Thai Lottery Lucky Numbers – The Smoking Toad

Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time in Thailand will know its people are crazy about their country’s National Lottery. Twice a month, Thailand gets lottery fever in anticipation of the next lottery draw. Thais have crazy methods for getting their hot lottery picks; some rub lucky trees, others translate their dreams into two or three-digit numbers and are convinced they are going to win.

Thai Lucky Lottery Numbers – New Year’s Day Evening

I was sat at the table in the living room at our village house eating a meal when I heard a slight commotion behind me. One of our dogs was ‘squaring’ up to a toad that had unwittingly hopped into the room. As quick as a flash, Wonderful Wi jumped off the sofa and grabbed the toad. Now, this where the story gets very bizarre. I’ll go further than that and throw in comical, grotesque and utterly offbeat.

Wi called out to mama who appeared from her bedroom holding a bottle of talcum powder and dabbed some of it on to the toad’s chest. It was comical, but I had an idea of what was happening. Wi and mama were after the winning lottery numbers for the next draw. Then bizarre put on its best shoes and started to dance.

Wilai doesn’t smoke, but while still holding the toad, she asked me to light a cigarette and give it to her. I did so and was amazed when she placed it against the toad’s mouth.  I was now unsure if this extraordinary ritual taking place before my eyes had anything to do with lucky lottery numbers at all. A smoking toad!…. grotesque, would it want a JD and coke next? Bizarre then started to spin and pirouette.

Wi took the toad outside, stubbed the cigarette out, then handed the toad to mama. Now don’t forget, this was New Year Day, and I was beginning to think a Thai New Year tradition and not a lucky lottery numbers ritual was acting out before me. Something like, out with the old, in with the toad.

The Frog Reveals All

Mama held the toad at arm’s length, and Wilai grasped mama’s wrist and stared intensely at the toad’s white-powdered chest. She concentrated for a half-minute at least, and then the mystery unravelled loud and clear. Wi croaked two words. The two number winning combination for the next Thai lottery draw.

“Khao… ha.”

If you had smacked me around the face with frog spawn and spoon-fed me buffalo dung, I couldn’t have been more shocked. For the life of me, I could not see the numbers 9 and 5 on the toad’s chest. It was 6 and 3. Does Wilai need glasses?

So there you have it, take your pick, the winning two numbers on the next Thai lottery draw are 9 and 5, or 6 and 3.

Why give the toad a cigarette?

I asked Wi this question, and she said some old Thai ladies say that for the toad to give you the winning numbers you must provide it with something first. Makes sense, though probably not to some old western croaks.

Thais have some weird and wonderful ways of getting their lottery numbers, but the smoking toad is the strangest I have come across. How about you, have you got a peculiar Thai lottery tale?

Best of luck on the next Thai lottery draw, and if 95 or 63 dance fortuitously, don’t forget it was me who ‘toad’ you so.

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