Photographer Akkara Naktamna is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of these images. These photographs are from his project ‘Spiritual Offerings‘. To see Akkara’s body of work click on any image.
In Thailand you can see people’s social level and way of life in things such as one’s car, house, bank statement and in the way a person walks by.
Most Thais believe in spirits, and we have a lot of spirits such as spirit of road, car, boat, house, or even an electricity pole. The Thais believe that those spirits will protect them from evil and bring good luck. It’s also believed that the spirits are like humans, they get hungry.
Therefore believers will offer food by putting it on a pavement when they start to do something new in their lives such as buying a house, open a shop or buy car. The ghost or spirit will then come to eat that spiritual offering even though the birds and dogs end up taking it over. The faith is the same among people from different financial backgrounds they all offer what they can. One person may offer a full course meal from a deluxe restaurant, while another offers just sticky rice and one glass of water. Rich and poor, they practice the same, they offer and they hope for good results.
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By Akkara Naktamna
