Spirit houses, or San Phra Phum, are made to house guardian spirits
From birth to death, many Thais maintain beliefs in spirits that inspire both reverence and fear.
Offerings are acts of devotion, appeasement, and protection.
Red Fanta has become a common choice, supported by cultural, symbolic, and practical reasons.
Across Asia, red is linked to luck, joy, and longevity.
In spiritual contexts, it wards off evil and attracts positivity.
Psychologically, it evokes feelings of passion and energy, traits often associated with spirits.
In the past, offerings sometimes involved animal sacrifice, with blood symbolising vitality and devotion.
As such practices faded, red drinks, especially red Fanta, took their place as humane substitutes.
Traditionally, water with incense was offered.
The red dye from incense coloured the water, eventually replaced by ready-made red drinks such as Fanta.
A subtle class distinction has emerged.
Some believe offering off-brand red soda instead of actual Fanta is seen as disrespectful or low-class, revealing an unexpected consumerist layer to spiritual practices in modern Thailand.
Thailand’s fascination with spirits endures in popular media.
Radio shows like The Shock and The Ghost Radio draw large audiences with ghost stories, some claiming their house spirits prefer Pepsi or Coke over Fanta.