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Estatua de un mítico Kinnon en Wat Phra Kaew , Bangkok
Parte de una serie sobre el
Cultura de Tailandia
Culture of Thailand
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La cultura de Tailandia ha evolucionado mucho con el tiempo, desde su relativo aislamiento durante la era Sukhothai , hasta su era Ayutthaya más contemporánea , que absorbió influencias de toda Asia . Las influencias limitadas de la India , China , Birmania , Khmer y otras influencias del sudeste asiático todavía son evidentes en la cultura tradicional tailandesa. [1] El budismo , el animismo y la occidentalización también juegan un papel importante en la configuración de la cultura moderna.

La cultura nacional tailandesa se identifica de manera diferente en todas las regiones de Tailandia, donde también integró diferentes culturas regionales como Lanna , Isan , incluido el origen chino , el origen portugués  [ th ] , el origen persa y en el reinado del rey Chulalongkorn a fines del siglo XIX. la tendencia europea del nacionalismo ha comenzado a insertar una mayor influencia en la cultura tailandesa. Sin embargo, la promoción de la cultura cívica alcanzó su punto máximo después de la revolución siamesa de 1932.donde una serie de regímenes autoritarios comenzaron a insertar un mayor control sobre la cultura y el estilo de vida de las personas, especialmente bajo el régimen del mariscal de campo Plaek Phibunsongkhram .

En la actualidad, Tailandia tiene una cultura que es una combinación de varios rituales locales de diferentes partes del país, junto con los valores budistas y las tendencias orientales como en muchas partes de Asia. La monarquía y las instituciones reales de la dinastía Chakri siguen siendo muy veneradas según la cultura siamesa original, mientras que los valores sociales en Tailandia tienden a ser más colectivistas y religiosamente seculares que en otras culturas del sudeste asiático que han sufrido influencias de la colonización occidental. [2]

Normas y estilo de vida [ editar ]

Religión [ editar ]

Artículo principal: Religión en Tailandia
Novicios budistas recibiendo palitos de incienso .

Tailandia es casi un 94,6 por ciento budista , un 4,3% musulmán y un 1% cristiano, principalmente de la escuela Theravada (que incluye la tradición forestal tailandesa y las sectas Dhammayuttika Nikaya y Santi Asoke ) y una minoría desconocida perteneciente a la escuela Mahayana . Además, hay minorías de musulmanes en Tailandia (5-6 por ciento), cristianos (1 por ciento) y otras religiones. [3] El budismo tailandés Theravada es apoyado y supervisado por el gobierno, y los monjes reciben una serie de beneficios gubernamentales, como el uso gratuito del transporte público.

El budismo en Tailandia está fuertemente influenciado por creencias tradicionales sobre espíritus ancestrales y naturales, que se han incorporado a la cosmología budista. La mayoría de los tailandeses instalan casas de espíritus ( tailandés : ศาล พระภูมิ ; RTGS :  san phra phum ), casas en miniatura fuera de sus viviendas, donde creen que viven los espíritus domésticos. [4] Presentan ofrendas de comida y bebida a estos espíritus para mantenerlos felices. Si estos espíritus no están contentos, se cree que habitarán la casa y causarán caos. Estas casas espirituales se pueden encontrar en lugares públicos y en las calles de Tailandia, donde el público hace ofrendas. [5]

Antes del surgimiento del budismo Theravada, tanto la religión brahmánica india como el budismo Mahayana estaban presentes en Tailandia. Las influencias de estas dos tradiciones todavía se pueden ver en el folclore tailandés actual . Los santuarios brahmanistas juegan un papel importante en la religión popular tailandesa , y la influencia budista Mahayana se refleja en la presencia de figuras como Lokesvara, una forma del bodhisattva Avalokitesvara que a veces se incorpora a la iconografía de Tailandia. [5] [6]

Aduana [ editar ]

Véase también: folklore tailandés
Saludo tailandés , la sonrisa es un símbolo importante de refinamiento en la cultura tailandesa.

Las costumbres tradicionales y el folclore de los tailandeses fueron recopilados y descritos por Phya Anuman Rajadhon en el siglo XX, en un momento en que la modernidad cambió la faz de Tailandia y un gran número de tradiciones desaparecieron o se adaptaron a la vida moderna. Aún así, el esfuerzo por el refinamiento, arraigado en la antigua cultura siamesa, que consiste en promover lo refinado y evitar la tosquedad, es un foco principal de la vida cotidiana de los tailandeses y está en lo más alto de su escala de valores . [7]

Una de las costumbres tailandesas más distintivas es el wai . Usado en saludos, despedidas, como reconocimiento o como acompañamiento de una disculpa, [8] se presenta en muchas formas, lo que refleja el estado relativo de los involucrados. Generalmente, el saludo implica un gesto similar a una oración con las manos, derivado del Añjali Mudrā del subcontinente indio , y también puede incluir una ligera inclinación de la cabeza. Este saludo suele ir acompañado de una sonrisa serena que simboliza una disposición acogedora y una actitud agradable. A menudo se hace referencia a Tailandia como la "tierra de las sonrisas" en los folletos turísticos.

