Preview

Spirit House

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
737 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Spirit House
Makayla Schafer
Mrs. Sharon Aiken
College English 1101-69
September 21, 2014
Spirit Houses When traveling to a new country, everything can look unfamiliar and foreign. During my trip to Thailand, it was not the luxurious dresses or the exotic fruit that caught my attention, but it was the beautiful miniature houses outside of homes and businesses. I would soon learn that these “birdhouse” looking structures were actually called spirit houses, and would contain the spirits of deceased loved ones. A spirit house can be simply defined as a house containing a spirit, although to the natives of Thailand, these houses have much more significance. I would learn this significance by observing the natives worshiping these small spiritual houses. It was my first night in Thailand and the locals had gathered to greet us Americans and the returning natives with a traditional Thailand dinner. As we were eating dinner, a man began to come around the table with a large deep dish. I was uncertain of the purpose of this dish until I saw others spooning off some of their meal into the dish. After dinner was over we traveled to a rather big spirit house in the middle of the town. Each person sprinkled a spoonful of food out of the dish onto the ground of the spirit house; this food would symbolize the respect of the natives to the spirits inside the house. Each person also lit a candle and prayed for guidance from the spirits. This practice was so unfamiliar to me that I had to know more. A native teenage would clarify the meaning and history of spirit houses to me. As she began to share the story of spirit houses with me, I found myself astounded with interest. Spirit houses in Thailand arose from the belief in Animism. Animism is the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself have souls. According to culture heritage of Thailand these souls or spirits can perform many humanistic actions, like protecting of the people, being mischievous, and even

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    What I found very interesting was that in the corner of the property, there was majestic tree and a statue of the Buddha at its foot. On the surrounding wall there were posters with drawings and text explaining the story of the Buddha. At the entrance of the temple were two golden lions but they were just there to enhance the beauty of the temple. There was a big wooden door that led inside and the temple itself was surrounded by flowers, plants and trees. This alos gave the…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sociology Nacirema

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The Body Ritual” was written in 1956, a time when people’s basic understanding of different culture was insufficient. (Hyung Kim, 2012) The article focuses on the Nacirema and the strange beliefs and superstitions that happen within their culture. If someone is reading this for the first time they may not catch on to Miner’s satirical delivery and unknowingly assume the Nacirema is a Native American tribe. “Instead Miner was talking about common behaviors of Americans that he turned into supernatural and magical rituals. What this actually shows is how language can shape the reader’s impression of a culture in a way that causes people to understand in a totally different perspective.” (Hyung Kim). Miner tricked people into thinking that everyday people, places, and things were a part of a foreign culture. For example; calling bathrooms “shrines”, Doctors “medicine men”, pharmacists “herbalists”, hospitals “latipsohs” and thermometers “magic wands in the supplicants mouths.” (Miner, 1956)…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    berawan death practices

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Anthropologist Peter A. Metcalf observed the practices of the Berawan tribe, found along Borneo’s north-central waterways, including the tribe’s four-stage funeral rites (Metcalf 1993, p. 325). The first stage lasts two to ten days and includes ‘rites performed immediately after death’ (Metcalf 1993, p. 325). The second stage, eight months to several years in duration (Metcalf 1993, p. 325), sees the corpse stored on a platform or in the communal residence with the remains contained in a coffin, earthenware jar or similar vessel (Metcalf 1993, p. 325). During this period the corpse decomposes, allowing the soul’s transformation to ‘perfect spirit’ (Metcalf 1993, p. 326). However during this period the soul lurks close by, restless and uneasy, spreading the risk of illness to the living and the possibility of corpse reanimation by an evil spirit (Metcalf 1993, p. 326). During the third stage, which Hertz referred to as ‘the great feast’ (Metcalf 1993, p.326), the remains are brought into the residence and guests celebrate the deceased for six to ten days (Metcalf 1993, p. 325). The bones may be removed and cleaned in preparation for the fourth stage - the deceased’s final burial wherein the physical remains are housed in a receptacle of value, such as a glazed jar or wooden coffin, with that receptacle accommodated in a large mausoleum; safe in the knowledge the soul had transcended (Metcalf 1993, p. 325).…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rosary Research Paper

