The culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to
the area known as modern-day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China,
Cambodia, Laos along with the neighboring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia.
It is influenced primarily by Animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as by later migrations from
China, and southern India.
Religion
Thailand is nearly 94%-95% Theravada Buddhist, with minorities of Muslims, Christians, Mahayana
Buddhists, and other religions.
Thai Theravada Buddhism is supported and overseen by the government, with monks receiving a
number of government benefits, such as free use of the public transportation infrastructure.
Buddhism in Thailand is strongly influenced by traditional beliefs regarding ancestral
and natural spirits, which have been incorporated into Buddhist cosmology.
Most Thai people own spirit houses, miniature wooden houses in which they believe household
spirits live.
They present offerings of food and drink to these spirits to keep them happy.
If these spirits aren't happy, it is believed that they will inhabit the larger household
of the Thai, and cause chaos.
These spirit houses can be found in public places and in the streets of Thailand, where
the public make offerings.
Prior to the rise of Theravada Buddhism, both Indian Brahmanic religion and Mahayana Buddhism
were present in Thailand.
Influences from both these traditions can still be seen in present day Thai folklore.
Brahmanist shrines play an important role in Thai folk religion, and the Mahayana Buddhist
influence is reflected in the presence of figures like Lokesvara, a form of the bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara sometimes incorporated into Thailand's iconography.
Customs
The traditional customs and the folklore of Thai people were gathered and described by
Phya Anuman Rajadhon in the 20th century, at a time when modernity changed the face
of Thailand and a great number of traditions disappeared or became adapted to modern life.
Still, the strife towards refinement, rooted in ancient Siamese culture, consisting in
promoting what is refined and avoiding coarseness is the main emphasis in the daily life of
all Thai people and topmost in their scale of values.
One of the most distinctive Thai customs is the wai.
Showing greeting, farewell, or acknowledgement, it comes in several forms reflecting the relative
status of those involved.
Generally the salutation involves a prayer-like gesture with the hands, similar to the Añjali
Mudrā of the Indian subcontinent, and it also may include a slight bow of the head.
This salutation is often accompanied by a serene smile symbolizing a welcoming disposition
and a pleasant attitude.
Thailand is often referred to as the "Land of Smiles" in tourist brochures.
Public display of affection in public is not overly common in traditional Thai society,
especially between lovers.
However, views are changing to accept this and it is becoming more common, especially
among the younger generation.
A notable social norm holds that touching someone on the head may be considered rude.
It is also considered rude to place one's feet at a level above someone else's head,
especially if that person is of higher social standing.
This is because the Thai people consider the foot to be the dirtiest and lowliest part
of the body, and the head the most respected and highest part of the body.
This also influences how Thais sit when on the ground—their feet always pointing away
from others, tucked to the side or behind them.
Pointing at or touching something with the feet is also considered rude.
Since serene detachment is valued, conflict and sudden displays of anger are eschewed
in Thai culture and, as is many Asian cultures, the notion of face is extremely important.
For these reasons, visitors should take care not to create conflict, to display anger or
to cause a Thai person to lose face.
Disagreements or disputes should be handled with a smile and no attempt should be made
to assign blame to another.
In everyday life in Thailand, there is a strong emphasis on the concept of sanuk'; the idea
that life should be fun.
Because of this, Thai can be quite playful at work and during day-to-day activities.
Displaying positive emotions in social interactions is also important in Thai culture.
Often, the Thai will deal with disagreements, minor mistakes or misfortunes by using the
phrase "mai pen rai", translated as "it doesn't matter".
The ubiquitous use of this phrase in Thailand reflects a disposition towards minimizing
conflict, disagreements or complaints.
A smile and the sentence "mai pen rai" indicate that the incident is not important and therefore
there is no conflict or shame involved.
Respect for hierarchy is a very important value for Thai people.
The custom of bun khun, emphasizes the indebtedness towards parents, as well as towards guardians,
teachers and caretakers.
It describes the feelings and practices involved in certain relationships organized around
generalized reciprocity, the slow-acting accounting of an exchange calculated according to locally
interpreted scales and measures.
It is also considered extremely rude to step on a Thai coin, because the king's head appears
on the coin.
There are a number of Thai customs relating to the special status of monks in Thai society.
Due to religious discipline, Thai monks are forbidden physical contact with women.
Women are therefore expected to make way for passing monks to ensure that accidental contact
does not occur.
A variety of methods are employed to ensure that no incidental contact between women and
monks occurs.
Women making offerings to monks place their donation at the feet of the monk, or on a
cloth laid on the ground or a table.