Las demostraciones públicas de afecto no son demasiado comunes en la sociedad tradicional tailandesa, especialmente entre amantes. [9] Tales acciones se están volviendo más comunes, especialmente entre la generación más joven.

Una norma social notable sostiene que tocar a alguien en la cabeza puede considerarse de mala educación. También se considera de mala educación colocar los pies a un nivel por encima de la cabeza de otra persona, especialmente si esa persona tiene una posición social más alta. Esto se debe a que los tailandeses consideran que el pie es la parte más sucia y más humilde del cuerpo, y la cabeza la parte más respetada y más alta del cuerpo. Esto también influye en la forma en que los tailandeses se sientan cuando están en el suelo: sus pies siempre apuntan en dirección opuesta a los demás, metidos a un lado o detrás de ellos. Señalar o tocar algo con los pies también se considera de mala educación. Se informó en la prensa tailandesa que a los peatones se les prohibió subir escaleras a la estación BTS Victory Monument.cuando una caravana real debía pasar por la carretera de abajo porque, según la costumbre tailandesa, los pies no pueden estar en ningún punto por encima de la cabeza de un miembro de la familia real. [10]

La demostración de respeto de los más jóvenes hacia los mayores es un valor fundamental en Tailandia. Una familia durante el budista ceremonia para los hombres jóvenes que van a ser ordenados como monjes .

Dado que se valora una disposición serena, en la cultura tailandesa se evitan los conflictos y las manifestaciones repentinas de ira. Por estas razones, los visitantes deben tener cuidado de no crear conflictos o mostrar enojo. Los desacuerdos o disputas deben manejarse con una sonrisa y no se debe intentar culpar a otro. En la vida cotidiana en Tailandia, hay un fuerte énfasis en el concepto de sanuk , la idea de que la vida debe ser divertida. Debido a esto, los tailandeses pueden ser bastante divertidos en el trabajo y durante las actividades diarias. Mostrar emociones positivas en las interacciones sociales también es importante en la cultura tailandesa.

A menudo, los tailandeses lidiarán con desacuerdos, errores menores o desgracias usando la frase mai pen rai ( tailandés : ไม่ เป็น ไร ), [11] traducida como "no importa". El uso omnipresente de esta frase en Tailandia refleja una disposición a minimizar los conflictos, los desacuerdos o las quejas. Una sonrisa y la frase "mai pen rai" indican que el incidente no es importante y, por lo tanto, no hay conflicto ni vergüenza.

El respeto por la jerarquía es un valor muy importante para los tailandeses. La costumbre del bun khun enfatiza el endeudamiento hacia los padres, así como hacia los tutores, maestros y cuidadores. Describe los sentimientos y prácticas involucrados en ciertas relaciones organizadas en torno a la reciprocidad generalizada, la contabilidad de acción lenta de un intercambio calculado de acuerdo con escalas y medidas interpretadas localmente. [12] También se considera de mala educación pisar cualquier tipo de moneda tailandesa ( moneda o billete tailandés ), ya que incluyen una imagen del rey de Tailandia .

Varias costumbres tailandesas se relacionan con el estatus especial de los monjes.en la sociedad tailandesa. Los monjes tailandeses tienen prohibido el contacto físico con mujeres. Por lo tanto, se espera que las mujeres dejen paso a los monjes que pasan para asegurarse de que no se produzca un contacto accidental. Se emplean una variedad de métodos para asegurar que no ocurra ningún contacto accidental (o la apariencia de tal contacto) entre mujeres y monjes. Las mujeres que hacen ofrendas a los monjes colocan su donación a los pies del monje, o sobre un paño tendido en el suelo o en una mesa. Los monjes aplican polvos o ungüentos destinados a llevar una bendición a las mujeres tailandesas con la punta de una vela o un palo. Se espera que los laicos se sienten o estén de pie con la cabeza a un nivel más bajo que el de un monje. Dentro de un templo, los monjes pueden sentarse en una plataforma elevada durante las ceremonias para que esto sea más fácil de lograr.

Cuando se está sentado en un templo, se espera que uno apunte los pies lejos de las imágenes del Buda . Los santuarios dentro de las residencias tailandesas están dispuestos de manera que los pies no apunten hacia los íconos religiosos, como colocar el santuario en la misma pared que la cabecera de una cama, si una casa es demasiado pequeña para quitar el santuario del dormitorio. enteramente.

También es costumbre quitarse el calzado antes de entrar en una casa o en las áreas sagradas dentro de un templo , y no pisar el umbral.

