{"id":5073,"date":"2020-10-28T22:41:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T22:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/?p=5073"},"modified":"2025-10-23T07:03:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T07:03:27","slug":"6-famous-ghost-stories-from-around-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/general-info\/6-famous-ghost-stories-from-around-asia.html","title":{"rendered":"6 Famous Ghost Stories from Around Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>&nbsp;Night Creatures from Asia\u2019s Folklore<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">It is the spooky season once again! Halloween was once a tradition only really celebrated in the United States, however in recent years it has become an international event with people decorating their homes for the whole of the month of October, having Halloween parades, dressing up and trick or treating. In Asia, Halloween has continued to gain tremendous popularity and is now a date that both the young and old look forward to, whether to carve pumpkins and decorate their homes or to get dressed up and spooky, enjoy parties and trick or treating. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">When on holiday some of us are content to laze away a holiday on a beach or enjoy the fresh air and scenery in the hills, forests and mountains. But for others, it\u2019s all about the action, the festivals, the traditions and getting under the skin of the towns and villages they visit. So, with Halloween upon us, let\u2019s get under the skin of the supernatural and explore the spook factor of Asia\u2026something not quite of this world. In celebration of the Halloween season Secret Retreats would like to introduce you to some of Asia\u2019s most notorious ghosts. Please contact our concierge for details on where to obtain holy water and a suitable crucifix for your journey\u2026just joking\u2026or am I?&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>INDONESIA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:49% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"972\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-972x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Indonesian folklore Pontianak\u2019 (or \u2018Kuntianak\u2019\" class=\"wp-image-5075 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-972x1024.jpg 972w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-285x300.jpg 285w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-768x809.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-1457x1536.jpg 1457w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pontianak-scaled-e1603918760958-1943x2048.jpg 1943w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 972px) 100vw, 972px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>The Pontianak <\/strong> <\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Indonesian folklore features a wide variety of tales about\nanimist ghosts and spirits. And the so-called \u2018Pontianak\u2019 (or \u2018Kuntianak\u2019) is\nperhaps the most notorious of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Southeast Asian cultures, swamps are considered eerie\nplaces where nature\u2019s spirits dwell and spook the living. Legend has it that the\narea in Western Kalimantan at the crossing point of the Kapuas and Landak rivers\nwas haunted by Pontianaks. The Pontianak is a vengeful spirit that takes the\nform of a beautiful woman and preys on men, children and vulnerable souls.\nBelieved to be the spirit of a woman who died in childbirth, or a violent\ndeath, they are one of the most powerful and feared spirits of Indonesian and\nMalaysian folklore. As bloodthirsty vampires they eviscerate their victims with\ntheir long nails and dine on the internal organs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the dire warnings shared with him by the local Dayak people, Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie (1771\u00ad\u20131808) decided to set up a trading post at this crossing point in the swamp. The Pontianaks soon made their presence felt on Abdurrahman and his builders, and the story goes that they fired cannon into the swamps to destroy the area considered to be the Pontianaks nest. A Mosque and trading post were established and the developing city was named Pontianak. The trading post became very successful and Abdurrahman was made a Sultan, the first Sultan of Pontianak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A star of many horror movies both in Indonesian and\nMalaysian culture these vengeful spirits are still alive and well in the\nnightmares of people. It is said that the scent of drying laundry will attract\na Pontianak, hence many Malaysians will not leave laundry out overnight.\nPowerful spirits that can perform black magic their presence is often heralded\nby a fragrance similar to the plumeria flower or the scent of rotting flesh.\nBut it is also said she can be tamed to become the most perfect, and beautiful,\nwife. Simply drive a nail into the hole at the nape of her neck to enjoy a\nblissful marriage to a beautiful woman \u2013 well, is a love life ever simple?\nMight be wise however to have her sign a pre-nuptial to ensure you hang on to\nyour internal organs in the event of a breakup!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Indonesian and Malaysian culture\" class=\"wp-image-5076\" width=\"457\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/indonesia-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 457px) 100vw, 457px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\/indonesia\">Discover Indonesia Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/indonesia\">Discover Journey in Indonesia Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>INDIA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 48%\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771-1024x1017.jpg\" alt=\"A vampire-like creature, the Pishachas\" class=\"wp-image-5077 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771-1024x1017.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771-300x298.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771-768x762.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/pisacha-e1603918681771.jpg 1387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>The Pishacha<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A vampire-like creature, the\nPishachas in Hindu theology are believed to feed on the flesh of both\nthe living and the dead. And horrifically, they are particularly fond of dining\non pregnant women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Described as having a human-like form with protruding red eyes and bulging veins all over their bodies they are a particularly unpleasant looking demon. Pishachas haunt cremation and burial grounds abandoned homes and places where violent deaths have occurred. In more modern times they are said to haunt places such as discos and nightclubs where they feed on negative energies in what are seen as vice-ridden venues, and where they look to possess vulnerable individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An ancient spirit that has been around since creation, the\nPishacha have their own language, known as Pai\u015b\u0101ci. They are believed to\npossess the paranormal ability to become invisible and to shapeshift and assume\nany forms at will. These ancient and tricky spirits can possess minds, driving\ntheir possessed human to negative thoughts and behaviours and feeding on the\nconflict and misery that arises as a result. The possession can drive the\npossessed to insanity. Special mantras are needed to exorcise these harmful\nspirits. To keep the Pishachas satiated and at bay they are given their share\nof offerings during certain religious functions and festivals.