Mae Ya Nang, Patron Saint of the Thai Traveler
On the website of a Thai newspaper I read a short article about a simple ceremony to mark the imminent commissioning of a number of new electric-powered ferries on a canal in Bangkok.
The mini-ceremony was designed to pay respect to Mae Ya Nang, the patron saint of travelers. In this way, the intention is to propitiate the goddess to protect the travelers with a safe journey.
Who is Mae Ya Nang?
Mae Ya Nang is a holy spirit that lives in every boat. It is a woman, for Mae means "mother," Ya means "grandmother," and Nang means "a married woman," thus demonstrating the holy trinity of the female sex. The respect is, especially with wooden (fishing) boats, demonstrated with a bow, which is decorated with colored ribbons, sashes or flower garlands. Traditionally, Mae Ya Nang has related to shipping, but nowadays the superstition also applies to other means of transport such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles and even in the cockpit of Thai planes you can find images of this patron saint.
The ritual
There is quite an elaborate ritual associated with Mae Ya Nang. With a new car, for example, five kinds of fruit, a bowl of rice, a glass of water, tobacco or betel nut and three cigarettes are placed on a table. The sacrifice is then made by starting the engine, blowing the horn three times and lighting the nine joss sticks. Success assured!
Every time you travel by car, a flower garland is placed on the interior mirror, which must be replaced regularly. Those garlands are often for sale at a stall along the road and in the big cities they are often offered to cars standing still at a traffic light.
Superstition
Is it superstition? Yes, I think so, because all this worship of Mae Ya Nang does not contribute to road safety in Thailand. You would ask her to do something about the more than 24000 road deaths, which puts Thailand in a dubious top of countries with the most road casualties. If you tell that to a Thai, you will be looked at with pity, because that is a typical expression of a foreigner. Those traffic casualties are a result of human failure, no god can do anything about that!
Finally,
Is that superstition unique to Thailand? If you follow the Roman Catholic faith, you probably also have a picture of Saint Christopher with you. That's the same superstition, isn't it?
About this blogger
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Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
Read the latest articles here
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Yeah, I wouldn't know the difference between faith and superstition either. I do enjoy reading about it.
Mae Ya Nang is in Thai แม่ย่านาง (tones: descending, descending, low) mother, grandmother, married woman.
Mae, mother, is also often just a title in Thai, 'Governed, Beloved', as in Mother Teresa and Father Drees. Mae Thap is an (also male) army commander. Thap is army. Many place names, especially in northern Thailand, also start with Mae. Maenaam 'river' is not 'the mother of the water' but the 'Geeerde Water'. In the past, and sometimes still today, children were addressed with the title 'mae'. Mae Noi. My beloved Noi.
I am an atheist, my mother was Catholic and my father was Protestant both non practicing and sent me to a public school so that I would not be influenced by any religion and in later life if I felt the need to turn to which faith then.
I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Amsterdam with different religions with their associated rituals (including Jewish) but I am not at all woolly, despite the fact that I belong to the hippie era and enjoyed this time in Amsterdam to the fullest.
I myself have had a gold Christopher around my neck since my childhood (12 years old), not because I believe in it, as a child I just thought it was a beautiful pendant and got it from my father when we were on holiday in Italy, it pendant has never been taken off, did it help, no idea but I have driven the car both left and right in the parts of the world where I have lived without any problem, by the way this is the request of the gods and I will not go on about it ( am I superstitious?).
My Thai wife comes from a family of teachers and has completed a university education herself and, like every Thai, is very focused on faith and (for me) superstition.
Many times while driving, hands are taken off the wheel unexpectedly to lead a Wai to something I can't see, a behavior I despise and always ask her not to do that and to put her hands on the wheel. keep in mind, this falls on deaf ears by the way.
Flower wreath for the car is of course bought, by me because I like it and by my wife because of the gods.
Making offerings in the garden is a normal thing and going to the temple when you have a request to get "help" from above (?) is a normal pattern with us and with family and friends.
The kids (including my wife) are amazed that I don't believe in anything and often make fun of ghosts that might be in our house.
I don't have a problem with any religion as long as it doesn't get extreme or try to convert me, this also applies to Buddhism here in Thailand, not that the monks are fanatics, no here in the family they are called garrot gangsters because many of them do what is not at all permitted in their faith. (money, booze, women and drugs), something that is on the news every day.
I want to point out that faith and superstition are very close to each other and that you (I) as an unbeliever should make the best of it without coercion from anyone.
With this way of thinking, I have a happy life with my family in Thailand which is completely different from what I was used to before I accidentally came to Thailand, but that's another story.
The Thai have quite a lot of ghosts and firmly believe in a spirit world.
My wife of almost 80 still wakes up screaming because she sees a ghost.
It therefore seems to me to be a dubious cultural characteristic.
Chao Kam Nai Wen (เจ้ากรรมนายเวร), a ghost that maintains ill will towards a person due to the wrongful karma the latter committed to the former during the former's life.
Hun Phayon (หุ่นพยนต์), artificial human or non-human. Owners can take advantage of the power of black magic to protect them like Khwai Thanu.
Khamot (โขมด), a luminescent ghost, like the will of the whisp.