Vestir [ editar ]

Vestimenta tradicional [ editar ]

Artículo principal: Chut thai
Mujeres tailandesas con vestido Isan Modifide sinh para el festival Boon Bang Fai en Roi Et
Las mujeres tailandesas vistiendo sabai , Jim Thompson House

La ropa tradicional tailandesa se llama chut thai (en tailandés : ชุด ไทย pronunciación tailandesa: [tɕʰút.tʰai] ) que literalmente significa "traje tailandés". Puede ser usado por hombres, mujeres y niños. El chut thai para mujeres generalmente consiste en un pha nung o un chong kraben , una blusa y un sabai . Las mujeres del norte y del noreste pueden usar un sinh en lugar de un pha nung y un chong kraben con una blusa o un suea pat . Chut thai para hombres incluye un chong kraben o pantalones, un patrón Rajcamisa, con calcetines blancos opcionales hasta la rodilla y un sabai . El chut thai para los hombres del norte de Tailandia se compone de un sado , una chaqueta blanca de estilo manchú y, a veces, un khian hua . En ocasiones formales, las personas pueden optar por usar el llamado traje nacional tailandés formal .

Uniformes [ editar ]

Tailandia es una sociedad que usa uniforme. [13] Desde la escuela primaria hasta la universidad, los uniformes escolares en Tailandia son la norma, con pocas excepciones. [14] Los maestros de los niveles primario y secundario usan uniformes, generalmente una vez a la semana. Todos los funcionarios públicos hasta el nivel ministerial tienen uniformes adecuados a su organización y su rango y los usan con regularidad. [15]

Cocina [ editar ]

Artículo principal: Cocina tailandesa

Etiqueta de comida tailandesa [ editar ]

La etiqueta de la comida tailandesa se refiere a los comportamientos tradicionales y adecuados de los tailandeses mientras comen. Dado que la sociedad tailandesa tiene muchas familias numerosas, comer juntos y compartir la comida entre los miembros de la familia es el estilo tradicional tailandés. Generalmente, los tailandeses comen arroz como alimento principal y comparten las guarniciones de arroz entre ellos.
Tradicionalmente, en Tailandia, las personas comen en la alfombra del piso y comen la comida con la mano derecha. Los platos de arroz están en el círculo exterior, mientras que los platos compartidos están en el centro de con cucharas compartidas para transferir la comida del plato de acompañamiento a su propio plato de arroz.
En el reinado del rey Mongkut (Rama IV); Rey Chulalongkorn el Grande(Rama V), príncipe Chulalongkorn en ese momento, fue educado por una mujer inglesa, cortejó a diplomáticos y líderes occidentales y viajó al extranjero. Observó y aprendió la comida occidental y descubrió que el tenedor y el cuchillo no son adecuados para la comida tailandesa (no es necesario picar nada). Introdujo el tenedor y la cuchara y así comenzó el uso de cubiertos en Tailandia. Los tailandeses usan el tenedor para empujar la comida hacia la cuchara (mano derecha), que luego se mete en la boca en lugar de hacer que la carne sea estable para la función del cuchillo. [16] Hoy en día, la comida tailandesa se mezcla con las culturas gastronómicas de varios países, por lo que los tailandeses usan muchos estilos para comer no solo con cuchara y tenedor, sino también con palillos, cuchillo y mano desnuda.

Cena regional tailandesa [ editar ]
El arroz som tam , lap y pegajoso son platos comunes en la región de Isan de Tailandia
Ensalada hecha con flores de plátano fritas en un restaurante vegetariano en Chiang Mai.
  • Tailandia central: En Tailandia central, sentarse en una silla, comer en una mesa y usar un tenedor, una cuchara y una cuchara compartida son costumbres antiguas (Rama IV). Para una rica cena familiar tailandesa, se agregan servilletas de diferentes formas sobre la mesa y también se emplean camareros o camareras para que sirvan la comida y las bebidas junto a la mesa. Para algunas personas pobres no se usa la cuchara compartida.
  • Norte de Tailandia: los habitantes del norte de Tailandia aún conservan su cultura tradicional utilizando pequeños tazones de comida y poniéndolos en un kan tok (mesa pequeña del norte de Tailandia). Están decoradas con madera, perla u oro amarillento. El arroz glutinoso y pegajoso es el alimento principal que se come con los platos compartidos. Está contenido en kratip song soong , recipiente de gran altura para arroz glutinoso . Junto al kan tok , hay kon tho din , una vasija de barro, y kan ngeaun , una copa de plata. Después de terminar el plato principal, se sirven los postres y también buri chai yo , un cigarrillo, que es el final de la comida.
  • Noreste de Tailandia, ( Isan ): por lo general, la comida se sirve en una gran bandeja circular de zinc con motivos florales. El arroz pegajoso contenido en kra tip song taei ( recipiente de baja altura para arroz pegajoso). Luego se sirven los postres.
  • Sur de Tailandia: la gente local come en una alfombra. Los platos se colocan en el centro de la misma. Se sientan en círculo y tradicionalmente comen con las manos desnudas. El agua potable está contenida en kan o jok , (una pequeña taza). Hoy en día, se usa un tenedor y una cuchara en lugar de las manos desnudas. Ahora predomina sentarse en una silla y comer en una mesa. Son pocos los habitantes locales que aún conservan el estilo gastronómico original. [17]
Formas de servir comida en Tailandia [ editar ]

