'The genie is out of the bottle'

Animism and superstition are intertwined with Thai society. Even more so in the countryside. Who enters the TV Thailand invariably sees the images of programs where Thais speak who have had an experience with ghosts. The entire story is reenacted on TV. It makes us laugh, for the Thai it is an extremely serious matter

The fascination of Thai for ghosts can be seen everywhere in the life of the Thai, think for example of the ghost houses. You would almost think that they have a day's work fighting evil spirits and befriending spirits. Quite primitive in the eyes of many down-to-earth Dutch people. Or not? We too are superstitious. Remember, don't walk under a ladder, Friday the 13th^e and Halloween is also celebrated more and more exuberantly. How many Dutch people have not once experimented with spinning a glass in their youth. Jomanda used to draw full houses. Apparently we are not that sober after all.

Coincidence or not?

Not only animism plays a major role, but also superstition. Numbers in particular quickly have a meaning for the Thai. I can't make sense of it, but sometimes you would even start to doubt. Eastern magic?

For example, I once saw a flight ticket offer to Bangkok and booked it impulsively. Fifteen minutes later I enthusiastically called my Thai girlfriend at the time and let her know that I would land in Bangkok on a certain day. Instead of any enthusiasm on her part, she asked if it could be another day, for that day would bring bad luck. Of course I couldn't just rebook my ticket and didn't intend to on the basis of her vague superstitions.

Apparently she was right after all. After an overnight stay in Bangkok, we missed the domestic flight to Chiang Mai the next day and I was therefore able to buy two new tickets. In Chiang Mai I got a serious food poisoning, had to go to the hospital and was therefore not exactly fit for the rest of my stay in Thailand. To top it off, after visiting Chiang Mai, our relationship also ended…