In Thailand, ‘Egg Boy’ believers ask temple-dwelling spirit to grant their wishes

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are flocking to a temple in the country’s south to see if a mysterious child spirit can make their dreams come true

The popularity of ‘Egg Boy’ has been a boon to the local tourism industry but critics dismiss it as a religious fad designed to monetise superstition at a time of unrest

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Believers pray to Ai Khai’s statue in the Wat Chedi temple. Photo: Facebook

Published: 11:00am, 4 Oct 2020Updated: 5:55pm, 15 Oct 2020

Winning the lottery, finding a lost item, landing a promotion or finally closing a real estate deal: these are just some of the wishes that Thailand’s “Egg Boy” – a spirit said to reside in an ancient temple deep in the country’s south – has been asked to grant.

Ai Khai, as the spirit is known locally, has attracted almost 1 million visitors to his shrine at Wat Chedi temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat, 780km south of Bangkok, since Thailand emerged from its coronavirus lockdown in July, according to tourism authorities’ estimates.

The phenomenon coincides with a period of economic and political turmoil in Thailand. The government has been promoting domestic tourism to support an industry that is normally the backbone of the Thai economy but has been badly damaged by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the capital has been rocked by student-led protests calling for political reform, including rewriting the constitution, holding new elections and curbing the influence of the kingdom’s monarchy.

Some analysts, as well as social media posters, have lamented the Egg Boy fad as a superstitious response to the unrest on both fronts.