There are two main ways to serve Thai food, raad kao, individual dishes, and gap kao, separate dishes.[18]

  • Individual dishes: In the past, Thai people had large families. Due to the difficulty of eating together at the same time, placing the rice side dish and the rice on the same dish and serving individually is to some extent supplanting the traditional Thai dining style.
  • Separated dishes: The rice side dishes are separately served with the rice (not same dish). Normally, this style is suitable for eating with others. The shared rice side dishes are in the center of the circle. Each has their own rice while the side dishes are shared by transferring them with the shared spoons to the individual rice dishes.
A selection of northern Thai dishes, served as starters
Table settings[edit]
  • Individual dishes: The spoon is on the right and the fork is on the left side of the dish.
  • Shared dishes: For rice dishes, the spoon is on the right and the fork is on the left side of the dish. Shared dishes are placed in the center of the table with the serving spoons.
Manners and customs[edit]
Thai meal in a village temple
  • Ordering: For shared dishes, the senior of the group orders his or her rice side dish first and then another selects dishes which everyone can eat, trying to balance a full range of tastes, ordering seafood, pork, shrimp, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. Spicy, sweet, salty, and bitter will all be represented, often all in one dish. Dishes are served serially as they are prepared, not all coming at once.
  • Dining: Thai people eat using a fork and spoon. The spoon acts as the main tool and the fork is the supporting tool pushing the food onto the spoon and a shared spoon is used to convey food from a shared dish to the diner's rice dish. Some people use their own spoon to scoop the food from the shared dish directly, but this is improper. If the shared dish is curry, it is transferred to an individual little cup first. Then they sip the soup from the spoon. Sipping it from the cup directly is improper. Making undue noise during eating and sipping is impolite in Thailand. Talking during the meal is de rigueur. Thai foods contain inedible bits such as lemongrass stalks. They are put on the edge of the dish or on a dish provided for refuse. After finishing eating, placing the spoon and fork down close together on the bowl or plate, gathering any remainders to one side of the dish and stacking the empty plates at the side of the table is a signal to the server that the table may be cleared. To be polite when using a toothpick, hide the mouth with one hand as you wield the toothpick with the other.
  • Bill: The bill is usually picked up and paid by the host or the wealthiest or most important or eldest person.[19][20] If customers are friends the bills are usually paid separately.

Birth traditions and beliefs[edit]

Main article: Birth in Thailand

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.

Nicknames[edit]

See also: Thai names

Thai people universally have one, or occasionally more, short nicknames (Thai: ชื่อเล่น name-play) that they use with friends and family. Often first given shortly after birth by friends or an older family member, these nicknames are overwhelmingly one syllable[21] (or worn down from two syllables to one). Though they may be simply shortened versions of a full name, they quite frequently have no relation to the person's full name and are often humorous and/or nonsense words. Babies may be given a nickname of a relative or named for a characteristic of birth, e.g., "little". Traditionally, nicknames would relate to things of low value, e.g., "dirt", which was to convince evil spirits lurking in the vicinity that the child was not worth their attention. Today this folk custom is on the decline.

Some common nicknames translate into English as "small", "fatty", "pig", "little", "frog", "banana", "green", or "girl/boy". Though rare, sometimes Thai children are given nicknames in the order they were born into the family (i.e., "one", "two", "three", etc.). 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. In recent years, English language words have become popular nicknames. Examples include: "Ice" (ไอซ์); "Bank" (แบงค์); "New" (นิว); "Ball" (บอล), and even "Beer" (เบียร์).[21]

Marriage[edit]

A traditional wedding in Thailand.

Thai Buddhist marriage ceremonies 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 families.

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 (which was associated with fertility, and intended to produce children) 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 (typically including taking the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts), 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 (usually placed in an envelope) 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 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 sot (Thai: สินสอด; RTGS: sin sot). It roughly translates to "bride price".[22] The groom will be expected to pay a sum of money to the family, to compensate them for the loss of a daughter and to demonstrate that the groom is financially capable of taking care of their daughter. Bride prices of 50,000 to 300,000 baht have been documented, but bride prices can sometimes run into the tens of millions of baht.[22] In many cases, the bride price is purely symbolic and will be returned to the bride and groom after the wedding has taken place. Whether the practice of sin sot is a tradition or a scam has been debated by critics. One observed, "All that talk of face and argument for cherished tradition? It's a thinly veiled con. Behind that gobbledygook, it's the same old forces of the material world and about the parents getting enough cash to buy a new pickup, pay outstanding debts or acquire something to elevate their status."[23] Actually, in the Thai culture the sin sot is an essential part of the marriage and no man would refuse it to the bride's family.[24]

Thailand outlawed marital rape in 2007.[25][26]

Thai people of Chinese origin may opt to mix marriage traditions; typically, they also seek monks. Other might choose to follow Chinese marriage customs, often performed in a simpler manner.

The religious components of marriage ceremonies between Thai Muslims are markedly different from those described above.[27] 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 (goat and/or beef instead of pork). Thai Muslims frequently, though not always, also follow the conventions of the Thai dowry system.

