Spirit Houses

For many Thais, spirits are a part of their daily lives. These spirits, Phis, can be both good and bad. Therefore, every building logically needs its spirit house : homes, farms, offices, government buildings, even night clubs. Otherwise, where would the good spirit reside? To avoid trouble, a spirit must live in its own house, and not in the real house. That means the spirit house, which usually sits on top of a pole, must be comfortable and not stand in the shadow of the main structure. In big cities like Bangkok, the spirit house often ends up on the roof! If the main house is enlarged, so is the spirit house. Only fair! They are very pretty and look like a doll house. They are usually covered in food, flowers and different offerings. Even though this is a bit of a funny tradition for the Western eye, I must admit I was happy to see the big spirit house outside my apartment (see photo below)! The spirits ought to be happy!!

The Spirit's House

Our apartment building, the spirit house on the left