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/india.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5078\" width=\"468\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/india.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/india-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/india-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\/india\">Discover India Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/india\">Discover Journey in India Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>VIETNAM<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:48% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462-1024x1005.jpg\" alt=\"The Daughter of Hui Bi Hua is the legend of the ghost of a young girl who roams the corridors of what is now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Art at Pho Duc Chinh Street in District 1.\" class=\"wp-image-5079 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462-1024x1005.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462-768x754.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462-1536x1508.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/huibihua-scaled-e1603919042462.jpg 1734w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>The Daughter <br>of<br>Hui Bi Hua<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Saigon\u2019s most famous ghost stories, The Daughter of\nHui Bi Hua is the legend of the ghost of a young girl who roams the corridors\nof what is now the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Art at Pho Duc Chinh Street in\nDistrict 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in 1934, when the trio of buildings was first built, it\nwas a home to the family and business of Hui Bi Hua, an extremely wealthy real\nestate magnate who was reputed to own about 20,000 properties in the city. The\nmain building used to be the family mansion and it is apparently haunted by the\nghost of Hui\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The story goes that she contracted leprosy during a\ncity-wide epidemic and was confined to a bedroom on the upper floor. During\nthat time, leprosy was thought of as more of a curse than what it really is: a\ndisease. Ever superstitious and conscious of their public image, the family\ndecided to cover up the fact that their daughter was ill with leprosy and\nannounced that she had died from a \u201cmysterious illness\u201d which they then\nfollowed with a public funeral to put the matter to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the truth is Hua\u2019s\ndaughter was locked away in her room, with her meals slid through a slot at the\nbottom of the door. They kept her locked in her room for years until the loneliness\nand misery of being locked away eventually drove her insane and she took her\nown life. Multiple versions of this story have claimed that she hanged herself,\nwhile an alternate story claims that she burned herself alive. Since\nthen, many people have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a woman roaming\nthe halls of the building and heard the plaintive sound of someone crying in\nthe dead of the night.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam-1024x642.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5080\" width=\"461\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam-1024x642.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam-768x482.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam-1536x963.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vietnam.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\/vietnam\">Discover Vietnam Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/vietnam\">Discover Journey in Vietnam Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>MYANMAR<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 48%\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606-1024x1005.jpg\" alt=\"Ma Phae Wah - The Yellow Ribbon Lady.  \" class=\"wp-image-5081 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606-1024x1005.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606-768x754.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606-1536x1508.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/maphaewa-scaled-e1603919325606.jpg 1740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Ma Phae Wah<br> The Yellow Ribbon Lady <\/strong> <br><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A harbinger of death, rather like the Black Dog of England or the Banshee of Ireland, Ma Phae Wah is a spirit known in Myanmar as a Nat. These spirits are an ancient mix of Hindu and local animist beliefs that are also became associated with Buddhism. There are basically (actually nothing is ever basic in the spiritual world) two orders of Nats, the 37 Great Nats that are spirits of people that died a violent death, and then all the other Nats which are probably from the older animist beliefs and are natural elemental spirits, the guardian spirits of place and nature. Ma Phae Wah, is just such a spirit, just such a Nat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Known as the guardian spirit of cemeteries and graveyards in\nMyanmar, Ma Phae Wah has made her home in these lonely places of death. As with\nall Nats, she takes a human form, and appears as a woman with long flowing\nblack hair. In the dark of night, at midnight (well like 4pm is time for tea,\nmidnight is time for \u2018Pee\u2019\u2026and no I am not referring to the trials of a\ntroubled prostate, \u2018Pee\u2019 is the Thai name for supernatural spirit, and\nconveniently rhymes with tea) she hoists a coffin on to her shoulder and leaves\nthe cemetery and heads into the nearby village or town. In her role as a\nharbinger of death, her long hair flowing in the spectral breeze that\naccompanies her shuffling gait, she seeks out the home of the soon to die. On\narriving at the home of the doomed, she places the coffin on their doorstep,\nand before long someone in that household, and sadly usually a child, will\nsicken and die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the late 1990s Ma Phae Wah appeared in the dreams of a\nmonk in Kayin State and through these visions Ma Phae Wah announced her\nintention to eat the flesh of babies. After much deliberation the Abbot\nsuggested that people should encourage her to dine on dogs instead.\nSubsequently, security-conscious parents sought to protect their newborn babies\nby posting signs in front of their homes saying, \u201cOur baby\u2019s flesh is bitter, but\nthe dog\u2019s flesh is sweet\u201d. Man\u2019s best friend saves the day yet again, this time\nthough as dish of the day for the Yellow Ribbon Lady\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/myanmar.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5082\" width=\"471\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/myanmar.