Some Information About Thai Culture and Customs

Some Information About Thai Culture and Customs

Thailand is situated in South East Asia and it is one of the largest countries in Asia, with an area of approx. 513,115 square kilometres (which is roughly the size of France). Thailand has borders with Laos and Myanmar to the North, Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand to the East, Myanmar and the Indian ocean to the West, and Malaysia to the South. It has a population is approx.63 million people. It has never been a dependency of any other nation and as a result it has developed a unique, culture of it's own. In general I find the Thai people very friendly towards us outsiders or Farangs (pronounced falang) as we are known by Thai's. Sometimes it is a bit off putting when you are in the company of Thai's and you keep hearing the word Farang crop up in their conversation and can even make you a bit paranoid, thinking that they must be talking about you, more often than not they are talking about someone else. Something else about the Thai Language that takes a bit of getting use to if you spend a lot of time in the company of Thai's. The Thai language is a tonal language and there are 5 different tones Mid, Low, Falling, High and Rising, it is the rising tone that has caused me the most problems because to my ears it sounds as if there is an almighty argument going on and on more than one occasion I have made the mistake of getting angry when my Thai lady and her son have been having a conversation that sounded like he was being disrespectful to his mother and shouting at her, she later assured me that everything was OK. It is always worth remembering that you are the guest in a strange country, so making an effort to understand a little about the local ways of doing things will get you respect from Thai people and get you off to a good start for your stay. Sure you wont get it right every time but they will appreciated that you made the effort to do it right.Some things you may never get used to, like Thai's laughing when you fall flat on your face. This is something that happened to me in front of a lot of Thai friends, at a party, when two of my my chair legs gradually sunk into the ground and tipped me over, everybody was roaring for laughter while I struggled to my feet trying to look as amused as they seemed be. It isn't that they are poking fun at you, but they are probably trying to ease your embarrassment and hide their own.I have been to Thailand on numerous occasions but my visits have been mostly to the North East and Bangkok areas. North East Thailand is for the most part neglected by tourists so what better reason do you need to come and see the Thai people in their natural environment, not the glitzy full on charade that you get further down South. Thai air has 4 to 5 flights daily to and from Bangkok, you can check Thai airways schedules for details.Most large towns will have some sort of Western influence, such as Bars and places serving a semblance of Western cuisine, but I think it is good to at least try some traditional Thai cooking once or twice and you will find that there are some dishes that are not over spicy. I find that you should eat with your taste buds and not with your eyes as sometimes things don't always look that good but if you have a go and taste them you are pleasantly surprised. On the other hand something that looks quite harmless can take the roof of your mouth off if you are not careful Thai people like their food hot, spicy hot and most westerners cannot handle the level of spice that the Thai people enjoy. I find that when I am eating anything spicy if I can get it into my mouth without it touching my lips it is the best way for me and it saves me from having tingling lips associated with spicy food. It is always nice to try the local cuisine, so to help you order a tasty and pleasurable meal, one that wont take the roof of your mouth off, I would suggest that any visiting westerner that does not enjoy really spicy hot food should use one of the following two phrases ( based upon your preference ) "mai ped" - not spicy; and "ped nik noy" - a little bit spicy. Thai food is so flavourful, with the use of different herbs and spices, it would be a shame not to sample it when it is cooked in the traditional way in Thailand and this tip should help you enjoy it even more. Eating from street kitchens can have a bad effect upon your health with the possible contraction of various tummy upsets for westerners. Having said that, most street food vendors are clean, but this is only by local standards. A simple rule of thumb is when eating at street kitchens you only eat food that you can watch being cooked. Then you can be sure that the food is fully cooked before you eat it. This may eliminate some of the food being served by certain street vendors, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Thai people use a spoon and fork for eating most dishes. The spoon is held in the right hand and the fork in the left, the fork is to help guide the food onto the spoon and not for putting food into your mouth. They only use chopsticks with noodle dishes. When cutlery was introduced to Thailand, by western traders, the Thai people did not consider that the knife was needed as most of Thai dishes are prepared with the food cut into small pieces in the kitchen anyway.Thailand is about 90% Buddhist and the traditions and cultures of Thailand are rooted in the Buddhist religion and family life, Thai people are amongst the most respectful and courteous people you are likely to meet, probably due to the fact that Thai children are brought up to respect their elders. The Buddhist Temple or Wat is the centre of the Thai village and it is used for various activities, such as religious ceremonies, and feasts and festivals to celebrate special days in the Buddhist calendar, some have their own crematorium. The Temple is an important part of village life. In the village where I stay, when there is a cremation, to announce that the ceremony has started they send up three very loud rockets and when they explode way up in the sky they release small black parachutes which float gently away on the breeze. Another custom, in our village at least, is when there is a death of a village resident every household is expected to donate baht50. On one occasion there had been 3 deaths in the course of a week and because we live on the outskirts of the village we had not heard about them and we had not been to make the appropriate donations, the first we heard of them was when someone from the village came to the farm to collect baht150.
