Anything and everything the Buddha did in his life has great significance to his followers, no mater how mundane, no mater how common. That’s all good and well – and understandable – but it’s not like he walked on water or something. Kicking back under a shady tree, for example, isn’t much to write home about. Even if you stay there for seven weeks. Attaining enlightenment while doing so, however, is noteworthy. Though by day five it’s not like you have the many other options to consider. Nonetheless, Buddhists are quite fond of the now famous reststop and attach a spiritual significance to the tree whose branches attracted the Buddha.

There is no record of what that tree was called prior to the Buddha’s visit. It was probably something simple like ‘that big tree over on that hill’. Or Big Tree for short. Since then it has been given an official name, Ficus religiosa, or for those who don’t speak Latin, Bodhi Tree. Which makes sense since bodhi is the sansrkit word for enlightenment. The one the Buddha plopped his ass under is (or was depending on who’s truth you adopt) located in Bodh Gaya, India, which also is quite fortuitous. Had it been located in Montreal instead, the Buddha might have been fined $147 for siting under it like Francois Gendron was earlier this year when he decided to do a bit of meditating in the shade under a large tree in Serge Garant Park himself. I guess in Canada the path to enlightenment includes learning to take Do Not Sit On The Grass signs seriously. Eh? Even if that sign is written in French.

Fortunately, the French never made great inroads into Thailand and both the bodhi tree and sitting on the grass have their place in Thai culture. Most wats have a bodhi tree growing somewhere on the grounds. A few are even famous in their own right. Wat Pho’s is supposedly a direct descendant from the original bodhi tree the Buddha honored with his extended bout of doing nothing. It is located in an easily accessible small raised garden adjacent to the building housing the Reclining Buddha. There’s one at Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Wat, too. Given as a gift to King Chulalongkorn in the early 1900s, it’s located behind the temple’s cloister and is surrounded by a low stone wall used as the final resting place for the ashes of well-connected locals, possibly as a last ditch effort at enlightenment obtaining or at least as a noble attempt at influencing how karma will treat them in their next life (which, if you obtained enlightenment you no longer have go worry about).

The bodhi tree at Wat Bow Wow by Khaosan Road was planted by the King and is caged in an iron fence to protect it from the riff raff who meander over from Bangkok’s backpacker ghetto and think pulling a Francois Gendron might be a good idea. Not that you should read anything into a bodhi tree planted by the King getting higher security than the offspring of the one the Buddha blessed, mind you. But if you want to emulate either Francois or the Buddha, Wat Pho might be the better choice.

Bodhi trees that stem (see what I did there?) from the original, or claim to, are as numerous as are Kardashians though admittedly are of slightly more use even though the average Kardashian ass casts almost an equal amount of shade. The roots of some (yup, I did it again) can be directly traced to the original in Bodh Gaya. HRM King Bhumibol just got another one in May from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his official State visit. Saplings from the original bodhi tree are a popular gift from the Indian government due to their religious significance. Or because they are a cheap gift.

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is one of the more renown bodhi trees that comes from the original, though it grows in Sri Lanaka, not Thailand. The only reason I mention it is that a sapling from that tree was given as a gift to Mary Foster back in 1913, who upon her death donated her house and garden to the people of Honolulu, which became the Foster Botanical Garden. Which while of mild interest to those with a connection to the islands, brings back some great memories for me ‘cuz I spent many memorable hours having car sex in the Garden’s small shady parking lot with a little hot bodied fuck buddy of mine who liked to sneak in a quickie during his lunch break from work. And the ass on that boy, which put the entire Kardashian clan to shame, was a religious experience in its own right. Not to mention it kinda mimicked the heart shape of a bodhi tree leaf. Just in case you thought that pleasant sexual digression had little to do with the subject at hand.

Back in Thailand, significant bodhi trees at temples often sport a number of parsarm si – strips of a gauzy three-colored cloth – which comes from an ancient tradition of nature worship that honors the tree’s spirits. Almost as popular are metallic, fake bodhi trees, which are a vehicle for merit making, which comes from an ancient tradition of money worship that honors the wat’s need for baht. These are often erected when a wat is constructing a new building; for a donation of just a few baht you can sign your name on a leaf and then hang it on the tree yourself. Which ain’t a bad interactive touri activity whether you actually gain any merit or not. Similarly, at Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, you can ‘purchase’ small brass bells whose clappers have a metal bodhi leaf attached that you can also sign before hanging the bell pretty much wherever you want at the wat. Whether you consider that merit making or institutionalized graffiti, it’s cheaper than the fine you’d get charged for sitting under a tree in Canada.