    • 2129 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Anthropology 344 12/13/10 Guam - Death, Family, and Tradition The people of Guam, also known as Chamorro, have a unique burial practice that aims to assist the dearly departed in the afterlife. In present day, the people of Guam are majority Catholic and celebrate Catholic traditions with a mixture of their cultural traditions. Their practices date back to the ancient Chamorro belief system of ancestral worship, but have since been comingled with Catholicism brought by the Spanish in 1521. They believe in the power of prayer and how it can affect the destination of ones soul. Chamorros spend nine days before and after a person is buried to help guide a spirit to heaven. I had the pleasure of experiencing their ritual and took the account of a local man to help explain their practices that are dissimilar to the burial practices of regular Catholic traditions. I attended a lisayu, or rosary recital, of a friends uncle who had recently died. The lisayu is the practice of reciting the rosary twice a day in honor of the dead. This ritual is usually held at the home of the deceased or at the church parish where the deceased practiced faith. The lisayu is a religious event open to family and friends, so there is kind of an inherent need for a place that can hold a large gathering. As I arrived at the residence of the deceased, I immediately noticed the house surrounded by 5-6 tents and about 300 or so chairs that were set out for guests. As people arrived and took their seats, there was an air of silence that everyone maintained. People sat and waited for the rosary to begin, but were sure to be as silent as possible. It seems as if it is a sign of disrespect to make noise or do any action that disrupts the grievance process. If there are any neighbors surrounding the residence, they are either in attendance at the prayer or are aware of the need to pay the same respect of silence as if they were in attendance. It is almost as if I were attending a funeral…

    • 2129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Santillanes, Gary. “Releasing the Spirit: A Lesson in Native American Funeral Rituals.” October, 1997. The University of Minnesota. December 14, 1998. http://www.umn.edu…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Land of the Gubbi Gubbi

    • 1929 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The land was the fundamental basis for spiritual, cultural and physical life; the spirits of ancestors were believed to co-exist on earth in the form of animals, plant, marine and rock formations. This ensured their connection with current and future generations. Each clan had their own ancestral totem to which they would be appointed as custodians. Totemic guardianship rights were passed on from generation to generation (Adams, 2000).…

    • 1929 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Most of the Haitian population was originally from Africa, which supports the transformation from the Kongo culture to Haitian Vodou. The Encyclopedia of Global Religion reads, “What is distinctive about Haitian Vodou additionally is that it incorporated the powerful systems of the Bakongo [Kongo] peoples in Central Africa.”21 In addition, Paul Gardullo writes in his review of Donald Consentino’s Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, “The roles of various spirit repositories and containers or Paket Kongo are described, as well as their ties to Nkisi, their Kongo counter-parts.”22 The most distinct similarity between these two objects are their relations with the spirits they ‘hold.’ Both minkisi and paket kongos can help someone communicate between the spiritual and living world in each of their respective cultures. They both have a master ritualist that uses that communication with the spirits to assist their clients. And finally, many paket kongos are tied with a crucifix atop the container, shown in figure 2. Not only is this another example of the Haitian Vodou…

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    world religions

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Animism is the belief that non human entities such as animals, plants of inanimate object possess souls.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Where the Spirit Lives

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1)The very first scene to me was very interesting. This is when the man tries to lure the children into the plane by singing and dancing. He made everything seem like it was going to be fun and easy for the children, but it clearly was not. I’m sure back when they were bringing children to the school they lied a lot about what the school was going to be like.…

