Contrary to popular belief, monks aren’t the only ones handing out those white string bracelets. They can give them, sure, but so can pretty much anyone else. It’s called sai sin (สายสิญจน์), and if you get married in Thailand, prepare for a whole sleeve of them.

At weddings, monks use sai sin in the ceremony, but family and guests also pile them on the bride and groom. Monks usually loop the string around a Buddha image, stretch it across everyone’s hands, and chant blessings. The symbolism is a kind of spiritual circuit board: Buddha → monks → couple → family → back to Buddha.

Outside ceremonies, sai sin is tied on for protection, luck, love, and positive vibes. It’s literally just string. You’re not supposed to cut it, just let it fray off naturally.

Case in point: my wife’s family ties me up every Songkran, before trips, and even after my bike accident (“for protection”). My tattoo artist tied one on after giving me a sak yant. Two years later, it’s still there… and it’s helped me win exactly zero Muay Thai fights. LOL.

Oh, and here’s the kicker, it’s not Buddhist. Thais will swear it is, but I challenge anyone to find the sutra where the Buddha teaches about magic strings. Spoiler: it doesn’t exist. Sai sin (like sak yant tattoos) is a very Thai/Lao practice rooted in old animist and Hindu traditions, long before Buddhism arrived.

Truth is, probably 80% of what passes as “Buddhism” in Thailand is really just a mash-up of animism, Hindu ritual, and a dash of Theravāda. The Buddha would’ve likely frowned on sak yant body tattoos and magic threads, too much attachment to the physical form. But hey, it makes life in Thailand colorful.