Funerals[edit]

Main article: Thai funeral
Funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo, the patriarch-abbot of northern Thailand.

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.

Thai Chinese and Thai Muslim minorities bury their deceased according to the rituals of their respective communities.

Funeral services are not restricted to humans. Funerals for pets, sometimes lavish, are not uncommon, particularly in Bangkok. One company that specializes in pet funerals cremates up to 400 animals per month. The owner says that, "Bangkok is an extremely religious city ... those beliefs extend to all parts of life. Most of our customers realise that their pets can't gain enough merit on their own in this life, so it is up to them to do for them. Funerals are an obvious choice."[28]

National anthem and respect for the flag and king[edit]

Twice a day, at 08:00 and again at 18:00, the national anthem is played by all Thai media outlets. Thais stop what they are doing and stand at attention to pay homage to the flag during the anthem. Students in school stand in front of the raised flag and sing the national anthem at 08:00 every school day. The practice dates from 1935 when the regulations for the raising and lowering of the colours was published in the Royal Gazette. The Flag Act of 1979 decreed that those who do not observe the custom by standing in silence during the anthem are subject to a fine of up to 2,000 baht and not more than one year in prison.[29]

In a related practice, the royal anthem of the King of Thailand is played before movies, concerts, and sporting events. All are expected to stand.[30]

Knowing one's place[edit]

Bangkok Post columnist Paritta Wangkiat maintains that Thais are expected to "know their place" in society and to be submissive. A result is that those from the lower ranks of the social order are often treated dismissively. People of different social classes are never treated equally in her view. As people fear to speak out about their rights, or those of others, submissiveness and deference to authority make the behaviour a "perfect match for an authoritarian regime." Persons who stand up for their beliefs and challenge the status quo are scorned as people who don't know their proper place in society.[31] Thai culture places great emphasis on hierarchy and knowing one's place in it.[32]

Writer and editor Wasant Techawongtham, seeking to explain governmental missteps, observed that, "As everybody in Thailand knows, we are a society of conformity. We conform to tradition, to authority, to power, to wealth. There is little room for people to think outside the box or to imagine the impossible. And what little window of opportunity exists for civilians, that window is forever closed for government workers."[33]

Thai toilets[edit]

The "bidet shower" is common in Thai toilets,[34] as evidenced by an uproar by parliamentarians when it was disclosed that the new parliament building was not equipped with "bum guns".[35]

Arts[edit]

Traditional arts[edit]

Main article: Thai art
Mural of the epic Ramakien, written by King Rama I, the Thai version of the Ramayana, on the walls of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Grand Palace, Bangkok

Thai visual arts were traditionally Buddhist only. Thai Buddha images from different periods have a number of distinctive styles. Thai temple art and architecture form a unique combination of elements derived from ancient Siamese architectures. Thai contemporary art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern techniques.[36]

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.

Traditional Thai paintings showed subjects in two dimensions without perspective. The size of each element in the picture reflected its degree of importance. The primary technique of composition is that of apportioning areas: the main elements are isolated from each other by space transformers. This eliminated the intermediate ground, which would otherwise imply perspective. Perspective was introduced only as a result of Western influence in the mid-19th century. Monk artist Khrua In Khong is well known as the first artist to introduce linear perspective to Thai traditional art.

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.

There is also Thai folklore, Sri Thanonchai as an example.

Dance[edit]

Khon Dance, performance at Frankfurt, Germany
Main article: Dance in Thailand

The first detailed European record of khon and other classical Siamese dances was made during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It described a dramatic tradition and style that are almost identical to the Thai traditions we still see today. Historical evidence clearly establishes that the Thai art of stage plays must have already been perfected by the 17th century. Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, had a formal diplomatic relation with Ayutthaya's King Narai. In 1687, France sent the diplomat Simon de la Loubère to record all that he saw in the Siamese Kingdom and its traditions. In his account Du Royaume de Siam, La Loubère carefully observed the classic 17th century theatre of Siam, including an epic battle scene from a khon performance, and recorded what he saw in great detail:

"The Siamese have three sorts of Stage Plays: That which they call Cone [khon] is a figure dance, to the sound of the violin and some other instruments. The dancers are masked and armed, and represent rather a combat than a dance. And though every one runs into high motions, and extravagant postures, they cease not continually to intermix some word. Most of their masks are hideous, and represent either monstrous Beasts, or kinds of Devils. The Show which they call Lacone is a poem intermix with Epic and Dramatic, which lasts three days, from eight in the morning till seven at night. They are histories in verse, serious, and sung by several actors always present, and which do only sing reciprocally.... The Rabam is a double dance of men and women, which is not martial, but gallant... they can perform it without much tying themselves, because their way of dancing is a simple march round, very slow, and without any high motion; but with a great many slow contortions of the body and arms."[37]:49

Of the attires of Siamese khon dancers, La Loubère recorded that: "[T]hose that dance in Rabam, and Cone, have gilded paper-bonnets, high and pointed, like the Mandarins caps of ceremony, but which hang down at the sides below their ears, which are adorned with counterfeit stones, and with two pendants of gilded wood.[37]:49

Today "ram Thai" (Thai: รำไทย), 'Thai dance'. Thai dance, like many forms of traditional Asian dance, can be divided into two major categories that correspond roughly to the high art (classical dance) and low art (folk dance) distinction.

