The outsider, Klausner pointed out, "must try to appreciate the reality that the Thai is able to compartmentalize these different beliefs. The Thais find no inconsistencies . . . . "
Greed and curiosity are often bound together in superstition. Earlier this year, a Thai village woman was reported here to have laid an egg--literally. Figuring that she had magical powers, the villagers came to her with gifts of money, asking in exchange a prediction of the winning numbers in the state lottery. Police denounced the episode as a fraud.
Consulting the Stars
Astrology is another place to seek one's fortune, good or bad. No major venture is started here without a consultation. The king is reputed to be a student of the stars.
Buddhists worry about their karma, a sort of balance sheet of good and evil deeds that determines their fate in this and future lives. There will be retribution for evil, but it may be mitigated by doing good, by making merit in Buddhist terms.
Similarly, in dealing with the spirit world of the animists, the object is to pay tribute and avoid offense. An angry spirit can cause anything from a pain in the neck to a natural calamity.
The newborn are usually addressed by unattractive nicknames, like "Fatty" or "Pig." Spirits might be jealous of a beautiful child, the belief goes, so the idea is to deceive them, particularly during the vulnerable infant's first month of life. It is not unusual to hear a Thai woman complimenting another on her ugly baby.
Little Spirit House
The most ubiquitous form of appeasement is the spirit house. It stands in a corner of the property of every Thai house or building, a miniature structure always grander in design than the full-sized house and always elevated on a post to show respect.
It is a tribute to the spirit of the land, and offerings and prayers are made regularly by the occupants of the main structure.
The little house represents a fairly clear relationship between man and spirit. Other superstitions are more difficult for foreigners to understand. For example:
--A man must not walk under a line holding women's clothing, in part because doing so will erase the protective magic of his amulets and tattoos.
--Age 25 is dangerous. "I did nothing risky when I was 25," a Bangkok secretary said. "I never went to the mountains or anything like that."
--Never get a haircut on Wednesday.
The origins of others are fairly clear. On coffins containing bodies awaiting cremation at a temple, the names are usually marked in red lime. Many Thais, therefore, will not sign their names in red ink.
And, on the positive side, an old woman who has had a long and happy married life is invited to make the marriage bed for newlyweds.