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According to Wikipedia, the English translation for chofah is ‘sky tassel’ which is a lot cooler than the Thai version that sounds like a sneeze. Not that the architectural details that top the roof lines of Thai wats are anything to sneeze about. As with most ornamentation on Thai temples, they have a meaning and a story; they don’t end up in such a prominent position purely by chance. But while their significance is not in question, just what they are supposed to represent often is.

Chofah are most often seen in the form of a stylized garuda, the mythical eagle-like creature of Buddhist legend by way of Hinduism. When there is a sharp break present, that’s probably a correct call. Gracefully flowing chofah that still have a bird-like appearance, some claim, are hongse instead. Which is also from Buddhist/Hindu myth, is sometimes called a hamsa instead, looks more like a swan than an eagle (though it is at times referred to as a male goose too), and is featured on the prow of the King of Thailand’s royal barge.

It doesn’t help that unlike much Thai art and ornamentation chofah are usually simple, yet sublime in design. Often their shape is suggestive with a minimum of detail. Some chofah are so heavily stylized you can’t be sure which bird-like creature they represent, and actually are supposed to be naga instead. There is also a version that look like a poorly rendered garuda, but is actually supposed to be a seated Buddha. Those shaped like an elephant, fortunately, are easily to figure out.

Also a well-used detail in Lao and Cambodian temples, it has been suggested that Hindu inspired chofah were originally intended to appease and appeal to those of that religion when the area was slowly moving to being predominately Buddhist. There is no arguing that the deities of the two religions are well-represented in SE Asian Buddhism. Some have even claimed the garuda//hongse debate on chofah is due to specific wats or areas attempting to appeal to specific Hindu belief systems; the garuda was the vehicle for the god Vishnu, the hongse the mount for the god Brahma. That theory has little to do with chofah that are shaped as a naga though, as he is the half sibling of the garuda and its sworn enemy.

Regardless of the design, chofah almost always are spiked. The belief is that its chofah protect a temple from flying demons; should an evil spirit fall from the sky it will be impaled on the point of the chofah and be unable to cause harm to the religious community. Which is even cooler than the sky tassel thingy.

And regardless of the design, what they are not are hang hong. A wat’s chofah are always at the peak of the roof, even when there are several peaks. Hang hong, which are almost always in the form of naga heads (though hongse are popular as hang hong too), are part of the roof’s bargeboards. They cover the ends of gables to prevent roof tiles from falling off. Which is more practical than spiking evil demons but not nearly as cool. But then it is position, not mythological creature that matters. And the naga used as hang hong too are generally considered part of a temple’s protection against danger, evil, and harm.

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Okay, so that title’s a pun intended to those of a certain age and era, but if you’ve been to a wat in Northern Thailand those creatures you leaned a hand against while taking off your shoes could have been moms. Maybe.

“Aha!” I said, having learned those dragon looking creatures used as a balustrade at many temples in Thailand were actually Naga, a popular mythological beast in Thailand and throughout SE Asia.

“Aha!” I said having learned that some of those naga were actually markara, and then for the sake of clarity some too are markara with naga sprouting from their mouth,

“WTF?” I said having learned the creatures I’d just taken a photo of were neither naga or markara. Sure it looked more like a worm than a snake, but I’d just assumed it was some kind of larval naga.

Obtaining a state of enlightenment can sometimes be a bitch. Especially when it comes to all of the fanciful creatures that inhabit the typical temple in Thailand. You’d think they’d make it easy like in the Christian faith and just stick to one god. Oh, wait . . . there’s all those saints the Catholics favor too. But seriously, just how many mythical water born creatures do you need?

Evidently, as with Mount Olympus’ pantheon, when it comes to the Himmapan Forest, quantity is more important than quality. And when you lived in an agricultural community in SE Asia, you can never have enough gods to pray to for rain. Naga, the more commonly spotted cross between a snake and a dragon with anywhere from one to seven heads, has its origins in Buddhist myth by way of Hinduism; a protector of The Buddha during a nasty downpour, he’s usually associated with water. And the closer you live to the Mekong, the more his legend moves from being an influence on precipitation to holding godly sway over the mighty river.