Although traditional Thai performing arts are not as vibrant as they once were, suffering inroads from Western entertainment and generally changing tastes, Thai dance drama is not extinct. What survives displays the elegance of an art form refined over centuries and supported by regal patronage.[citation needed]

Aside from folk and regional dances (southern Thailand's Indian-influenced Menora dance, for example), the two major forms of Thai classical dance drama are khon and Lakhon nai. In the beginning both were exclusively court entertainments and it was not until much later that a popular style of dance theater, Likay, evolved as a diversion for the common folk who had no access to royal performances. Apart from Lakhon nai, Lakhon chatri is also one of the most important Thai dances.

Music[edit]

Main article: Music of Thailand
Schoolgirls and boys playing khrueang sai in front of a temple

The Music of Thailand includes classical and folk music traditions, e.g., Piphat and Mor lam, respectively, as well as Thai pop music, e.g., "String". Thai classical music is synonymous with those stylized court ensembles and repertoires that emerged in its present form within the royal centers of Central Thailand some 800 years ago. These ensembles, while being slightly influenced by older practices and repertoires from India, are today uniquely Thai expressions. While the three primary classical ensembles, the Piphat, Khrueang sai and Mahori differ in significant ways, they all share a basic instrumentation and theoretical approach. Each employ the small ching hand cymbals and the krap wooden sticks to mark the primary beat reference.

Several kinds of small drums (klong) are employed in these ensembles to outline the basic rhythmic structure (natab) that is punctuated at the end by the striking of a suspended gong (mong). Seen in its most basic formulation, the classical Thai orchestras are very similar to the Cambodian (Khmer) pinpeat and mahori ensembles, and structurally similar to other orchestras found within the widespread Southeast Asian gong-chime musical culture, such as the large gamelan of Bali and Java, which most likely have their common roots in the diffusion of Vietnamese Dong-Son bronze drums beginning in the first century.

Traditional Thai classical repertoire is anonymous, handed down through an oral tradition of performance in which the names of composers (if, indeed, pieces were historically created by single authors) are not known. However, since the beginning of the modern Bangkok period, composers' names have been known and, since around the turn of the century, many major composers have recorded their works in notation. Musicians, however, imagine these compositions and notations as generic forms which are realized in full in idiosyncratic variations and improvisations in the context of performance.

Sports[edit]

Main article: Sport in Thailand
Muay Thai match in Bangkok, Thailand

Muay Thai (Thai: มวยไทย, RTGS: Muai Thai, [muaj tʰaj], lit. "Thai boxing") is a native form of kickboxing and Thailand's signature sport. It incorporates kicks, punches, knees and elbow strikes in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing and this has led to Thailand gaining medals at the Olympic Games in boxing.

Association football has overtaken muay Thai as the most widely followed sport in contemporary Thai society. Thailand national football team has played the AFC Asian Cup six times. The team reached the semifinals in 1972 and the round of 16 in 2019. The country has hosted the Asian Cup twice, in 1972 and in 2007. The 2007 edition was co-hosted together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. It is not uncommon to see Thais cheering their favourite English Premier League teams on television and walking around in replica kit. Another widely enjoyed pastime, and once a competitive sport, is kite flying.

Takraw (Thai: ตะกร้อ) is a sport native to Thailand, in which the players hit a rattan ball and are only allowed to use their feet, knees, chest, and head to touch the ball. Sepak takraw is a form of this sport which is similar to volleyball. The players must volley a ball over a net and force it to hit the ground on the opponent's side. It is also a popular sport in other countries in Southeast Asia. A rather similar game but played only with the feet is Buka ball.

Architecture[edit]

Phra Maha Chedi Si Ratchakan at Wat Pho, Bangkok.
Main articles: Architecture of Thailand, Thai temple art and architecture, and Traditional Thai house

The Major part of the country's cultural legacy and reflects both the challenges of living in Thailand's sometimes extreme climate as well as, historically, the importance of architecture to the Thai people's sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand's neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings.

Buddhist temples in Thailand are known as "wats", from the Pāḷi vāṭa, meaning an enclosure. A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. Wat architecture has seen many changes in Thailand in the course of history. Although there are many differences in layout and style, they all adhere to the same principles.

As the phrase "Thai stilt house" suggests, one universal aspect of Thailand's traditional architecture is the elevation of its buildings on stilts, most commonly to around head height. The area beneath the house is used for storage, crafts, lounging in the daytime, and sometimes for livestock. The houses were raised due to heavy flooding during certain parts of the year, and in more ancient times, predators. Thai building and living habits are often based on superstitious and religious beliefs. Many other considerations such as locally available materials, climate, and agriculture have a lot to do with the style.

