Proud To Be Asian: May 2013

Facts and Statistics

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma

Capital: Bangkok
Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Population: 64,865,523
Ethnic Make-up: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions: Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism 0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)
Government: constitutional monarchy
Languages in Thailand : The Thai language is comprised of 44 consonants, 32 vowels and five tones in Thai pronunciation, along with a script that has Indian origins. The Thai language, belonging to the Tai family, is the main language in Thailand although there are several regional dialects as well. Other languages spoken in Thailand are Chinese, Lao, Malay and Mon-Khmer, while English use is becoming more prevalent in government and commerce. English is also being taught as a second language in secondary school and universities, which enables the English speaking visitor in Thailand to have little trouble conversing.

Thai Society & Culture

The wai is the common form of greeting and adheres to strict rules of protocol.
Raising both hands, palms joined with the fingers pointing upwards as if in prayer, lightly touching the body somewhere between the chest and the forehead, is the standard form.
The wai is both a sign of respect as well as a greeting. Respect and courtesy are demonstrated by the height at which the hands are held and how low the head comes down to meet the thumbs of both hands.
The wai may be made while sitting, walking, or standing.
The person who is junior in age or status is the first one to offer the wai.
The senior person returns the wai, generally with their hands raised to somewhere around their chest.
If a junior person is standing and wants to wai a senior person who is seated, the junior person will stoop or bow their head while making the wai.
If there is a great social distance between two people, the wai will not be returned.

Thailand is a stronghold of Buddhism.
Buddhists believe that life does not begin with birth and end with death, but rather that every person has several lives based upon the lessons of life not yet learned and acts committed (karma) in previous lives.
Buddhists believe that selfishness and craving result in suffering and that compassion and love bring happiness and well-being.
The true path to peace is to eliminate all desire, a condition which Buddhists define as 'nirvana', an indescribable state free of desire, suffering, or further rebirth, in which a person simply is, and is completely at one with his surroundings.
Buddhism is practised in Thailand by over 90% of the population.

Thais respect hierarchical relationships.
Social relationships are defined as one person being superior to the other.
Parents are superior to their children, teachers to their students, and bosses to their subordinates.
When Thais meet a stranger, they will immediately try to place you within a hierarchy so they know how you should be treated.
This is often done by asking what might be seen as very personal questions in other cultures.
Status can be determined by clothing and general appearance, age, job, education, family name, and social connections.

Thais place great emphasis and value on outward forms of courtesy such as politeness, respect, genial demeanour and self-control in order to maintain harmonious relations.
Many of their rules of etiquette are by-products of the Buddhist religion.
It is a non-confrontational society, in which public dispute or criticism is to be avoided at all costs.
To be openly angry with someone might attract the wrath of the spirits, which in turn could cause violence and tragedy.
Openly criticizing a person is a form of violence as it hurts the person and is viewed as a conscious attempt to offend the person being rebuked
Loss of face is a disgrace to a Thai so they try to avoid confrontations and look for compromises in difficult situations.
If two parties disagree, one will need to have an outlet to retreat without losing face.

The wai (as mentioned above) is the traditional form of greeting, given by the person of lower status to the person of higher status.
Thais generally use first rather than surnames, with the honorific title Khun before the name. Khun is an all- purpose form of address that is appropriate for both men and women
In general, wait for your host and hostess to introduce you to the other guests. This allows everyone to understand your status relative to their own, and thus know who performs the wai and how low the head should be bowed.

If invited to a Thai's home, a gift is not expected, although it will be appreciated.
Gifts should be wrapped attractively, since appearance matters. Bows and ribbons add to the sense of festivity.
Appropriate gifts are flowers, good quality chocolates or fruit.
Do not give marigolds or carnations, as they are associated with funerals.
Try to avoid wrapping a gift in green, black or blue as these are used at funerals and in mourning.
Gold and yellow are considered royal colours, so they make good wrapping paper.
Only use red wrapping paper if giving a gift to a Chinese Thai.
Gifts are not opened when received.
Money is the usual gift for weddings and ordination parties.

If you are invited to a Thai's house:

Arrive close to the appointed time, although being a few minutes late will not cause offence.
Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If not, remove yours before entering the house.
Ask another guest to confirm the dress code.
Step over the threshold rather than on it. This is an old custom that may be dying out with younger Thais, but erring on the side of conservatism is always a good idea.

by. Darrell E.F (@damnrell)