Love-seeking Thai women visit breast-shaped island, offering bras as thanks if wishes granted
Unusual undergarment ritual stems from tragic legend involving beautiful young woman who met a violent death at hands of her father
People are flocking to an island in Thailand that is shaped like a woman’s chest to pray for romantic luck.
The unusual ritual takes place on Koh Nom Sao, or Breast Milk Island, in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the west of the country.
The island is just a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland and so-called worshippers often arrive bearing bras as symbolic offerings of gratitude.
The origins of the ritual stem from a tragic legend involving a beautiful young woman called Yomdoy.
Her father wanted to secure Yomdoy’s marriage to a Chinese ruler, while her mother preferred she marry a prince from Phetchaburi province in central Thailand.
In a violent outburst, the father killed Yomdoy and cast her body into the sea.
According to the tale, one of her breasts became the sacred Koh Nom Sao, while the other formed a twin island in Chanthaburi province in eastern Thailand.
