Did you all miss me? I apologize for the late post. My partner and I were sent to represent our branch of the family to a huge wedding in Thailand over the holidays this year—and it was shockingly difficult to gain access to the three necessary components to craft a blog post all at once: time, a firm internet connection, and a robust power supply. Normally I would have thought that I would have had ample time during the 12 hour flight between our US connection and Seoul. But the power supply available on the plane was shockingly anemic and there was no WiFi available. 

Thai Offerings

Regardless of the barriers to writing I kept encountering, there were a few very interesting things that I encountered over the course of this trip that I thought all of you would enjoy. First, the sort of belief that was present in Thailand was altogether a different beast than what I am used to in the United States. Thai religious beliefs feel a lot more earnest—especially when compared to the performative dance many Christians put on. Spirit houses and shrines to members of both Hindu and Buddhist pantheons are abundant. Most every building has at least one small shrine, if not multiple. People didn’t make a secret about giving offerings or praying. But neither did anyone call attention to themselves or others doing it. This was a normal part of life. 

There are several usual types of offerings that I saw. Water, fruits, and floral gardlands were things I was familiar with from various traditions. But I was initially quite confused about the numerous Strawberry Fantas offered. In the area where I am local to, sometimes I see a can of Sunkist or other brand of orange soda on shrines, but I had never learned the meaning behind them. 

My Thai cousins did know that the Strawberry Fantas were much easier to both find and cheaper than a more traditional red syrup that they were familiar with. Atlas Obscura provides a take that is consistent with what my relatives have told me—including an uncle who used to moonlight as a spirit medium for construction companies and developers. Unlike in the US, this sort of side-hustle is considered both respectable and doesn’t cause anyone to look sideways. 

The spirit houses themselves serve the purpose of something like a dormitory for more ‘wild’ spirits that don’t have their own altars. Unlike gods, they don’t get their own dedicated homes. It’s said that someone who gives offerings might receive the protection of these spirits, or at the very least won’t be menaced by their mischief. 

A Matter of Preference

While the Red Fanta does have roots as a more convenient alternative to nam ya thai thip, it may boil down to a very simple factor. Ghosts and spirits like things that humans think are good. Traditional offerings in many parts of the world include sugary items, coffee, food, and liquor—all things that we enjoy and take in as either or both nourishment and entertainment. And individual spirits and other entities have their own tastes. 

I was immediately reminded of an interesting discussion with a friend from tumblr. After working with a new familiar spirit, she asked what it would like and it presented her with a very clear image of a pull-tab tin of fish, including the exact quantity and orientation of the fish inside. It was quite unlikely that her mental image would be close, she thought. In her area, she had never seen whole fish in a tin with the head and eyes included advertised of known to even be available. Dubious, she still bought this item (for the very first time in her life, mind you) to make an offering, the quantity of the fish and their orientation were exactly the same inside. According to her, the spirit replied to her surprise with a smug ‘I know what I am about.’ 

Following the same thought process of ‘sweet, luxurious, and looks nice’ but also ‘easy to find’ I often make offerings of assorted candies and especially individual or three-packs of Ferrero Rochers to my ancestors. After all, nuts, chocolate, and sugar are all quite popular and nice. So why wouldn’t spirits like them too? Add to that the visually appealing golden foil wrap, and who could resist? When I told my Thai cousins, they nodded said it only made sense. Ferreros are also a touch more luxurious than a Fanta. 

Shortcake Gate and Performative Religion

Does anyone else remember the particular Bullshit of Shortcake Gate on Tumblr? I won’t bore anyone with the details, but the spark notes version is that some busy body thought that they needed to police an offering of grocery store shortcake and canned whipped cream (sweet, and pretty looking) to Loki. Remember what I said about westerners and especially Americans being a bit…theatric? Because I find many westerners and especially Christian’s and occultists who come from Christian backgrounds suffer from a ‘LOOK AT ME DOING RELIGION CORRECTLY I AM GOING TO GET AN A+ AMD PRAISED BY THE REAL RELIGION AUTHORITY FIGURES’ disease. Some of the symptoms include calling attention to the way one is supposedly doing religion better than someone else, or making a big show of following the rules on the surface to use religion as a tool to promote a personal sense of superiority while bullying someone else. 

And the need for theater to disguise an unsavory motive was always what told me someone wasn’t very earnest. We occultists do love our props and set dressing. But why make a show as a disguise for an excuse for ugly human behavior? 

Well. The more things change, the more they stay the same.