Magic in Southeast Asia

Spirit houses and the animist layer beneath Buddhism and Islam: protective tattoos, bomoh and pawang, nat and phi. 88 entries on EveryJaadu so far.

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇵🇭 PhilippinesBabaylan Spiritual leaders of pre-colonial Philippines who mediated with the unseen world.Tradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Historical 🇵🇭 PhilippinesAlbularyo A Filipino folk healer who uses herbs, massage, and prayer to treat illnessTradition · Healing Living

🇲🇲 MyanmarBurmese folk religionNat Worship Animistic worship of nature spirits and ancestors in Myanmar, often practiced alongside Buddhism.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreKejawènꦏꦗꦮꦺꦤ꧀ (Kajawèn) A Javanese tradition blending animism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam into a path of inner harmony.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇲🇲 MyanmarNatနတ် Spirits venerated in Myanmar alongside Buddhism, including deified humans and nature guardians.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreTếtTết Nguyên Đán The Vietnamese lunisolar new year and the most important annual celebration in VietnamTradition · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇵🇭 PhilippinesAnito Indigenous Philippine spirits and the carved figures that represent themBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇩 IndonesiaPenjorᬧᬾᬜ᭄ᚚᚚᭀᬃ A curved bamboo pole marking prosperity in Balinese Hindu ceremonyTradition · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living

🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreSak Yantសាក់យ័ន្ត Sacred geometric tattoos from Southeast Asia believed to grant protection and powerTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreDukun A traditional healer and spirit medium in Indonesian folk practiceTradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Living

🇮🇩 IndonesiaOgoh-ogohᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄ ᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄ Balinese sculptures paraded and burned to cleanse the environment before NyepiTradition · Cursing and harm · Cleansing and purification Living 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreBomohبوموه A Malay shaman and traditional healer who works with spirits, herbs, and geomancy.Tradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Living

🇵🇭 PhilippinesPhilippine mythology The indigenous myths and spirits of the Philippines, shaped by centuries of trade and colonial contact.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇹🇭 ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์ The Thai solar New Year marked by water rituals and sand pagodasTradition · Cleansing and purification · Luck and prosperity Living

🇲🇲 MyanmarWeizzaဝိဇ္ဇာ Burmese mystics who seek immortality and await the future BuddhaTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇵🇭 PhilippinesWitchcraft in the Philippinespangkukulam Indigenous beliefs about sorcery and malevolent magic in the PhilippinesTradition · Cursing and harm · Healing Living

🇲🇲 Myanmar and 2 moreBurmese zodiacဇာတာ ရာသီခွင် A traditional Burmese system of astronomy and astrology with lunar mansions and weekday signs.Tradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇩 IndonesiaNyepiᬜᬾᬧᬶ A Balinese day of total silence, fasting, and self-reflection to mark the new year.Rite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇹🇭 ThailandYi Pengยี่เป็ง A northern Thai festival of lights featuring sky lanterns and Buddhist merit-makingTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living

🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreVietnamese folk religiontín ngưỡng dân gian Việt Nam A collection of local spirit worship and ancestral veneration in VietnamTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇻🇳 VietnamĐạo Mẫu A Vietnamese shamanic tradition honouring mother goddesses through ritual performance.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreTai folk religionສາສະໜາຜີ Spirits, ancestor rites, and soul-calling ceremonies of the Tai peoplesTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇩 IndonesiaMarapu Ancestral religion of Sumba and Flores in IndonesiaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living

🇮🇩 IndonesiaSunda Wiwitanᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ ᮝᮤᮝᮤᮒᮔ᮪ A folk religion of the Sundanese people in western Java, IndonesiaTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇲🇾 MalaysiaBobohizan A high priestess and spirit medium in the traditional rituals of the Kadazan-Dusun people of Sabah.Tradition · Healing · Protection Fading 🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreMărțișor A red and white string charm worn in early spring to welcome the seasonTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇲🇲 MyanmarYadayaယတြာ Rituals in Myanmar to avert misfortune using astrology and numerologyTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇵🇭 PhilippinesTagalog religion The pre-colonial spiritual system of the Tagalog people in the Philippines.Tradition · Protection · Healing Historical

🇵🇭 PhilippinesMananambal A Filipino folk healer who treats illness with herbs, prayers, and sorceryTradition · Healing · Cursing and harm Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Dukun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
Ogoh-ogoh: Simondodit, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sunda Wiwitan: Greenland4, Public domain, source
Tai folk religion: ( เทวประภาส มากคล้าย ), Tevaprapas, Public domain, source
Songkran: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY 3.0, source
Weizza: YashiWong, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Burmese zodiac: Photo Dharma, CC BY 2.0, source
Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
Yi Peng: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Vietnamese folk religion: Unknown (traditional painting dated back to the 17th century), Public domain, source
Đạo Mẫu: Vũ Tiến Lâm, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Burmese folk religion: Wagaung ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nat: Emily Khine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mananambal: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Marapu: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bobohizan: Ricardo Unto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Yadaya: Thai Government, CC BY 2.0, source
Tết: vi:Lưu Ly, Public domain, source
Anito: Frederic H. Sawyer, Public domain, source
Penjor: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sak Yant: Mikhailovich, CC BY 3.0, source
Babaylan: Hptina24, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Magic in Southeast Asia

Places of magic

Rites of the region

Countries

Photo credits on this page

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