Thailand Culture
And The Thai Etiquette.

Thais greet, wish farewell and acknowledge each other with a gesture called Wai.

The hands being held in a prayer like manner, palms pressed together and a slight bow of the head. The Wai is also used to show respect.

The closer the hands are held to the forehead and the lower the bow the more respect is being shown. The Wai is also a way of saying Thank you or to apologize.

The Wai is initiated by the lower in age or status and responded to by the higher. If there is a large social difference between statuses, the Wai may not be returned.
Practice smiling before visiting Thailand. Thai people smile for many different reasons.

To know when and how to smile earns you brownie points in Thailand. Or sticky rice with sweet mango points if you will.
A few reasons why Thais smile:

• amusement
• embarrassment
• a way of saying thank you
• to make friends

Thais love to smile and good humor and a smile from a foreigner is a nice treat.

Expression of anger or showing that you are not in control of your emotion is "losing your face".
A few ways to lose your face:

• talking loudly
• waving your hands wildly
• pointing your finger at someone
• yelling

The remaining 5% of the population are about 4.3% Muslims and 0.7% Christians. Buddhism is supported by the Thai government and Monks receive an array of government benefits and are highly respected by all Thais.

Thailand is a Hierarchical Society and as a foreigner you will be given special social status. By learning about Buddhism and Thai culture you show that you respect the Thai culture and you surely will have a most memorable time.

The Hierarchical order is subtle but if you pay attention you will notice how Thais treat each other according to their rank in the Hierarchy. Some determining factors of the social status are:

• family status-The royal family being on top then high, famous and common.
• wealth-Money is number One these days. In Thai society the wealthy is expected to pay the bills.
• education-Higher education more respect. This holds also true if the one with higher education makes less money.
• age-the older you are the more respect.
• career
• within the family-Parents are superior to their children
• monks-are granted high respect and high social status.

Basic Thai values include the Buddhist believe in Karma. Karma is the believe that things happen to you because of your actions and deeds in a previous Life time.

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