Sai Sin

Thais are very magical and superstitious people and they have integrated customs from the early, animistic religion into their current Buddhist practices. Recently I've received sai sin which is a white string tied around the wrist. It is blessed by monks before it is tied on. "Sai" means thread and "sin" means magic. An older person must always give the sai sin to a younger person as a form of blessing, protection or good luck. For example, at the beginning of the semester all of the teachers tied these on our students during a ceremony. Then the director of our program tied them onto all of us teachers. These strings are worn for a few days after which time you can cut them off or wait until they fall off.

The sai sin is used in almost every special occassion or Thai ceremony. Usually babies wear the sai sin for the first year of life because Thais see this as a very dangerous period. When people get married, the sai sin is used to bind the hands of the husband and wife. Sai sin is even used in Thai funerals. They tie a long piece of white string to the end of the casket and then family members and friends hold onto the thread as a final connection to the deceased. It's a very beatiful and meaningful tradition.

I'm keeping my sai sin on as long as possible. After my accident, I will do anything for some extra protection and good luck!