Markara – which took the same religious journey to SE Asia as did the naga – too are a powerful symbol in a culture where water plays a crucial role in daily life and agricultural activities. If Naga can best be described as looking like a snake, markara comes closest to looking like a crocodile – except for having the snout or trunk of an elephant, the tusks and ears of a wild boar, the darting eyes of a monkey, the scales and flexible body of a fish, and the swirling tail feathers of a peacock. Like with naga, markara are often used as balustrades on northern Thai temples, sometime sprouting naga from their mouths, sometimes sprouting vegetables or plants. Which should clue you in to its heavenly purpose having much to do with fertility and rain. Once again.

Interestingly (to me) and though it has nothing to do with mom (at last not mine), markara is the origin of the word for crocodile in Hindi, which is mugger. Which in turn evolved into the same word in the English language, meaning a criminal who sneaks up and attacks someone. The Thais took a different linguistic route however, and markara are generally viewed as guardians when they appear at the entrance to buildings in wats.

So if it looks like a naga, walks like a naga, and isn’t a markara . . . if you are up north, there’s a good chance it’s a mom. Like his serpentine and crocodilian brethren, mom too are often the focal decoration at the base of stairways in Thai temples. Some scholars claim he is a Burmese / Lanna variant of the markara, but with a rounder and jowlier head. So not so much a snake or crocodile, but more of a worm. With teeth. And like with naga and markara, mom often serve as guardians at Buddhist temples whose job is to frighten monsters away.

Mom too come to Thailand by way of Hinduism, where they are depicted looking more like hybrid of a cat or lion with a bit of gecko thrown in for luck. For its Buddhist use – though supposedly a great deal smarter than humans – they serve as a warning against clinging to things; mom hold onto what they have and know, and so are unable to achieve enlightenment. More importantly to matters of physical rather than spiritual survival, they control the sources of rain and are the guardians of life-giving energy in its waters.

In ancient Lanna times – which probably also means currently in rural agricultural areas of Northern Thailand – mom are prayed to for rain. During the hot dry period, before planting, farmers would put a carved representation of the mom in a wicker basket and carry it in procession through the village and to the temple. So like with both the naga and markara, at times, mom too symbolize water and fertile soil. You wouldn’t think you’d need three different heavenly creatures for one job, but then rain to a agricultural people is often a matter of life or death. So it’s good that there is no need for putting all of your eggs in one basket. And it’s not like the holy trinity thingy hasn’t been used in other religious belief systems.

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My friend Noom often communicates with a nod or jerk of his head, a smile or snarl, and a widening or narrowing of his eyes. That’s usually a sufficient enough of a reply to whatever question I just asked him. Except when I’m looking for a detailed explanation. Which usually has to do with some odd local custom we’ve just run across. The first time we visited a wat that had miles of white cotton string running from the Buddha statues to every conceivable point within the temple I wanted to know why. The smile, jerk of his head upward, followed by his eyes tracing the route of one piece of string did little to expand my base of knowledge. No problemo. Google is often a bit more communicative.

But then using an internet search engine can be a lot like using one of those old magic eight balls; there is a lot riding on what you ask or search for. Whether I used Thailand specifically or SE Asia in general along with string and wat as search terms, all Google wanted to tell me about was the bracelets you sometime get tied around your wrist by a monk when visiting a wat, or the local marriage ceremony tradition that results in the same cotton wrapped wrist. Sometimes you’d be better off, or no worse off, if Google could nod its head, smile, and make an incomprehensible eye gesture.

More visitors to SE Asia run across the string bracelet than they do (or notice) the strings looped around the interior of a wat. So it makes sense that Google assumes that’s the subject you are interested in when you use string and wat in your search query. I don’t think quite as many visitors get to experience a local wedding, but since the two are closely related, there’s a lot of info on that subject too. Adding Buddha to your set of search terms only helps a little. But does begin to narrow down the results. From there, Google says you are on your own. I’ll have to try that search again in a week and see if this article has convinced Google there might be another answer.

It seems appropriate since The Buddha says attaining the state of enlightenment is a journey, that becoming enlightened about this custom should be a journey too. Yours, which took only three paragraphs, was shorter than mine. I suppose it makes sense that there’s not a big difference between the strings tied around your wrist and those tied around the inside of a wat; it turns out the binding aspect and meaning of the two are similar. In fact the more common of the two stems from the other. In most cases when the string tied throughout a wat has served its purpose it’s cut into small pieces and used to make the bracelets most visitors to Thai temples are familiar with.

