The uncertainty of Thai existence…
Just like us, Thais also struggle with life questions and important choices they have to make. In such situations, the white noses usually discuss it with family or a close friend. Thai consult fortune tellers, map readers or an old monk.
Well, it only seemed like… (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 56)
A man had a crush on his mother-in-law, and his wife, who had just had a baby, took notice. Now he slept between his wife and his mother-in-law; he lay in the middle of the mattress.
Look how your father stomps rice… (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; nr 55)
This is about a woman who got her husband to do everything for her. The man was from the village of Phae, and she was lazy. All her time was spent on the baby she always rocked to sleep. Then her husband asked, "You mash the rice, okay?"
The husband with a needle and thread… (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 54)
A man had no urgent work to do so he stayed home. "I'm taking the day off," he said, and grabbed his wife's sarong and went to mend it. He was sewing his wife's sarong, stitching from front to back and back and forth, when his friend came to visit.
My grandfather is bigger and stronger and…! (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 53)
Two old men each had a grandchild and they were two mischievous young lads. This story takes place in winter time and all four were warming themselves around a fire. The children hung around their grandfathers' necks and one of them said 'Who is taller, your grandfather or mine?'
Ploy's tree
Alphonse Wijnants has a beautiful new masterpiece for the readers of Thailandblog. Sit back and enjoy Alphonse's compelling and visual narration about the 'The Tree of Ploy'. An absolute must!
Why the owl always looks so gloomy (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; nr 52)
This is a story about the 'Flame of the Forest' tree (*). This tree belonged to the ruler and bore many legumes. One day a monkey came and shook the tree. All the pods fell out. Plop!
The Frisian preacher and the Buddha
Just under ninety-five percent of the Thai population is Buddhist to a greater or lesser extent. Buddhism is the religion/philosophy that has been gaining popularity the fastest in the Netherlands in recent years. Two observations that prompt me to take a moment to reflect today on the intriguing figure of the Anabaptist minister Joast Hiddes Halbertsma, who in 1843 published the first Dutch text on Buddhism in more than one respect.
Three very simple souls… (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 51)
He was a smart man, and he had a goat. He set fire to a pile of rubbish and the next morning he spread the warm ashes and embers on the ground and then threw them into the river. He lived close to the Ping River. Then he swept the ground clean.
The Karen who pooped on the mattress (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 50)
This story is about a young woman. One day a Karen man passed by selling water buffaloes. Karen often have a buffalo, you know. He asked if he could sleep in her house but she wouldn't let him in.
'Thotsakan and Sida', a short story by Sri Daoruang
The leading writer Sri Daoruang wrote six short stories under the title 'Tales of the Demon People'. In her collection of short stories about love and marriage, she places the characters and names from the classic Ramakien epic in today's Bangkok. Here is a translation of the first story in this short series.
The last betel chewers
It could be the title of a book by WF Hermans or Jan Wolkers, but it isn't… My long-deceased mother-in-law, an Isan with Khmer roots, was one: a betel chewer. With the extinction of her generation, betel chewing, a practice arguably practiced for nearly 5.000 years in Southeast Asia, may well come to an end.
That's what you do to a bald cracker! (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; no. 49)
Long ago, there was a man who could cure baldness. Now I don't talk negatively about bald people, you know, because I'm bald myself. Anyway, he could cure bald people of baldness but you had to pay for it. Goods and fifteen rupees. Rupees were then in use. So bald people came to him to get their hair back.
The Ramayana and the Ramakien – part 5 (final)
The Ramayana is one of India's greatest and most epic stories, its roots go back some 2500 years. From India, various variants of the epic spread throughout Asia, including Thailand, where it became known as the Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์). You can see references to the epic in all sorts of places, but then you must of course know the story. So let's dive into this mythical epic in this series. Today part 5, the conclusion.
Because you look like my mother… (From: Stimulating stories from Northern Thailand; nr 48)
The man had been walking all day and was hungry. He knocked at a house and asked to eat some steamed glutinous rice. The old woman in the house went into the garden to pick a banana leaf to wrap the rice. She had already taken the rice cooker off the heat.
The Ramayana and the Ramakien – part 4
The Ramayana is one of India's greatest and most epic stories, its roots go back some 2500 years. From India, various variants of the epic spread throughout Asia, including Thailand, where it became known as the Ramakien (รามเกียรติ์). You can see references to the epic in all sorts of places, but then you must of course know the story. So let's dive into this mythical epic in this series. Today part 4. The…
The Kathin ceremony at the end of the Pansa, Buddhist Lent, Lent. The public provides new robes and offerings to the monks. A very important event.