Thai people seem to have a fascination for firing off rockets and they even have competitions to see who can make the best rocket. Some fail to get off the launch pad and cause great amusement as some spectators have to run for cover.
Here like the rest of Thailand The wai is the normal form of greeting, this involves pressing the fingers and palms together at chest level while slightly bowing the head, besides saying hello, the wai is used to show respect to your elders and is a way of asking forgiveness. A wai is always returned, except when it is from a child or an employee. A nod of the head in a slight bow is an acceptable response to a wai from, say a waiter or the doorman at the hotel. Along with the wai you will also get the verbal greeting sawadee ka in the case of a woman or sawadee krap ( sounds like kap ) from a man. Wai means Hello but it also means Goodbye.In Thailand the top of the head is considered to be sacred, and patting a Thai on the head (even a child) is not good. Feet, should not be pointed at another person or Buddha image, especially the soles of the feet as they are considered to be unclean, so pointing your feet at someone is considered to be rude. Going topless on a beach can cause offence, because Thais are very modest both in their behaviour and the way they dress. Entering a temple or wat dressed inappropriately will be frowned upon. When entering a temple, women should ensure that their shoulders and arms are covered, and their legs are covered to well bellow the knee. For men, long trousers are usually required, with a shirt rather than a T shirt. You should be aware that monks and novices are not allowed to touch women in any way.Thai people hold their King and Queen and the Royal family in great reverence, and won't tolerate anyone showing disrespect to them. You should always stand when the kings anthem is played at public events like before a movie is shown or at concerts and sporting events. There are even Laws that apply if you are considered to be making disparaging remarks or being disrespectful about any of royal family, punishable by imprisonment, even for visitors.Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, and the royal family is revered throughout the country. The King is especially beloved for his six decades of public service and humble demeanour. His image is everywhere, from posters plastered on the exterior of buildings to photos displayed on taxi dashboards. Travellers should refrain from making disparaging remarks about any member of the Royal family. Laws apply, and offences are punishable by imprisonment. Likewise sacrilegious acts towards a Buddha image are punishable by imprisonment even when committed by foreign visitors.Thailand is not a police state with harsh punishments or penalties, in fact it is a fairly easygoing place, but you can be sure there is always the exception to the rule. One day my girlfriend and me were going out for the day so we stopped a metered taxi on the busy main street in Bangkok and not wanting to hold up traffic got in quickly and started to explain to the driver where we wanted to go and to make sure that he had started the meter running, it is always best to check the meter is running because you might find that at the end of your journey the driver demands some extortionate amount for the fare, we had not travelled more than a few hundred metres when we were stopped by a traffic policeman who approached my window and motioned for me to wind it down, what he did next was to point to my shoulder and across my chest indicating that I had not got my seat belt on, so I smiled and proceeded to put it on thinking this was just a warning, to my surprise he showed me a piece of paper with the number 1000 written on it and then he held out his hand, my girlfriend sitting in the back seat said that he wanted baht1000 for not wearing my seat belt, reluctantly I handed over the baht100 note and then indicated that I wanted a receipt for my money which he refused to give me, now I happened to know that if you pay an on the spot fine for any reason you should get a ticket showing that you have committed an offence of some sort. The traffic police in Bangkok usually get about by motorbike and when directing traffic they still have their helmets on and on their helmets is their ID number, I made a mental note of his number and we drove off. Later that day we went to the Police Station in Bangkok and reported this incident to the desk sergeant, who took down notes and went off somewhere leaving us standing around waiting and I thought that maybe he would come back after a little while and say that they couldn't trace the number or have some other excuse why they cannot do anything, but when he did come back he said that the policeman involved had been recalled to the station and made to give up the baht100 note, which he then handed to me and asked if I was satisfied and take it no further, needless to say I was well pleased and shook his hand and left with my baht1000. So if for any reason you get fined and pay any money they are obliged to give you a ticket otherwise the money goes straight into their pocket, this is more prevalent towards the end of the month, so beware.
Don't Go Commando in Thailand.
Apparently it is illegal to go out without wearing your underwear. Don't know how this strange law is policed or what the fine would be if you were caught. So make sure you have plenty of clean undies in your suitcase next time you plan to visit Thailand.
While on the subject of Thailands strange laws, make sure you are wearing a top when you are driving because it is an offence to drive without one, and the police do give tickets to drivers of cars and motorcycles who are shirtless.

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