Thais have always had a knack for assimilating other cultures into theirs and this one is no different. The string, called sai sen, comes from India and Hindu culture. Today it is predominantly used in the northern regions of Thailand, but also in a slightly different form in Issan where it first travelled through Laos and gained its own set of customs. Cambodia too has been heavily influenced by India in the past, so that the custom is popular there too makes sense. Whether wrapped around your wrist or throughout a temple the string, which has been blessed by monks, is intended to keep out evil spirits and protect everyone and everything inside its boundaries.

Considering the numerous times sai sin is strung it’s surprising you don’t see it in use more often. It is an integral part of house blessing ceremonies, funerals, weddings, graduations, ceremonies to celebrate the completion or anniversary of the construction of a new building within a temple, and as an observance of special Buddhist holidays. Typically, the sai sin starts in the hands of the head monk who begins to unravel the string, holding a piece while passing it to the next monk (and so on and so on) while the monks chant. The connection between the monks and the thread is thought to form a sacrosanct circle as the chanting infuses the thread with sacred power. Symbolically it links those tied with it to a source of special power, often times the wat’s primary Buddha image.

Sai sin is also used in villages where it is tied onto poles and fences above head height, leaving lengths branching off for each house along the way to connect their own piece of sai-sin to the main cord by circling it around the eaves of their home to form a loop. Usually as part of a house blessing ceremony, this custom serves to bind the community together. The Akha hill-tribe of Northern Thailand have their own cord-tying ritual, believing it to be a ‘soul string’ that stops the soul from becoming lost while maintaining a connection to the village. When used as part of a wedding ceremony, the purpose of the sai sin is to transfer the benefits of the blessing directly down to each of the participant, especially the newly married couple.

So the strings you see running through a wat and those tied around the wrists of visitors to the wat are yet another example of the typical Thai state of same same, but different. Even if it did take me far too much effort in scouring the internet to come to that conclusion. I coulda saved myself a lot of time by realizing that Noom’s smile, jerk of his head upward, followed by his eyes tracing the string’s route in the wat we were visiting the first time I ran across the custom pretty much said it all.

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It doesn’t help that translating from Thai into English means there are always multiple correct ways to spell a word. Though technically none are correct since they’re not in Thai; close is supposed to only count in horseshoes. Matters are not improved thanks to the internet where all it takes is one person to unintentionally post incorrect info that is then copied and pasted over and over again until it becomes an accepted truth. When it come to Buddhist temples in Thailand, in the grand scheme of things it may not matter anyway – you certainly can enjoy visiting a wat in SE Asia without knowing what any of the buildings are or what purpose they serve. But many visitors like to know what a temple’s larger buildings are and what purpose they serve. Generally, the largest and most imposing building within a temple’s grounds is the wiharn. Or viharn. Or wihan. Or wihara. Whichever term you prefer is as correct as the next. Unless you are speaking about the wat’s ubosot.

And therein lays the problem. The ubosot, or bot – just to keep things straight – is also many times a impressive and large building. At some wats it is larger than the wiharn. There is no specific order regarding layout at a temple, so at one wat the first structure – and what appears to the focal building – you’ll see is the wiharn. At others it will be the bot. And at still others they are side by side. They both can, and often do, contain an altar with a large central Buddha figure. The more well-known statue of the Buddha is sometimes in the wiharn. And sometimes it’s in the wat’s bot.

Of the two, the ubosot is the most sacred. Even when it is the smaller of the two and tucked away in a corner. Some wats have more than one wiharn. But there is never more than one bot. Though there may be a wiharn and no ubosot at all. It’s no wonder many Westerners just call them chapels, temples, or buildings to avoid any attempt at identifying which is which and most likely, getting the identification wrong.

In an attempt to be English-speaker friendly, a lot of guide books and website call a wiharn the Assembly Hall, Prayer Hall, or Sermon Hall and the ubosot the Ordination Hall. Unfortunately they also use those terms for either of the two buildings, possibly thanks to not actually knowing which is which themselves. In function these English terms serve well when they are correctly applied. The wiharn is used as a public place where both monks and the faithful pray and participate in ceremonies. The ubosot is generally reserved for use by monks and is usually the building where morning and evening prayers are said. However, you know how Thai are about rules. So you may observe monks performing their morning and evening prayers in the wiharn sometimes. And some bots, such as the one at Wat Pho, are routinely used by lay people for praying.

The one constant is that the ubosot is the building where new monks are ordained, hence the Ordination Hall moniker. (If the wat does not have a ubosot, then new monks cannot be ordained at that temple.) You can usually tell the difference between the two in that the bot always has eight boundary markers, called sema stones, with one each placed at the corners and axes of its exterior. But don’t forget, you are in Thailand where rules were not only made to be broken, but are often completely ignored too.

Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai is the city’s most popular religious destination for touri. It has a massive wiharn at the front of the grounds, with its famous crumbling chedi located directly behind that building. There are also several smaller wiharn behind the chedi. And the ubosot? There is a small, nondescript one tucked away on the temple’s grounds, but it has not been used since the mid-1980s. Instead, the main wiharn was allocated and marked to serve as an ordination hall; the wat’s impressive wiharn has doubled as its ubosot since 1979.

Generally, both the wiharn and ubosot are enclosed structures; they have four walls and a roof. Open-air structures within a temple’s compound are called a sala when used for sermons. But some wiharn, such as at Wat Suab Dok in Chiang Mai, are also built in this style. Just in case you were not sufficiently confused.

Because of its fame and familiarity to most touri, Wat Pho in Bangkok is a good example of a temples’ wiharn and ubosot and why and how the two can be so easily confused. Most people immediately think of the giant Reclining Buddha when you mention Wat Pho, and for many touri that is about all they see on their visit because time is short and they still have to rush off to view Jim Thompson’s house that day. The Reclining Buddha, as impressive as it is, is located inside one of Wat Pho’s wiharn (the temple has nine). As popular as the statue is, from a religious standpoint it is one of the lesser of the wat’s wiharn. Even though it is far more grand than the others.

The four main wiharn at Wat Pho are arranged at each of the four compass points and surround the wat’s ubosot (coming from the Reclining Buddha, the first wiharn you’d encounter is the western one). Sometimes they are referred to as the directional wiharn. The remaining four wiharn are L-shaped and sit in each of the northern compound’s corners, two of which are often referred to as galleries.

Why as a visitor should you care which building is a bot and which is a wiharn? While in either you should remember you are in a house of worship and conduct yourself accordingly, you should be even more respectful when visiting a bot. Depending on the temple, the ubosot may not be open, or may not be open to non-Buddhist visitors. Technically, women are not allowed in a bot at any time, though this prohibition is enforced at some wats and not strictly enforced at others (watch for a sign, or make sure there are other women visiting the building before entering). The wiharn is usually the best place to interact with a monk, the bot the best place to head during morning or evening prayers – in case you are short on time and want to make the most out of your visit.

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Thais tend to be a religious lot. They also tend to be a superstitious people. The two often go hand in hand and the dividing line between faith and myth is often a thin one. In a previous post I covered the better known positions of Buddha statues, particularly their hand gestures which are known as mudras. There are also positions that represent certain events in the life of The Buddha, events which are believed to have occurred on specific days of the week. Many Thais consider the image assigned to the day of the week they were born to be especially auspicious for them; they will have that image in their homes, pray to that image at wats, and have that position used when commissioning a Buddha image.

It is not unusual to run across a line of all seven Buddhas at a wat, though if you count them there are eight (yes, this is Thailand). Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, a perennial favorite of visitors to northern Thailand, has such a display, and as I mentioned in my recent post about Wat Traimit and the Golden Buddha in Bangkok’s Chinatown, that temple has a line of fortune telling machines each displaying one of the seven, er eight, postures.

SUNDAY
The Buddha for those born on Sunday is called Phra Tawai Natra, he is in the Open-Eye posture, a pensive image that represents the Buddha after attaining a state of nirvana, contemplating the suffering of all living things as he dedicates himself to sharing his knowledge and helping others to attain the same freedom of mind.

A person born on a Sunday is respectable, wise, and loved by friends and family. He is likely to be in a professional occupation, a manager, doctor, or even craftsman. His lucky day is Wednesday and lucky color is green, though Tuesday and pink ain’t bad either. Sunday’s child’s unlucky day is Friday and his unlucky color is blue.

MONDAY
Monday’s Buddha is known as Phra Ham Yath, or Making Peace or Preventing Calamities which, not surprisingly is a position also known as Pacifying The Relatives. Yup, in-laws were a bitch even for the Buddha. This position depicts the Buddha when he returned from heaven after three months and found his relatives arguing about the rights to water flowing through their land. A standing position, the Buddha’s fingers are extended in the abhaya mudra position.

A person born on a Monday has a good memory, is serious, and loves to travel. Skilled occupations are best for Monday’s children. Their lucky day is Saturday and lucky color is black, with Wednesday and green coming in a close second. If you were born on Monday, watch out for Sundays and the color orange.

