Thai Culture

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.