Why is it considered a terrible insult to walk into a house with shoes on in Thailand?

Thailand is a corner of heavenly tranquility on our not always calm planet. People come here from all over the world for smiles, positivity, sun, delicious food and peace. But sometimes ignorance of local laws and customs plays a cruel joke with tourists. And instead of appeasement, they get nerves, conflicts and frustration. There is one rule in the Land of the Free that should not be violated in any case if a quarrel with a local resident is not part of your plans.

At first glance, this is a slightly eccentric and strange rule - it is strictly forbidden to enter a living room in shoes. You should be especially careful in this regard in non-tourist areas. Ignoring this rule is often taken very personally by Thais as a personal insult. Home is sacred for them, so they may even consider that such an act leads to the loss of their face. And there is nothing worse for a Thai than to lose face. The worst cases of violence against tourists are related precisely to the loss of face in Thailand. But more on that another time. And today - about shoes.

So, why not in shoes to the house? And sometimes even to the office, to the temple, to a store, a massage parlor and other buildings. The answer is simple - according to very religious Thais, spirits live everywhere and in everything. In parts of the bodies of people, animals, stones, furniture, household items. But one of the most important and revered spirits is the spirit that lives in the house. To insult or anger him means condemning yourself to many years of troubles and misfortunes, to the destruction of your home and family.

The spirit of the house is very sensitive to cleanliness. A kind of pedantic neat who cannot tolerate an extra speck of dust. Shoes, on the other hand, collect a huge amount of dirt, which the spirit categorically does not want to see in its possessions. Therefore, she must always remain outside the door.

Some researchers believe that the described reason is just a beautiful fairy tale. But in fact, the locals just got used to doing this, because throughout almost their entire existence, up to the middle of the 20th century, they always walked without shoes. Dear readers, do you think it’s a matter of perfume or is it people?

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