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Laririt. Madamba. Serrano.4 IND-1
THAI CULTURE
ThailandCapital: Bangkok
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the
Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of
Burma
Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest
monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool
northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
southern isthmus always hot and humid
Population: 64,865,523
Currency: Baht
Also Known as: “Land of
Smiles”, “Land of the Free”
Former Name: Siam
The only state in
Southeast Asia to escape
direct control by a
European power.
FACTS
oBuddhism is followed by 90% of the population.
Buddhao A great Indian sage born in the
6 t h century BC.o Siddharta Gautama, a noble
prince sheltered from the outside world who left the palace.
o Concluded that all is suff ering and resolved to search for relief from that suff ering.
o Went to the forest and l ived for many years as a solitary ascetic and ultimately achieved enlightenment while sitt ing under a sacred fi g tree.
RELIGION
The Wai The wai is the common form of greeting and
adheres to strict rules of protocol.
Raising both hands, palms joined with the fingers
pointing upwards as if in prayer, lightly touching
the body somewhere between the chest and the
forehead, is the standard form.
The wai is both a sign of respect as well as a
greeting. Respect and courtesy are demonstrated
by the height at which the hands are held and how
low the head comes down to meet the thumb of
both hands.
The wai may be made while sitting, walking or
standing.
The person who is junior in age or
status is the first one to offer
The senior person returns the wai,
generally with their hands raised
somewhere around their chest.
If a junior person is standing and
wants to wai a senior who is seated,
the junior person will stoop or bow
their head while making the wai.
If there is a great social distance
between two people, the wai will not
be returned.
Hierarchical Society Thais respect hierarchical relationships
Social relationships are defined as one person being superior to
the other (i.e. parents are superior to their children, teachers to
their students, bosses to their subordinates)
When Thais meet a stranger, they will immediately try to place
you within their hierarchy so they know how you should be
treated.
This is often done by asking what might be seen as a very
personal question in other cultures.
Status can be determined by clothing and general appearance,
age, job, education, family name and social connections.
Don’t Ask.There are some questions that should never be asked of a foreigner.
Some of these can be very embarrassing to them or make them feel
very uneasy. And in some cases you might get a very nasty or rude
remark from them:
“How much money do you make?”
“What is your religion?”
“How many wives do you have?”
“How many small wives do you have?”
Thai Family Values The family is the cornerstone of Thai society
Family life is often more closely knit than in western cultures
The Thai family is a form of hierarchy with the parents at the top
Children are taught to honor their parents and to thank them for
the time and money spent on their education. Children shall
always have gratitude (“katanjoo”) towards their parents. The
worse insult for a Thai person is to be deemed ungrateful.
Many words are used in Thai language to identify all the
members of the family.
Thai Family Values
Within children there is also a hierarchy
Every child has an elder, called “phi”
Every child has a younger, called “nong”
When speaking to an elder, Thai children
always use the word “phi”. When the
difference of age is not important, they only
use the first name. Younger children must
respect the elder, listen to their advice, and
the elder should protect the younger.
Thai Demeanour Thais place great emphasis and value on outward forms of
courtesy such as politeness, respect, genial demeanour and self-
control in order to maintain harmonious relations.
Many of their rules of etiquette are by-products of the Buddhist
religion.
It is a non-confrontational society, in which public dispute or
criticism is to be avoided at all costs.
To be openly angry with someone might attract the wrath of the
spirits, which in turn could cause violence and tragedy.
Thai Demeanour Openly criticizing a person is a form of violence as it hurts the
person and is viewed as a conscious attempt to offend the person
being rebuked
Loss of face is a disgrace to a Thai so they try to avoid
confrontations and look for compromises in difficult situations.
If two parties disagree, one will need to have an outlet to retreat
without losing face.
1) There should be an utmost respect to the royal family and religious figures.
2) Women should never touch the monk.
3) Thais consider the sole of the feet unclean.
4) It is an insult to touch someone in their head.
ETIQUETTES
Gift Giving Etiquette If invited to a Thai's home, a gift is not expected, although it will
be appreciated.
Gifts should be wrapped attractively, since appearance matters.
Bows and ribbons add to the sense of festivity.
Appropriate gifts are flowers, good quality chocolates or fruit.
Do not give marigolds or carnations, as they are associated with
funerals.
Try to avoid wrapping a gift in green, black or blue as these are
used at funerals and in mourning.
Gold and yellow are
considered royal colours, so
they make good wrapping
paper.
Only use red wrapping paper
if giving a gift to a Chinese
Thai.
Gifts are not opened when
received.
Money is the usual gift for
weddings and ordination
parties.