Powders or unguents intended to carry a blessing are applied to Thai women by monks using the
end of a candle or stick.
Lay people are expected to sit or stand with their heads at a lower level than that of
a monk.
Within a temple, monks may sit on a raised platform during ceremonies to make this easier
to achieve.
When sitting in a temple, one is expected to point one's feet away from images of the
Buddha.
Shrines inside Thai residences are arranged so as to ensure that the feet are not pointed
towards the religious icons—such as placing the shrine on the same wall as the head of
a bed, if a house is too small to remove the shrine from the bedroom entirely.
It is also customary to remove one's footwear before entering a home or the sacred areas
within a temple, and not to step on the threshold.
Traditional clothing
Traditional Thai clothing is called chut thai which literally means "Thai outfit".
It can be worn by men, women, and children.
Chut thai for women usually consists of a pha nung or a chong kraben, a blouse, and
a sabai.
Northern and Northeastern women may wear a sinh instead of a pha nung and a chong kraben
with either a blouse or a suea pat.
Chut thai for men includes a chong kraben or pants, a Raj pattern shirt, with optional
knee-length white socks and a sabai.
Chut thai for Northern Thai men is composed of a sado, a white Manchu styled jacket, and
sometimes a khian hua.
In formal occasions, people may choose to wear a chut thai phraratchaniyom.
Marriage
Thai marriage ceremonies between Buddhists are generally divided into two parts: a Buddhist
component, which includes the recitation of prayers and the offering of food and other
gifts to monks and images of the Buddha, and a non-Buddhist component rooted in folk traditions,
which centers on the couple's family.
In former times, it was unknown for Buddhist monks to be present at any stage of the marriage
ceremony itself.
As monks were required to attend to the dead during funerals, their presence at a marriage
was considered a bad omen.
A couple would seek a blessing from their local temple before or after being married,
and might consult a monk for astrological advice in setting an auspicious date for the
wedding.
The non-Buddhist portions of the wedding would take place away from the temple, and would
often take place on a separate day.
In modern times, these prohibitions have been significantly relaxed.
It is not uncommon for a visit to a temple to be made on the same day as the non-Buddhist
portions of a wedding, or even for the wedding to take place within the temple.
While a division is still commonly observed between the "religious" and "secular" portions
of a wedding service, it may be as simple as the monks present for the Buddhist ceremony
departing to take lunch once their role is complete.
During the Buddhist component of the wedding service, the couple first bow before the image
of the Buddha.
They then recite certain basic Buddhist prayers or chants, and light incense and candles before
the image.
The parents of the couple may then be called upon to 'connect' them, by placing upon the
heads of the bride and groom twin loops of string or thread that link the couple together.
The couple may then make offerings of food, flowers, and medicine to the monks present.
Cash gifts may also be presented to the temple at this time.
The monks may then unwind a small length of thread that is held between the hands of the
assembled monks.
They begin a series of recitations of Pali scriptures intended to bring merit and blessings
to the new couple.
The string terminates with the lead monk, who may connect it to a container of water
that will be 'sanctified' for the ceremony.
Merit is said to travel through the string and be conveyed to the water; a similar arrangement
is used to transfer merit to the dead at a funeral, further evidence of the weakening
of the taboo on mixing funerary imagery and trappings with marriage ceremonies.
Blessed water may be mixed with wax drippings from a candle lit before the Buddha image
and other unguents and herbs to create a 'paste' that is then applied to the foreheads of the
bride and groom to create a small 'dot', similar to the marking sometimes made with red ochre
on Hindu devotees.
The bride's mark is created with the butt end of the candle rather than the monk's thumb,
in keeping with the Vinaya prohibition against touching women.
The highest-ranking monk present may elect to say a few words to the couple, offering
advice or encouragement.
The couple may then make offerings of food to the monks, at which point the Buddhist
portion of the ceremony is concluded.
The Thai dowry system is known as the 'Sin Sodt'.
Traditionally, the groom will be expected to pay a sum of money to the family, to compensate
them and to demonstrate that the groom is financially capable of taking care of their
daughter.
Sometimes, this sum is purely symbolic, and will be returned to the bride and groom after
the wedding has taken place.
The religious component of marriage ceremonies between Thai Muslims are markedly different
from that described above.
The Imam of the local mosque, the groom, the father of the bride, men in the immediate
family and important men in the community sit in a circle during the ceremony, conducted
by the Imam.
All the women, including the bride, sit in a separate room and do not have any direct
participation in the ceremony.
The secular component of the ceremony, however, is often nearly identical to the secular part
of Thai Buddhist wedding ceremonies.