Traditional games[edit]

  • One-legged rabbit (Thai: กระต่ายขาเดียว; RTGS: kratai kha diao) is a type of "catch-me" game. The catcher will call out the rabbit, and the rabbit must stand on one leg and jump or tiptoe to catch other players and switch to rabbit instead. This game will exercise your legs and practice balancing on one leg. The number of players are divided into two teams, or may not have a team at all. Normally, there are two or more players. At the first time, the player will select the rabbit or team by "rock-paper-scissors". The loser becomes a rabbit.

In the case of solo player, the rabbit must stand on one leg, then jump to chase and touch any part of the body of other children who have run away. Everyone must stay within the designated area. A player who runs out of space loses the game and must be switched to rabbit, but if the rabbit is exhausted and cannot stand on one leg, it was that defeated and must be punished.

In team play, the rules are similar to the solo player, but the rabbit team will send a representative to catch the other team to all the people. Those arrested will have to wait outside until the rabbit team can catch all of the rival teams. Rabbit team can switch to teammates to catch on until they are exhausted, and if the all of the members in rabbit team are exhausted and cannot stand on one leg, the rabbit team lose the game and must be punished too.

  • Banana stalk hobby horse riding

Banana stalk hobby horse riding or "khee ma khan kluay" in Thai is a traditional game of Thailand that Thai kids frequently played in the past. They use a banana stalk to make the parts of a horse such as head, ear, and horsetail. The materials for making a banana rib hobby horse are banana stalk, knife, small bamboo pin, and string. First, find a banana stalk around 1.5 m long. Cut it in the form of the head, neck, and ears, then use a small bamboo pin to connect the ear to the head of a horse. The remaining part of the banana stalk becomes a horsetail. Attach a string between the head and the tail of this banana stalk horse and place on the shoulder of the rider.

Kids sit on the horse and pretend they are riding a real horse, shouting "hee hee" or "yee haaah", sounds typical of people on horseback. They may race with friends if they have more than two players. The team that runs faster is the winner.

Holidays[edit]

People floating krathong rafts during the Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Main article: Public holidays in Thailand

Important holidays in Thai culture include Thai New Year, or Songkran,[38] which is officially observed from 13–15 April 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. In recent decades, water fights have been increasingly industrialised with use of hoses, barrels, squirt guns, water-filled surgical tubing, and copious amounts of powder.

Loi Krathong is held on the 12th full moon of the Thai lunar calendar, usually early-November. 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 elaborately folded banana leaves and including flowers, candles, incense sticks, and small offerings. 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 footing.

National Elephant Day or Chang Thai Day is a holiday in Thailand, held on March 13, which celebrates the cultural and historical significance of the elephant in Thailand.

Pastimes[edit]

Reading and Internet[edit]

Eighty-eight percent of Thai people read books and spend an average of 28 minutes per day doing so, according to a poll[39] conducted by the Thai Publishers and Booksellers Association (PUBAT) and Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Economics and Research Centre for Social and Business Development.

A total of 3,432 Thais aged 15–69 in 12 provinces, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thamarat, Nakhon Ratchsima, and Khon Kaen, were interviewed from December 2014 to January 2015. While 88% of Thai respondents said they read books, 12% said they did not. They cited as reasons lack of time, bad eyesight, and dislike of reading.

Averaged over the entire population, Thais spend 28 minutes a day reading books. The reading sub-set of the population averages 46 minutes a day. Of this group, those aged under 20 spend the most time reading books, 56 minutes a day. That figure shrinks as people age until they reach 61, when people tend to get back into reading.

By comparison, 71% of Thais use the Internet almost every day for an average of 92 minutes. Those who spend most time on the Internet are people under 20, on average 224 minutes a day, while those over 61 spend ten minutes a day on-line.

In 2013 the Thai National Statistical Office conducted a reading survey[40] that found that Thais aged over six spent an average of 37 minutes a day reading. The survey was not focused specifically on reading books, but also reading journals, the Internet, tablet computers, and smart phones.

See also[edit]

  • Betel Chewing In Thailand
  • Cinema of Thailand
  • Folklore of Thailand
  • Ghosts in Thai culture
  • List of museums in Thailand
  • Media of Thailand
  • Ministry of Culture (Thailand)
  • Phya Anuman Rajadhon
  • Racism in Thailand
  • Royal Flags of Thailand
  • Thai temple art and architecture
  • Thailand National Artist

