Thai Superstitions-A Hair Cut

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Mike

I am not a superstitious person but I have to admit the longer I live in Thailand the more I seem to get caught up in Thai superstitions. Just this morning I had a run in with a local superstition, basically I needed a haircut and it went something like this.

Getting Your Hair Cut on a Wednesday is Bad Luck in Thailand.

Now you may not know this but it is considered bad luck to get your hair cut on a Wednesday here in Thailand.

Says who? Well my partner, Duen, for one, who decided to mention the fact when I pulled up outside the village hairdresser on my way home this morning. “Not a good idea,”  she informed me, “bad luck you know!”(Please note how her English is improving since she has been studying at university).

But I wasn’t so sure, don’t forget I have encountered other myths in my three years living in rural Thailand and despite protestations of impending doom, so far have lived to tell the tale. Anyway the hairdressers was clearly open and she seemed happy enough to cut my hair when I put my head through the door to enquire.

I also noted she had another Thai customer being coiffured, who unless she was the local witch,  clearly hadn’t heard of the Wednesday superstition thing. Checking for black cats and broomsticks I sat down to wait my turn.

Duen in the meantime headed home in the truck leaving me to walk back after my haircut. Bad luck of sorts I suppose since on the walk home it rained and I got wet! Anyway I didn’t say anything but thought I might do a little research when I got home about where Duen got this idea about bad luck .

Good Days to Get Your Haircut in Thailand.

Well I found out that apparently  you can get your hair cut on any other day of the week except perhaps Saturday. Indeed a visit to the hair dresser on a Sunday is said to bring you long life, while a Monday trim is good for health and happiness and Tuesday promises power(prospective Prime Ministers please note).

Thursday and Friday also offer good fortune with spiritual protection assured on the former day while in the latter case you will be blessed with wealth.  Saturday is also apparently a bit dodgy since you should never buy anything new on a Saturday so whilst a trim might be OK a new style might not be a good idea.

But why is it unlucky to get your haircut on Wednesday in Thailand?

Well I actually still don’t know, so if you do,  please put me out of my misery ;-)   Me?  I’m just happy to pay 50 Baht for the service, delivered by a not unattractive young lady.

Certainly not a bad hair day, Thai superstitions and all!

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  • http://twitter.com/FarangTalk Farang Talk Forums

    I have just been scolded for asking if this was true and then laughing when I was told it was. :-(

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      FTF, what can I say, you have been warned. Not sure where it comes from though.  I now need to know ;-)

  • kris khemarat

    Mike, how true.   Farang Talk Forums hits the nail on the head.   I was on top of the thing, hanging out for a hair cut.   Wednesday came and went and I told my wife Cat that Thursday is the day for a haircut.   Traditional blank Thai look and the reply, ” you can not”, but Cat today is Thursday,  reply again “No good, full moon”.   I really need to get on top of things!  K

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Christ Chris I never thought about the moon ;-) Mind you my calendar says half moon today.

      • kris khemarat

        Mike, in the book CULTURESHOCK! A survival guide to customs
        and etiquette, Thailand
        by Robert Cooper and Nanthapa Cooper on page 76 under the heading :D ays for
        doing” they talk of “the dangerous undertaking of having the hair
        cut”.     I am not sure why it is dangerous but then
        they go on to explain about colour schemes and haircuts.   They list
        the days of the week, the colour of dress for each day and what it means to
        have a haircut on that day.   For example Wednesday, colour of dress
        is Green and a hair cut on that day signifies great misfortune.
        Still a lot of unanswered questions as to origins, I guess I will spend the day
        re-reading this great book.   K

        • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

          Kris, another book I haven’t read! I fancy the origin may be in astrology but like many folklore things these origins are lost in time.  Enjoy your reading, I’m just starting “More Thai Ways”( thanks to Dan for sending it me as its out of print).

  • http://twitter.com/ThaiSpy Thailand PI Agency

    It does shorten the wait times to go on a Wednesday. Hard to see how that’s bad luck. 

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      TPI, couldn’t agree more, a little undercover work on my part now to see when the other half next goes.