Dining EtiquetteIf you are invited to a Thai's house:
Arrive close to the appointed time, although
being a few minutes late will not cause
offence.
Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If
not, remove yours before entering the
house.
Do not fill your plate. Take less amount.
Wait until invited to drink. Do not touch cup
or glass.
Dining Etiquette Ask another guest to confirm the
dress code.
Step over the threshold rather than
on it. This is an old custom that may
be dying out with younger Thais, but
erring on the side of conservatism is
always a good idea.
o Thai palate relishes incredibly spicy food, normally hotter than is tolerated in even the most piquant Western cuisine.
o Thai families usually have an early breakfast of khao tom (rice soup).
o Thais take eating very seriously so business people allow two to three hours for lunch.
o Dinner is the main meal.
FOOD
Table Manners A fork and spoon are the usual eating utensils.
However, noodles are often eaten with chopsticks.
The spoon is held in the right hand and the fork in the
left. The fork is used to guide food on to the spoon.
Sticky rice, a northern Thai delicacy, is often eaten
with the fingers of the right hand.
Table Manners Most meals are served as buffets or with serving
platters in the centre of the table family- style.
You may begin eating as soon as you are served.
Leave a little food on your plate after you have eaten
to show that you are full. Finishing everything
indicates that you are still hungry.
Table manners Never leave rice on your plate as it
is considered wasteful. The words
for food and rice are the same.
Rice has an almost mystical
significance in addition to its
humdrum 'daily bread' function.
Never take the last bite from the
serving bowl and wait to be asked
before taking a second helping.
Do not lick your fingers.
Relationship and Communication
Thais prefer doing business with people they respect.
Relationships develop slowly and do not flourish after one
meeting; it may take several meetings.
Always be respectful and courteous when dealing with others as
this leads to the harmonious relationships necessary within
business.
Thai communication is formal and non-verbal communication is
often more important than verbal communication.
Relationship and Communication
Rank is always respected. The eldest
person in the group is revered.
It is difficult for most Thais to say no, so
you must be cognizant of their non-
verbal communication.
Watch your body language and facial
expressions, as these will be believed
over your words.
Enormous importance in old Siam.
Battle mounts in warfare and in heavy work of many sorts.
Important export commodity and were regularly shipped to India for sale.
Thai kings sought to capture and keep at court in luxurious splendor any white elephants found in the wild.
White elephants were regarded as talismans of the kingdom’s prosperity.
ELEPHANTS
No western perspective or shadow and subjects are mainly religious scenes.
Sculptural images of Buddha, often made of bronze, ranging from a few centimeters to many meters in height are another renowned symbol of Thailand and its culture.
The image serves to remind the faithful of the great life and teachings of the Buddha.
ART
The most popular subject of i l lustrated Buddhist manuscripts in 19 th century Thailand.
It was widely used as a preaching text for funerals and weddings.
The monk who travels to heaven and hell by the powers he achieved through meditations and great merit.
The descriptions of heaven and hell vividly reminded the assembled community of the future awaiting them in heaven or hell and of the punishment resulting from sinful behavior.
PHRAI MALAI
When most Thais get together to participate or watch a sporting event, there is often as much activity on the sideline as on the fi eld. This commotion relates to one of the country’s grand passion: gambling.
Thais love to wager so that nearly any activity can be organized into a bet.
Among the favorites are Thai boxing (Muay Thai), fi sh and kite fi ghting and net takraw.
SPORTS
William J. Klausner, Refl ections on Thai Culture (1976)
“PUBLICLY, THE THAI REMAIN MORE VICTORIAN THAN THE VICTORIANS…
IT IS VIEWED AS IMPROPER AND INAPPROPRIATE TO EVEN HOLD
HANDS IN PUBLIC. ONE OF THE MOST PERVASIVE OF THAI CULTURAL
IMPERATIVES IS THE AVOIDANCE OF SOCIAL CONFRONTATION. ONE IS
EXPECTED TO MASK ONE’S EMOTIONS ESPECIALLY SOCIALLY DESTRUCTIVE
ONES LIKE ANGER, HATRED, ANNOYANCE..”
Phya Anuman Rajadhon, Essay on Thai Folklore (1968)
“FUNDAMENTALLY, THE CULTURE OF THAILAND MAY BE SUMMED UP IN ONE
WORD, RELIGION. FOR EVERYTHING, ARTS AND LITERATURE, SOCIAL
SYSTEM, HABITS AND CUSTOMS, I DEVELOPED AROUND HER RELIGION…
TO THE PEOPLE AS A WHOLE RELIGIOUS CULTURE IS STILL A LIVING
FORCE.”
END.