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hmong Research Paper

    • 2469 Words
    • 10 Pages

    There are the tame spirits that offer protection from the wilds spirits. They live in and watch over the home of a Hmong. When you are involved in an accident, a simple spirit calling can be held to prevent further problems. Spirit callings are however held at the end of the year; the head of the house hold chooses a propitious day starting in November through January. Red and white threads are intertwined into bracelets or necklaces and are tied on with a blessing. It serves as a protection from evil harming. Other times blessings of white strings are tied on wrist from family members outside of the immediate family to influence good health and a prosperous life. Hmong Christians may practice string tying too.…

    • 2469 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    World Religious Tradition

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages

    tradition to suggest death and the spirit world: are used by tribal religions in dance ceremonies.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The House of Spirits

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Much of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende revolves around the life of one of its main characters Esteban Trueba. Esteban Trueba is an aggressive, violent character whose only goals throughout the novel are to achieve success and power. The reader sees his brutal nature through the way he deals with people around him, whom in his eyes are all significantly inferior. However, one minor character in The House of the Spirits seems to change Trueba’s aggressive nature. When Esteban first meets Transito Soto, she is a prostitute in a brother nearby to his farm in Tres Marias. However, she soon proves much more worthy. What may seem like an insignificant meeting at first turns out to affect his life over and over again throughout the story, as she reappears several times throughout Esteban’s life.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Shamanism In Vietnam

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages

    some have converted to Christianity, most stick to traditional spiritual practices of Shamanism. Shamanism is a practice of a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to interact with the social world of benevolent and malevolent spirits. Performing rituals for sick people by connecting with the spirit world (trance) to see why they are sick. The ancient time, it was believed that humans and spirits lived with each other. The conflict between the two brought a sub-deity (a member of a pantheon of a polytheistic religious system). Blinded the worlds from interacting. Treatments include herbal remedies or offering of Joss papers (ghost money.) when the soul returns back to the body through a string tying rituals (sting-tying). Red, white, black or blue strings are tied to shield the person from evil spirits. The strings symbolize binding up and holding intact of the life souls. Animal sacrifice is another Shaman ritual to attempt illness with offerings to the spirits with the sacrifice of chickens, cows, pigs, or other animals. The soul of the sacrificed soul of animals is connected to human souls. Shamans use the animal soul to protect the sick person. Then that animal is eaten. When a Hmong person dies the soul must travel to the every place the person lived until it reaches the burial place of its placental. To be dressed in the “placenta jacket” it can travel to be reunited with ancestors and be reincarnated…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ethnography

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It was typically Hmong for patients to appear passively obedient – thus protecting their own dignity by concealing their ignorance and their doctor’s dignity by acting deferential – and then, as soon as they left the hospital, to ignore everything to which they had supposedly assented” (page 68). This quote by author, Anne Fadiman, of ethnography The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down demonstrates quite well the cultural clash between the Hmong and the MCMC doctors. This quote is important and meaningful because I believe this ethnography’s main theme was cultural understanding. This true story involves the life of Lia Lee, a Hmong child who is epileptic. She suffers severe grand mal seizures and eventually, as a result, becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. The key point of the book, however, is not Lia’s epilepsy as much as it is the cultural barriers that led to what simply destroyed Lia’s brain. Decisions between Lia’s doctors and her parents on treatment, healing, and what actions to make on saving Lia’s life is the base of the main conflicts we as readers saw. Fadiman uses this battle as a way of discussing Western and Eastern medicine and how each group views the patient in such different ways.…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cultural Immersion Project

    • 2312 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Spirituality is evident throughout the Native American culture as they believe in the Creator. Bill stated that “all Indians honor the Creator regardless of their spiritual walk or religious preference” (B. Snell, personal communication, February 20, 2015). The Bible says that before the world there was the Word. Similarly, a common theme among the Native American culture is that the “spirit existed in the spirit world before it came into a physical body and will exist after the body dies” (Hays and Erford, 2014, pg. 358). Just like Jesus Christ, who existed in spirit, came to Earth in the form of a man, and returned to Heaven in…

    • 2312 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays