With a rich history and a vast range of outstanding scenic spots, Thailand continues to be one of the world’s most exciting travel destinations. If you are planning to visit soon, learning about the Thai culture is deemed necessary as you do not ever want to come off as rude or behave inappropriately. As with most Southeast Asian countries, conservativeness is part of their cultural identity, which is why preparing yourself is a must. In today’s post, we will walk you through the five basic points in relation to Thai culture. If you are ready for that, then let’s dive right into it.
Thinking of visiting tropical and archipelagic countries? Your destination should be in Southeast Asia. From this place, you can find some of the exotic countries that will make you wonder if it’s possible to migrate or retire there when the time comes. One of the countries that you can find there is Thailand which is strategically located near Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. If this is the first time you are hearing about it, then just remember this is the place where Pad Thai originated. This is also where you can find tons of wats or Buddhist temples at every corner of the street.
Throughout the years, foreign visitors in Thailand are just growing as the country quickly became a favorite due to the locals’ culture of open-mindedness. For example, if you are lost or in need of help, almost everyone will go out of their way to ensure that you get the help that you need. Another major thing is that the country upholds its belief that there should be no discrimination against anyone. Whether gender, race, or religion, everyone is “equal” based on Thai culture.
5 Things You Must Know About The Thai Culture
If there is one thing that is really cool about Thailand’s history, then that would be the fact that European forces never colonized them. For this reason, much of their existing traditions and beliefs are not really that heavily influenced by those from other countries. As a result, the locals, along with the help of the Royal family, were able to preserve the traditional Thai culture, especially in terms of respect, compassion, freedom, and loyalty.
Let’s get to learn more about the Thailand culture facts in the sections below.
Common Thai Customs
Many Thais are open when it comes to learning about the traditions of other nationalities around them. For this reason, the country is known as a melting pot of various customs and traditions. However, the locals are firm believers of their traditions, and they continue to practice them. One example of that is their belief in superstitions. Even today, the locals regularly visit fortune-tellers of Thai monks and seek help/ blessing before they do/purchase something. Usually, they ask for an auspicious date for celebrations too.
In addition, you might hear that there are older people who do not really praise the newborn baby of other people. This is because the locals believe that praising babies may make the spirits fond of them and will steal the baby! To prevent all that from happening, the locals seek the help of monks, which is why they are greatly respected in Thailand.
Traits Of The Thai People
Known as the land of smiles, Thailand has always been considered the place where most of the locals are generally warm and friendly towards foreigners. For this reason, many are actually looking to stay in the country for a very long time. Some of the traits that Thai people are known for include:
- Friendly
- Kind
- Helpful
- Respectful
They are also the kind of people who do not want to let other people down. For this reason, they sometimes sacrifice their happiness or give time even if they do not totally agree with something. For them, it is important not to disappoint other people.
Thai Society
Status is a big thing in most countries in South East Asia. Basically, the people believe in the concept of losing, saving, and building face. This means that many try to do their best and behave appropriately as it reflects their self-worth and might affect the perception of others. To maintain dignity and honor, they refrain from the common emotive outbursts which are more common in Western countries.
Another thing that you should note is that society is conservative, and there are no displays of affection in public. The locals have body awareness, and it is not common for them to hold hands or kiss in public.
Patriotism
Thailand is popular since its citizens are very patriotic. In fact, they show respect by stopping and standing still once they hear their national anthem being played. Usually, their national anthem is played twice a day – in the morning and in the evening. However, there is also a King’s anthem which is regularly played too.
Close Family Ties
Many Thais actually live with their parents as extended families are common in the country. For them, the family must always come first which is why if you ever get invited by someone to their home and to meet their family, then you must really have a good relationship with that person.
For people working far from home, it is customary for them to visit their family at least once a week during weekends. Additionally, they usually go home to their provinces whenever there are celebrations and festivals.
Wrapping Up
As we reach this part of the post, we hope that you were able to learn more about Thailand’s culture and how you can blend in easily with the crowd. Throughout the years, the country changed so much, but these core ideas that we have presented in this post remain to exist even to this day. What is interesting about this is that most of the traditional Thai customs are somewhat the same as what other Asian countries follow. For instance, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Koreans all share this strong sense of love and appreciation for their family, which is why extended families almost always live together under one roof.
If you enjoyed this post and figured you would love to learn more about the Thai people, culture, and language, then we highly recommend that you check out our previous posts here on the Ling App. Some of our recent posts that are related to this include the traditional Thai outfit (called Chut Thai), Thai food (like the popular mango sticky rice), and the major religion in the country (Theravada Buddhism). We also have posts regarding vocabulary, which can absolutely help you get a leg up in the Thai language.
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