Customs - The most important thing that you must know while visiting Thailand is Wai or the Thai mode of greeting. The Thais join the palms of their hands and bow their heads in order to show a respectful greeting. However such greetings are not to be used for a child! There are yet many other things about Thailand's customs and traditions, the knowledge of which would prove beneficial to the tourists. Here are a few of them:
Apart from greeting each other with the Wai gesture, the people of Thailand address to the elders by adding a Pi before their names. On the other hand, nong is added before the name of a child to show endearment.
Head is considered to be the highest and purest part of human body by the Thai people. Therefore, pointing at someone or touching someone with feet is considered to be highly disrespectful. It is for the same reason that stepping on the Thai coin that contains the king's head or sitting in a temple with feet pointed to the religious icon is considered sacrilegious.
It is mandatory to open one's footwear before entering a temple or a house. Finding heaps of shoes in front of a shop or a restaurant in Thailand is a usual phenomenon.
The custom of eating food is also singular. Tradition demands that there should be several dishes on the table and the guest is expected to taste a little bit of everything.
Public display of affection by couples is forbidden by the Thai custom.
Women are supposed to make way for Buddhist monks so as to prevent an accidental physical contact.
It has been the tradition of Buddhist families in Thailand to send the boy to endure a 3 months monk hood when they were 20 years of age.
Traditional Buddhist marriages demand that the couple must at first bow before the idol of Buddha. Also, the presence of a monk during a marriage ceremony was considered to be ominous.
Thai funerals usually last for a week and the grieved are requested not to cry so that the soul of the departed is not troubled. The monks chant hymns and the after the cremation of the body, the ashes were put in an urn and kept in a Chedi in the local temple.
The Thai folks celebrate various festivals throughout the year such as the New Year, maka and songkran. These festivals are part of the Thai tradition.
Etiquette - When in Thailand do as the Thais do. So, as a foreigner you should pay special attention to the Thai Etiquette, so as not to offend anyone. The Thai, have a strong value system and are very conservative people. These easy going people adore and respect their Monarch and the royal family. Subtle by nature, they have immense pride in their cultural heritage, history and well-established monarchy.
Followers of Buddhism, the Thai are usually calm, composed and peace loving people. Polite to the core they prefer not to display emotions in public and are generally forgiving. In this non-confrontational society it is disgraceful to show impatience, anger or even raise your voice as these are considered signs of weakness and lack of mental strength and control. So it will serve better for all foreigners to keep a check on their temper.
As Thais are extremely conservative, you must pay enormous attention to your dressing style.
- Revealing attire is not appreciated both for men as well as women.
- Long skirts and trousers should be worn in temples.
- Women should not touch monks and priests.
- Remove your shoes before entering the temple or even a private house.
- Garments worn on the lower parts of the body, especially socks and trousers should never be placed at a higher position.
Thai people are very particular about their body language and they attach various significance to different bodily parts. Head for them is the most sacred part of the body and one should avoid touching anyone on the head, as it is inhabited by Kwan- the spiritual force of life. In general they consider touching an invasion of privacy, signifying an intimate gesture. While sitting they tuck their feet under their bodies, so that they do not point at any individual, since feet for them is the least sacred part of the body. While eating never blow your nose of lick your fingers, as this is considered extremely rude. Wai is the traditional form of greeting in Thailand. The hands are joined and raised towards the face, while the head is bowed slightly.
Thailand, the land of smiles, has various meanings attached to this six letter word. The Thais smile when they are happy, elated, amused, embarrassed, wrong, uncertain, furious or annoyed, expressing all their feelings in this small expression of strength.
So, whenever in a fix all you need to do is SMILE and cover up all your follies.
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