What you should know about Thailand Culture!
GreetingsThailand culture calls for a specific type of greeting to be performed when you greet local members of the society. Learning the proper greeting will allow you to get within the good graces of those who live in Thailand. According to Thailand custom the greeting starts with the joining of the palms of your hands and slightly bowing your head. This greeting is known as the Wai and is reserved for all residents of Thailand except for children.Addressing Elders and ChildrenWhen you greet an elder or child there is a bit of formal greeting that it attached to it. If you are addressing an elder, Thai culture calls for you to use the Wai greeting as well as adding Pi before the name of the elder. Children are not greeted using the Wai greeting but have Nong added before their name. Nong is uses almost as a term of endurance for children.Reverence to the King According to Thailand culture and customs native people of Thailand and guests are required to show honor and respect to the government, in particular the King and the royal family.
Please note: Insulting or disrespecting the King can result in dishonor and jail time. Importance of the HeadThe culture of Thailand believes that the head is the highest and most pure part of the body. For this reason it is considered offensive to pat or touch a Thai person's head. This reverence to the head is also predominant when it comes to the Thai culture and how they view their feet. It is considered sacrilegious to point with ones feet or even to step on the coin of Thai with the King's head on it.DiningThe Thailand culture believes that dining is a very cultural event. Having a dinner at any restaurant or Thai person's house, a guest will find various dishes on the table. It is believed that there should be a lot of variety on the table. As a guest, it is considered impolite to turn down a dish and therefore a guest should try a little of everything that is available at the dinner.Removing ShoesThai culture and customs calls for a person to remove their footwear before entering any building or temple. Just walking down the streets of Thailand it is not an uncommon sight to see piles of shoes and footwear outside of the buildings in accordance with this Thai custom.Making Way for Monks Thai culture calls for women walking down the street to make way or stand to the side of the street when a Buddhist monk is walking by. This avoidance of contact is to avoid any type of accidental touching, even brushing against each other accidentally, from happening at all.
MarriagesMost Thailand cultures call for a traditional Buddhist wedding ceremony. During this ceremony the couple will first bow to the statue of Buddha before the ceremony begins. It is also considered a blessing or a sign of good fortune if a Buddhist monk oversees the ceremony.FuneralsThai culture comes into effect during the funerals of a loved one in Thailand. Funerals in Thailand last for a week. During that time the loved ones of the person who has passed are encouraged to not shed any tears as this could upset the souls of the person who has passed. Buddhist monks will cant hymns during the week. Cremation is usually a custom in Thailand and the monks will chant hymns after the cremation. Thailand culture calls for the ashes to be placed in an urn and the urn to be placed in the local temple.Remember: By learning a little bit about the Thai culture and customs you will be able to plan your trip accordingly. You won't run the risk of accidentally offending or disrespecting any type of culture and customs if you follow the Thailand culture
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Thailand is a country that is very rich in culture and customs. Almost every aspect of a person's daily interactions and routine are influenced to some degree by Thai culture. As a visitor it is important to learn the various Thailand customs. It is very easy to show disrespect, dishonor or even offend the people of Thailand if you do not understand or know the customs of Thailand. That is why it is recommended to brush up on some of the most common Thai customs and cultural elements that a person will encounter on their visit to Thailand. Some of the customs that you will need to learn include greetings, importance of honor to the King and monarchy and even the respect given to the head.