The only notable difference here is the type of meat served to guests.
Thai Muslims frequently, though not always, also follow the conventions of the Thai dowry
system.
Birth traditions and beliefs
Traditional principles concerning pregnancy and childbirth are largely influenced by folk
beliefs, especially in rural areas of Central and North Thailand.
Modern practices follow the western medical model.
Funerals
Traditionally funerals last for at least one week.
Crying is discouraged during the funeral, so as not to worry the spirit of the deceased.
Many activities surrounding the funeral are intended to make merit for the deceased.
Copies of Buddhist scriptures may be printed and distributed in the name of the deceased,
and gifts are usually given to a local temple.
Monks are invited to chant prayers that are intended to provide merit for the deceased,
as well as to provide protection against the possibility of the dead relative returning
as a malicious spirit.
A picture of the deceased from his/her best days will often be displayed next to the coffin.
Often, a thread is connected to the corpse or coffin which is held by the chanting monks
during their recitation; this thread is intended to transfer the merit of the monks' recitation
to the deceased.
The corpse is cremated, and the urn with the ash is usually kept in a chedi in the local
temple.
The Thai Chinese and the Thai Muslim minorities bury the deceased according to the rituals
of their respective communities.
Arts
Thai visual art was traditionally primarily Buddhist.
Thai Buddha images from different periods have a number of distinctive styles.
Thai temple art and architecture evolved from a number of sources, one of them being Khmer
architecture.
Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern techniques.
Literature in Thailand is heavily influenced by Indian Hindu culture.
The most notable works of Thai literature are a version of the Ramayana, a Hindu religious
epic, called the Ramakien, written in part by Kings Rama I and Rama II, and the poetry
of Sunthorn Phu.
There is no tradition of spoken drama in Thailand, the role instead being filled by Thai dance.
This is divided into three categories - khon, lakhon and likay - khon being the most elaborate
and likay the most popular.
Nang drama, a form of shadow play, is found in the south.
The music of Thailand includes classical and folk music traditions as well as string or
pop music.
Holidays
Important holidays in Thai culture include Thai New Year, or Songkran, which is officially
observed from April 13 to 15 each year.
Falling at the end of the dry season and during the hot season in Thailand, the celebrations
notoriously feature boisterous water throwing.
The water throwing stemmed from washing Buddha images and lightly sprinkling scented water
on the hands of elderly people.
Small amounts of scented talcum powder were also used in the annual cleansing rite.
But in recent decades the use of water has intensified with the use of hoses, barrels,
squirt guns, high-pressure tubes and copious amounts of powder.
Another holiday is Loi Krathong, which is held on the 12 full moon of the Thai lunar
calendar.
While not a government-observed holiday, it is nonetheless an auspicious day in Thai culture,
in which Thai people "loi", meaning "to float" a "krathong", a small raft traditionally made
from a section of banana tree, decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers,
candles, incense sticks etc.
The act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges,
anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot.
Sports Thai boxing is the national sport in Thailand.
Other popular sports include association football.
Nicknames
Thais universally have one, or occasionally more, short nicknames that they use with friends
and family.
Often first given by friends or an older family member, these nicknames are typically one
syllable.
Though they may be simply shortened versions of a full name, they quite frequently have
no relation to the Thai’s full name and are often humorous and/or nonsense words.
Traditionally call-names would be after things with low value, e.g. 'dirt', which was to
convince evil spirits lurking in the vicinity that the child was not worth their attention.
Some common nicknames would translate into English as small, fatty, pig, little one,
frog, banana, green, or girl/boy.
Though rare, sometimes Thai children are given nicknames after the order they were born into
the family.
Nicknames are useful because official Thai names are often long, particularly among Thais
of Chinese descent, whose lengthy surnames stem from an attempt to translate Chinese
names into Thai equivalents, or among Thai with similarly lengthy Sanskrit-derived names.
See also Cinema of Thailand
Folklore of Thailand Ghosts in Thai culture
List of museums in Thailand Media of Thailand
Ministry of Culture Phya Anuman Rajadhon
Racism in Thailand Royal Flags of Thailand
Thailand National Artist Thai cuisine
Thai temple art and architecture Notes and references
External links Ministry of Culture m-culture.go.th
Thailand stories Thailand Culture
Peansiri Vongvipanond.
"Linguistic perspectives of Thai culture".
This paper was presented to a workshop of teachers of social science organized by the
University of New Orleans.
Thai Lanuguage Audio Resource Center.
Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
Retrieved January 5, 2013.