Belief in the supernatural is widespread in Thailand. Similar in culture to Myanmar, the blend of Buddhism and animism has led to a broad mysticism, particularly in rural areas. Much like Myanmar, it is common to see villages in Thailand making offerings to curry favour with various spirits. There are a collection of creepy characters roughly grouped as ‘phi’who are primarily nocturnal and most certainly vengeful – ghosts you wouldn’t want to mess with.
Phi tai hong are ghosts of people who died particularly violent deaths. Due to the nature of their demise, they are often angry and dangerous in the afterlife, making them the most feared spirits to Thai people, not least because they are also notoriously challenging to exorcise.
Phi am are spirits said to torment people in their sleep. The macabre method of torment for the phi am is to sit on people’s chests at night, effectively suffocating them to death. A peculiar aspect to the phi am is that they allegedly aren’t interested in attacking women. In common lore, advice against the phi am is to simply put on lipstick before bed.
Another phi, phi pop, is blamed for deaths in the northeastern region of Isaan. Phi pop is a female ghost said to possess her victims before eating their intestines from the inside. Would-be victims of phi pop need to undergo an intricate exorcism to drive her away. For the phi pop, the exorcism comes in the form of a dance.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg regarding the macabre cast of ghouls and ghosts said to occupy Thailand. There is a substantial oral tradition of ways to avoid being possessed and remedies for the unfortunate souls of victims – it makes for an intriguing aspect of Thai culture to explore.
Beyond Halloween: Ghost Stories
In our destinations, for some, the spirit world is relevant – an ever-present factor affecting everyday life. While there is no doubt the sanitised, Americanised version of Halloween is gaining popularity worldwide, the tame, harmless world of trick-or-treating is far removed from the supernatural presence believed in across many of the communities in which we work.
Should any of our travellers share an interest in the world of ghosts, ask our friendly guides to share their insights on this intriguing aspect of Asian and Meso-American cultures.