Thailand is one of the most culturally different places that we have been to on the race. I find so many of the things they do here interesting and so different from American culture so I wanted to share those things with you…give you a little taste of Thailand! And for you history lovers I included some history too!! Hope you enjoy!! J
How you say hello: You place both of your palms together, fingers extended up, and place your middle fingers right under your nose, bow your head and say “Sawasdee Ca” if you are female or if you are a male, “Sawasdee Cop”. However you do not greet service industry workers or children in this way.
What NOT to do: Do not ever place your hand on a Thai persons’ head. The head is the most honorable part of the body and it is a great insult.
Feet: The foot is considered the lowest part of the body. You must never move anything with your foot or sit to where your feet are pointed at someone. Always remove your shoes before entering anyone’s home.
Monks: Buddhist monks are forbidden to touch, especially by a woman, and they cannot accept anything handed to them by a woman. You must first pass it to a man then he will pass it to the monk. If a monk is touched by a woman then he must go through a 2 week cleansing process! Monks here are usually dressed in all orange. They must memorize 227 monastic rules!
Religious Objects: Buddhism is the national religion in Thailand, all Buddha images no matter how old or worn out are all regarded as sacred objects. Outside of the grocery store or inside the mall and just everywhere, they have these elaborate objects set up and you can either bring gifts of food, drinks, money or there is a dish of water you can pour on top of them. If you show disrespect to Buddhism it against the law and you can actually be deported!
Spirit Houses: Spirit worship has been practiced in Thailand for ever and many believe this was the first type of religion. They believe spirits exist in natural objects like trees, stones, water, etc. In the front of everyone’s house they have a spirit houses. We thought they were bird houses when we first got here actually! What they believe here is that when you buy a house and move in there are bad spirits left behind. They do not want the bad spirits to haunt them or do bad things to them so in order to honor the spirits they build them an elaborate house. On each spirit house there is also a ladder going up to the house…this is for any spirit who cannot fly and needs to walk up the ladder!
The King: Thai people have a deep respect and love for the king and queen here and you must NEVER speak badly of the king in Thailand. The Thai national anthem is played at 8 am and 6 pm everyday and everyone stands still out of respect for the King. You must never step on the money here because the king’s head is on it and it is VERY disrespectful here! The King has been ill for 5 years now…even though Thai people will not out right talk about this our contacts have told us that Thai people are VERY concerned about the Prince who will soon reign here. He is nothing like the King and they fear MANY things will change when he takes over the throne.
Manners: When waving at someone always put your fingers downward…so the exact opposite of America basically. Waving at someone to come over to you the way we do in America is seen as something sexual here…NOT want you want to do! You do not openly display anger in public here. You do not talk loudly in public. Gifts are opened in private not in front of the giver. Do not hand anything to anyone using your right hand because that is the hand people use when going to the bathroom…yes there are squatty potties here too just like the ‘C’…actually I have grown to like them! Not so bad J
Social Code: A great emphasis is placed on politeness and respect for elders. A desire to please people is a hallmark of a Thai person’s character.
Land of smiles: Thailand is known to be “The Land of Smiles”. Thai people are always smiling! The people here are very beautiful and sweet.
Karma: Thai people believe in karma and believe that if bad things happen to them that they must have deserved it. Every act has a reward or a punishment attached to it. It implies you are the author of your own destiny.
To gain extra merit: Doing religious acts, offering food to the monks, donating money to the temple, and giving to the poor. Or by becoming a monk which will bring good karma to your mother or if married to your wife.
Origin of Buddhism: It began in India in 500 B.C. People at that time had become disillusioned with certain teachings of Hinduism, the caste system and the belief of an endless cycle or re-births. Many sects of Hinduism arose, but Buddhism was the most successful. It denies the authority of ‘vedas’, the Hindu sacred scriptures. However, since Buddhism developed out of Hinduism you will still find many elements of Hinduism in Buddhism.
The Buddha: The founder of Buddhism is Siddharta Gautama. This is the story…He was born in 560 B.C. in northwest India. His father was the King and he grew up in wealth but one day realized there was so much suffering and poverty…he went out into a forest to look for knowledge and answers…one day after meditating he attained “enlightenment”, having by himself obtained the truth about life. From that moment on he was “The Buddha”…he was 35 years old at this point…he had disciples and begin sharing this truth with others…Buddha dies when he was 80 years old and he attained “Nirvana”. Buddhism reached its height during the reign of King Asoke in 273-232 B.C. and missionaries were sent to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia to share this “truth”.
Population: 65 million people in Thailand.
Religion: “To be Thai is to be Buddhist” is the saying. 95% Buddhist, 4% Muslim, and 1% Christian.
Monarchy: King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the 9th king of the Chakri Dynasty. Born in December 1927 in Massachusetts USA where his father, Prince Mahidol of Songkhla was studying medicine at Harvard University USA. He ascended the throne the throne in 1946 and is the longest reigning Thai monarch. King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit devote much of their time to improve the welfare of the people here and are VERY respected.
Money: Exchange here is 1 US dollar to 30 baht.