TUESDAY
The Buddha position for Tuesday is the Reclining Buddha (Phra Sai Yas) the most famous being that found at Wat Pho in Bangkok. The story that goes along with this position is that the Buddha, while staying at Savatthi, ran up against an arrogant evil dude named Asura Rahu who was so gigantic he didn’t feel the need to pay proper respect to Buddha. So the Buddha made himself even bigger and settled into the reclining position as a bitch slap to lower Rahu’s pride.

Those born on Tuesday are brave, active, and serious but are broad minded. They are often cops, soldiers, or . . . hairdressers. Huh. Their lucky day is Thursday and their lucky color is yellow. Saturdays and black work well too, but Mondays and white are both considered unlucky for those born on Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY (MORNING)
According to an old poem about birth days in the western world, Wednesday’s child is full of woe. Maybe that’s why in Buddhism they spit the day in two. There is a Buddha image for those born in the morning on Wednesday, and a sperate one for those born in the evening.

The morning position is Phra Um Bhat, which is often referred to a the Receiving position. The Buddha is standing and holding an alms bowl. Coming from a wealthy family, when the Buddha returned home for a visit after spending four years in a monastery, his papa was not pleased to see him begging for food. (Pops would have been a fan of Mitt Romney.) The Buddha explained that it wasn’t about the begging but rather making himself available to the faithful to allow them to make merit. (Which updated means that 47% of Americans are looking after the spiritual well-being of 53% of their countrymen.)

Those born on Wednesday morning are fun-loving, gregarious, artistic, emotional, and often do creative work. Wednesday nights and light green are lucky for them, and yellow and Thursdays are not bad either. You may be thinking ‘gay’ with the artistic nature of those born on Wednesday mornings, but pink is an unlucky color for them. And Tuesday are not their best day of the week.

WEDNESDAY (EVENING)
The Buddha for those born on Wednesday night is usually the last in the row when the eight Buddhas are lined up. He is in the Resting With Monkey and Elephant posture, and is known as Phra Par Lelai (The Blessed One). The position represents the Buddha’s respect for all living things.

People born on Wednesday evenings are hard working, diligent, and honest. Oh what a difference a few hours makes, huh? They are often employed as doctors, scientists, and archaeologists. Their lucky day is Monday and white is their lucky color, followed closely by Sundays and orange. Thursdays are not a good day for them, nor is the color yellow.

THURSDAY
Thursday’s Buddha is Phra Samathi and he is in the meditation or yoga position. This full lotus position in yoga is believed to be the ultimate balance of tranquility and thoughts and is receptive to power or energy to enter the body from the top of the head and the opening palms. Thursday’s Buddha’s hand gesture is known as the dhyani mudra. It is the position the Buddha took when achieved enlightenment.

Those born on Thursdays have a good heart, are graceful, often at peace, and are generally honest. Judges, lawyers, teachers, and clergymen are often born on Thursdays. Sunday is their lucky day; orange is their lucky color. Blues and Fridays are also lucky, but black is not good for them nor are Saturdays.

FRIDAY
For those born on Friday the Buddha is in the Contemplation position and is known as Phra Ram Pueng. This position represents the Buddha’s realization that no one is perfect. He worried that ordinary people would not be able to understand dharma and bring it into practice, but then came to understand that like the nature of the lotus, all living creatures posses different habits at different times and can blossom into beauty.

People born on Friday are fun loving, friendly, and ambitious, and are often an entertainer or public figure. Their lucky day is Tuesday and the lucky color is pink. Mondays and the color white are also considered to be lucky for Friday’s child. Their unlucky time is Wednesday night and the unlucky color is light green.

SATURDAY
The Buddha for those born on Saturday is Phra Naga Prok. He is in the Protection position, which depicts the Buddha sitting in meditation, protected by the King of Naga’s hood from a rainstorm, with his coiled body lifting the Buddha above the flood waters.

Saturday’s child is calm, logical and sometimes a bit of a recluse. He is very likely engaged in manual work of a skilled nature. The lucky day for those born on Saturday is Friday and their lucky color is blue. Wednesdays nights are also lucky for them as is the corresponding color of light green. Darker greens, and Wednesday mornings are unlucky for those born on Saturdays.

Any mor doo (fortune teller) you consult in Thailand worth his salt will need to know which day you were born on as it will from the basis for his calculations for your fortune. If you do not know, this handy little app will tell you.

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