slaves and beasts of burden like elephants and horses.

Nowadays, offerings can be anything that is supposed to satisfy the spirits.

However, if the wish is granted, but the promise is not kept, it is believed that bad luck will follow the person who did not keep their promise.

Buddhism and Spirit Houses

This animist practice does not conflict with Theravada Buddhism, which, unable to eradicate this belief, has incorporated it by placing the chao thi at an intermediate level between humans and Hindu gods closely intertwined with syncretic Theravada Buddhism and considering them as servants of Buddha