The Shoes of Southeast Asians

I have just finished my exams, hence the lack of entries. Not that I have a roaring fan base that is clamouring for my entries.

A normal tpic escapes me but I have to satisfy my sole reader. So I have decided to blog about something that I studied about for my exams.

Do you know why Southeast Asians tend to take out their shoes when they enter the house? You would think that the explanation would be due to hygiene or cleanliness. But there is a cultural basis to it:

Southeast Asians (and I am talking about those in the 1900s and before, or maybe even the more traditional rural people) believe that the world is order in a cosmic sense. That is the world can be divided into three tiers - heaven, human, and hell. The ground that we walk upon belongs to the profane human world where the spirits and demons roam. (yes ... how Tolken-ish).

So by wearing your shoes into the house, you are bringing in the dirty spirits into the house which should be the centre of your spiritual life. Hence they take out their shoes before entering the house.

The interesting thing is that it is still practiced today and even among the Southeast Asians who live abroad. Well now you know the reason WHY!

BUT I have to put a disclaimer: this information is written off the top of my head. I remember the idea was something to this effect. But as anyone who has sat an exam, the information somehow starts a reverse flow out of one's head after the exams are over.

So don't quote me ...