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Culture". Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT). Archived from the original on 2015-02-13. Retrieved 13 Feb 2015.
  2. ^ von Feigenblatt, Otto F (2009). "The Thai Ethnocracy Unravels: A Critical Cultural Analysis of Thailand's Socio-Political Unrest" (PDF). Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. 1 (3): 583–611. Retrieved 27 October 2018.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "CIA World Factbook: Thailand". US Central Intelligence Agency. 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  4. ^ Bengali, Shashank (2019-04-18). "The spirit houses of Bangkok keep watch over a frenetic modern Thai city". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  5. ^ a b Cornwell-Smith, Philip (2005). Very Thai. River Books. pp. 182–184.
  6. ^ Chareonla, Charuwan (1981). Buddhist Arts in Thailand. Magadh University, Bihar, India: Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 13 Feb 2015.
  7. ^ Phya Anuman Rajadhon, Life and Ritual in Old Siam: Three Studies of Thai Life and Customs, New Haven, HRAF Press, 1961
  8. ^ Wattanasukchai, Sirinya (7 June 2019). "Simply saying 'sorry' for crimes is not enough" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Physical Contact and Personal Space in Thailand". Thailand Family Law Center. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
  10. ^ "Twitter users face threat over comment on royal motorcade". Pratchatai English. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  11. ^ mai-pen-Rai on YouTube
  12. ^ Wilson, Ara (2004). Intimate Economies of Bangkok: Tomboys, Tycoons, and Avon Ladies in the Global City. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California. ISBN 978-0-520-23968-5.
  13. ^ Techawongtham, Wasant (8 February 2020). "A land being strangled by uniformity" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  14. ^ Bunyawanic, Sasanun; Järvelä, Maria-Liisa; Ghaffar, Abdul (July 2018). "The Influence of Uniform in Establishing Unity, Hierarchy, and Conformity at Thai Universities". Journal of Education and Training Studies. 6 (7). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Executives". Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  16. ^ Vann, Mick. "Dining Thai - Style at Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine" (PDF). Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine. Austin TX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  17. ^ ณ สงขลา, วันดี. "การรับประทานอาหารของคนไทยภาคต่างๆ". อาหารไทย.
  18. ^ Wiens, Mark (2014). Eating Thai Food Guide. p. 20.
  19. ^ "Eat Thai Food".
  20. ^ "Thailand Etiquette". Etiquette Scholar. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  21. ^ a b "Top 10 most Common Thai nicknames, and some weird ones". Learn Thai With Mod. Retrieved 2015-01-27.
  22. ^ a b Biggs, Andrew (29 July 2018). "Marriage at any price". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  23. ^ Malakul Lane Na Ayutthaya, Tuptim (5 January 2018). "The Price of a Woman, Thailand Edition". Khaosod English. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  24. ^ Thanapol, Chadchaidee (1994). Essays on Thailand. Bangkok: D. K. Today. p. 108. ISBN 9748348164.
  25. ^ "Thailand outlaws marital rape". The China Post. 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  26. ^ "Asia-Pacific | Thailand passes marital rape bill". BBC News. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  27. ^ Declercq, Valentin. "Muslim Marriages in Thailand". GAM Legal Alliance. GAM Legal Alliance. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  28. ^ Yeung, Peter (2019-01-29). "Why People are Spending $10,000 on Pet Funerals in Bangkok". Vice. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  29. ^ Svasti, Pichaya (2016-02-15). "Flagging up respect for the nation". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  30. ^ "How To Behave When Thailand's National Anthem Is Played". Tasty Thailand. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  31. ^ Wangkiat, Paritta (1 July 2019). "Apathy fuelling renewed culture of violence" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  32. ^ Jimarkon Zilli, Pattamawan (27 September 2019). "Forget 'wai khru', pay homage to equality instead" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  33. ^ Techawongtham, Wasant (25 January 2020). "Haze crisis a symptom of state of failures" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  34. ^ "How to Use the Bum-Gun (Toilet Hose) in Thailand: Keep Yourself Clean With a Squirt of Water". Tasty Thailand. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  35. ^ Boonbandit, Tappanai (15 August 2019). "MPs dump on parliament's lack of ass-blasters in toilets". Khaosod English. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  36. ^ "8 young Thai artists to know". Art Radar. 2014-10-31. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  37. ^ a b Simon de la Loubère, The Kingdom of Siam (1693), Oxford University Press, 1986
  38. ^ "Songkran Festival - 2016 | Thailand: Flights, Hotels, News, Thai Girls, Pattaya, Phi Phi Islands, Phuket". www.thailandinthenews.com. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  39. ^ Praneetlekha, Kawin (2015-02-24). "Internet usage cuts time spent on books". The Nation. Retrieved 24 Feb 2015.
  40. ^ "The National Statistical Office said Thai people spent 37 minutes on reading in one day". Thai PBS. Thai PBS. 2014-10-17. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 Feb 2015.

Further reading[edit]

  • Lapanun, Patcharin (2019). Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village. Singapore: NUS Press. ISBN 978-981-4722-91-9.
  • Rhoden, T. F. (1 July 2019). "The Thai women who marry Western men: lessons from one village in northeast Thailand in Love, Money and Obligation". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  • Peansiri Vongvipanond (27 Sep 2009). "Linguistic Perspectives of Thai Culture". This paper was presented to a workshop of teachers of social science organized by the University of New Orleans (Summer 1994). Thai Language Audio Resource Center. Archived from the original on 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2013-01-05.

External links[edit]

  • Ministry of Culture
  • Thailand stories and folklore