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/myanmar-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/myanmar-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\/myanmar-burma\">Discover Myanmar Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/myanmar\">Discover Journey in Myanmar Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\">THAILAND<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:47% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"998\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preta-e1603920010731-998x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Thais believe that wicked people will be reborn as a truly terrible night creature called a Preta, the archetypal Hungry Ghost.\" class=\"wp-image-5083 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preta-e1603920010731-998x1024.jpg 998w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preta-e1603920010731-292x300.jpg 292w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preta-e1603920010731-768x788.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/preta-e1603920010731.jpg 1056w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 998px) 100vw, 998px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Preta\/Pret<br>The Hungry Ghost  <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Thais believe that wicked people will be reborn as a truly\nterrible night creature called a Preta, the archetypal Hungry Ghost. These\nbeings are the tortured spirits of once living people who are made to suffer\ngreatly with an insatiable hunger usually for something disgusting. And for\nsome more unfortunate Preta, it can be a desire to eat their own flesh. There\nare many different types of Preta with each one the result of a specific type\nof misconduct such as being too stingy or taking advantage of people during the\ntime that they were alive as humans. The idea of suffering for eternity\nwandering the earth in your birthday suit in the form of a tortured night\ncreature is a scary belief not only for the Thais. This type of ghost also\nappears in many of Asia\u2019s ancient cultures under different names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In appearance, a Preta looks like a disproportionately stretched-out version of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. They have long necks, lean bodies with a distended pot belly, dark skin, and hands as big as palm leaves. They are as tall as a palm tree and have a mouth as small as the eye of a sewing needle, which explains why they are perpetually hungry. Those high-pitched whines you hear on a dark balmy night in Thailand, are believed to be the sound of Pretas roaming through the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pretas rarely directly affect humans, usually invisible to\nthe living they seek an end to their suffering by attending merit making\nceremonies at temples where kind Buddhists make offerings to them. When a Preta\nhas accumulated enough merit they are freed from their Preta status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sightings of Preta are regularly\nreported in the Thai media and rather like a mediaeval moral tale they are used\nas an example to children on what bad behaviour will lead to. Many temples have\nbuilt Preta statues as a reminder to people to be good.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5084\" width=\"468\" height=\"312\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/thailand.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\">Discover Thailand Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/thailand\">Discover Journey in Thailand Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-center\">JAPAN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 47%\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"709\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/kappa-e1603920339496.jpg\" alt=\"Thais believe that wicked people will be reborn as a truly terrible night creature called a Preta, the archetypal Hungry Ghost.\" class=\"wp-image-5085 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/kappa-e1603920339496.jpg 709w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/kappa-e1603920339496-300x289.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Kappa<br>Quirky River Demons <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For the light-hearted side of this Halloween edition, we would like to present you the quirky river demons as found in Japanese folklore. Thais believe that wicked people will be reborn as a truly terrible night creature called a Preta, the archetypal Hungry Ghost. Spirits of the natural world and ghosts are deeply imbedded in Japanese religion, history, and culture. And for this last offering for our Halloween edition there is even a sushi roll named after it \u2014 the kappa-maki, or cucumber roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kappas love cucumbers. What strange little things they are.\nThey are said to be roughly humanoid in form and about the size of a child.\nThey have a shell like a turtle, green scaly skin, and a plate on top of their\nheads that must always be brimming with water to stay alive. These uniquely\nJapanese supernatural beings live in Japan\u2019s lakes, streams and rivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Shintoism, Kappas are respected as gods of water and\nstatues of them can sometimes be seen at shrines around Japan. Kappa quirks\ninclude having a huge appetite for cucumbers (hence the kappa-maki) and for never\nbeing able to break a promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of the more gruesome legends\nabout them, it is also said that they love to pull lost children and animals\ninto the water to drown and eat\u2026perhaps with a side dish of fresh crunchy\ncucumber.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-1024x637.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5087\" width=\"470\" height=\"292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-1024x637.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-768x477.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-1536x955.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/walter-mario-stein-kqfE9mvv7Xw-unsplash-2048x1273.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/hotels\/japan\">Discover Japan Now<\/a><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/offers\/japan\">Discover Journey in Japan Now<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Happy Halloween and \u2026Sleep Well\ntonight\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;Night Creatures from Asia\u2019s Folklore It is the spooky season once again! Halloween was once a tradition only really celebrated in the United States, however in recent years it has become an international event with people decorating their homes for the whole of the month of October, having Halloween parades, dressing up and trick or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":5108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27,28,25,1,26],"tags":[352,317,349,348,45,66,295,150,350,51,351,302],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>6 Famous Ghost Stories from Around Asia - Secret Retreats Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.secret-retreats.com\/blog\/general-info\/6-famous-ghost-stories-from-around-asia.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Famous Ghost Stories from Around Asia - Secret Retreats Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp;Night Creatures from Asia\u2019s Folklore It is the spooky season once again! 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