Drinks for Ghosts

First published 7 May 2020

A quick tip if you have a superstitious Thai partner. Have you heard of this one?

If you pour a drink for a Thai person, and they throw it out (unlikely) you may have discovered the way spirits like their drinks to be served! There are two ways to pour a drink in Thailand. Pour with your fingers on top of the bottle/can with thumb under, pouring towards your body, as you would normally, and that’s for people.

Pour with a reverse twist of the wrist, that is backhanded away from the body with the thumb on top, and that is how you’d give a drink to a spirit, or ghost as Gaun calls them. If making an offering to a San Phra Phum (spirit house) you might see the latter method being used. Some Thais won’t accept a drink that’s been poured for a ghost in case they upset any resident spirits.

Thanks for reading.

Tony