  • http://thaiconnoisseur.blogspot.com Peter_M

    I’ve heard this before about the Wednesday haircut thing. A search on the internet reveals hundreds of similar references but I cannot for the life of me find one single reference which actually explains the reasoning behind this belief.  Hope you manage to find the answer Mike!

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Peter, yes I did the same but while I can find lots of references I cannot find the answer. Even “Thai Ways” doesn’t offer an explanation.  Just Thai folklore I guess?

      • http://thaiconnoisseur.blogspot.com Peter_M

        I am going to ask Miss Pla when I speak to her tomorrow, but I think we might have to chalk this one up to ” TIT” and accept that this is yet another tranche of Thai folklore that we will never get an answer to. Happy to be proven wrong!  So, if I don’t respond further in this thread you will know I did not get a satisfactory answer.

        • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

          Thanks Peter, I fancy she will say she doesn’t know but I would love to be proved wrong.

  • http://www.strayandsnap.blogspot.com Snap

    Mike I found an interesting forum at http://guru.google.co.th/guru/thread?tid=2a96fe0a5e4db431

    It offers four reasons:

     

    1. In ancient times Wednesday was reserved for nobility to
    have their hair cut. For a person of a lower class to do so, might be
    considered an attack? and bring misfortune upon themselves.

     

    2. Wednesday is considered the day of evolution and growth
    (by whom, I don’t know). Having a hair cut on this day may give you inferior
    (or evil) wisdom.

     

    3. Long ago Wednesday was set aside for murderers to be
    executed (perhaps by beheading). Thus, cutting anything on this day (maybe
    including the hair of the prisoner) is considered bad luck.

     

    My Thai is still woeful! So I’m certain I’ve lost something
    in the translations.

     

    And, there is a fourth and my favourite! Some say that
    Barbers started the rumour so they could have a quite day at work ;)

     

    Clear as mud?

     

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Snap that’s absolutely brilliant, thank you.  I favour the last one but am probably wrong.

  • http://www.strayandsnap.blogspot.com Snap

    So sorry about the enourmous gaps…not sure what when wrong, but I had heaps of trouble commenting!

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      No problem must be the Disqus thingy ;-)

  • http://thailandmusings.thaivisa.com Steve

    Hi Mike,
    I tried to get you an answer, but while Golf knows about the Wednesday haircut bringing great misfortune, she has no idea about the origins of the superstition.  She did add though that it is also bad luck to cut your nails at night :)

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Hi Steve, thank you, now there’s another one about nails too…….this could become endless ;-)

  • http://www.thaisabai.org Martyn

    Mike I’ve waited to comment on this post because I wanted to ask Wilai the reason why it’s unlucky to get your haircut on a Wednesday in Thailand. She knew of the superstition but was clueless to the reason.

    My own research revealed very little and I can only take a guess which partly fits in with one of Snap’s theories….Green is the colour for Wednesday in Thailand and that colour perhaps represents growth (as in plants) and so getting your haircut may be going against the rule of the day.

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Martyn, yes all our Thai connections seem to agree its unlucky.  I think Snap has it in her answer which is taken from Thai language, but which one?

      Knowing Thailand and my Thai neighbours I still fancy the last one in her list ;-)

  • http://www.danploy.com/diary.htm DanPloy

    OK, my go.

    Wednesday in Latin is dies mercurii or ‘day of Mercury’. In Thai Wednesday is ‘wan put’, วันพุธ,  which means, wait for it, Mercury day.

    In the Thai solar calendar Wednesday is associated with the colour green (growth) and Mercury is also associated with growth (or trade).  The Sanskrit word, (from which a lot of the Thai language originates), for Wednesday is Budha (not Buddha) who happens to be the god of merchandise.

    So, at a guess, to have your hair cut on a Wednesday is cutting off your growth, (and associated wealth). Everything comes back to money.

    This also fits with one of Snap’s suggestions and Martyn’s suggestion.

    • http://www.thailand-blogs.com Mike

      Thanks Dan, I should have clicked on about Mercury, Denis Segaller mentions it in Thai ways.

      Good team effort from you, snap and Martyn.

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