Khwai Thanu (ควายธนู), also known as Wua Thanu (วัวธนู), a magical bull or water buffalo. Most people believe that Khwai Thanu is a black magic that is influenced by African who studied Voodoo. Khwai Thanu is popular in southern and northeastern Thailand. Shaman will use the dark magic by using Khwai Thanu to attack the enemy. You can call it a devil that destroys everything. Khwai Thanu is used to protect people from dark magic, because Khwai Thanu is a deadly weapon that destroys the enemy. It's hard to break or destroy it with general weapons. The dark magic from Khwai Thanu can be solved by using superior dark magic. Khwai Thanu has deadly magic. Shaman who wants to control it must always be tame. If shaman does not care about it, Khwai Thanu can rematurn to hurt the owner. To make Khwai Thanu start from the wood to the body structure. Then find the wood that the Undertaker used for the cremation. Wood from cremation must be used from the body that died on Tuesday and the bodies burned on Friday. Such timing can create the most magic of Khwai Thanu. When it comes to wood, bring it to the head, body, horn and tail. Then find a lac on the jujube that special point at the end of the branch pointed east and find the sheet of gold foil that covered the dead body over to lac another layer. Followed by use of a tiny rolled metal amulet between the chest and neck. After completing the body of Khwai Thanu, the most important step of this ritual is to cast spells to it by shaman.
Krahang (กระหัง), a male ghost that flies in the night. It is believed to be related with Krasue as her wife.
Krasue, a nocturnal ghost of Thai folk mythology
Krasue (กระสือ), a woman's head with her viscera hanging down from the neck
Kuman Thong (กุมารทอง), spirits of young boys caught by voodoo masters to do his biddings, usually dressed in Thai ancient clothing with traditional hair bun. Their name derives from the color of their skin, which can be either gold, or pale.
Mae Nak (แม่นาก), a female ghost who died at childbirth and that can extend her arms.
Mae sue (แม่ซื้อ), a guardian goddess or a female ghost of infants.
Nang Mai (นางไม้; “Lady of the Wood”), a type of female ghosts or fairies related to trees.
Nang Ta-khian, the spirit haunting Hopea odorata trees in Thai folklore
Nang Ta-khian (นางตะเคียน), a tree spirit living in Hopea odorata trees
Nang Tani (นางตานี), a young woman haunting certain clumps of banana trees that appears on full moon nights
Phi Am (ผีอำ), a spirit that sits on a person's chest during the night. It is believed to have caused sleeping paralysis, making its name to be used as a name for the paralysis itself by both the civilians and medical officials. They mostly cause nightmares.
Phi Dip Chin (ผีดิบจีน), a jumping ghost from the Chinese lore dressed in an ancient costume and having a written Chinese rune in front of its face. It became popular in Thailand through the Thai Chinese community.
Phi Hua Khat (ผีหัวขาด), a headless male ghost that carries his head.
Phi Ka (ผีกะ), a voracious ghost
Phi Kong Koi (ผีกองกอย), a forest vampire with one leg.
Phi Lang Kluang (ผีหลังกลวง), a ghost from Southern Thailand with a very large wound in the back
Phi Ma Bong (ผีม้าบ้อง), a female ghost from Northern Thailand similar to a Tikbalang or Kelpie
Phi Maphrao (ผีมะพร้าว), the coconut ghost.
Phi Ngu (ผีงู), also known as Phrai Ngu (พรายงู) or Ngueak Ngu (เงือกงู), a ghost related to snakes that may appear in snake form, in human form or in a combination of both forms.
Phi Phong (ผีโพง), a malevolent male ghost having an unpleasant smell. It lives in dark places under the vegetation.
Phi Phrai (ผีพราย), the ghost of a woman who died together with the child in her womb or a female ghost living in the water similar to an Undine.
Phi Pluak (ผีปลวก), the ghost of the termites
Phi Pop (Thai: ผีปอบ; RTGS: phi pop), a ghost who eats raw meat. Humans and animals can be possessed by Phi Pop which eat their internal organs, killing them
Phi Pu Thao (ผีปู่เฒ่า), a ghost appearing as a very old man.
Phi Song Nang (ผีสองนาง), female ghosts that first lures, then attacks and kills young men.
Phi Tabo (ผีตาโบ๋), a blind ghost with hollow eyes.
Phi Tai Ha (ผีตายห่า), ghosts of persons who died in an accident; similar to ผีตายโหง.
Phi Tai Hong (ผีตายโหง), the ghost of a person who suffered a sudden violent or cruel death.
Phi Thale (ผีทะเล), a spirit of the sea. It manifests itself in different ways, one of them being St. Elmo's fire, among other uncanny phenomenas experienced by sailors and fishermen while on boats. Its name was also used as a slang for naughty men.
Phi Thuai Khaeo (ผีถ้วยแก้ว), the ghost that makes the upturned glass move (Thai Ouija)
Pret (เปรต), an extremely tall hungry ghost part of the Buddhist lore; they are two stories tall, very skinny and have needle holes for mouths.
Pu Som Fao Sap (ปู่โสมเฝ้าทรัพย์), a male ghost who guards treasures appearing like a venerable old man.
Rak-Yom (รัก-ยม), appearing as two small boys similar to Kuman Thong.
Suea Saming (เสือสมิง), a male or female who transformed into a tiger as a result of the power of black magic similar to a Skin-walker or Wereca
Phi Tai Thang Klom (ผีตายทั้งกลม), the vengeful ghost of pregnant women who died during childbirth.
Mae Ya Nang (แม่ย่านาง), an elderly ghost, who was believed to possess a boat or a ship. This belief is popular among the Thai Buddhist fishermen in the southern region, as well as the Royal Thai Navy.