Customs and Traditions of Thailand

1)Muay Thai: What is Muay Thai? Muay Thai is a national sport of Thailand as well as a national passion. It is a fighting
technique borne out of combat reality. Known as the science of eight limbs, Muay Thai kickboxing uses the knees and elbows as
well as kicks and punches. Almost any part of the body is considered a fair target and any part of the body, except the head, may
be used to strike an opponent. It is considered by many to be the ultimate in hand-to-hand fighting. Muay Thai kickboxing is a
professional and amateur sport, a martial art, aerobic fitness programme and a useful form of self-defence. But Muay Thai
kickboxing is more than just learning how to fight. Muay Thai kickboxing is a strong and vigorous martial art art that teaches self-
discipline and self-awareness. It has been passed down through generations for the last 2000 years.

2)Religion in Thailand: Thailand is predominantly a Theravada Buddhist country but there are minorities like the Phra
Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana Mahathera and Muslims as well.

3)Thai Etiquette: Thai etiquette is based on traditions of Buddhism. The society is non- confrontational in nature and so disputes
need to be averted at all costs. Thai people stress on proper behavior and dress. Revealing clothes and behaving rudely in public
needs to be avoided at all costs.

4)Music and Dance: Music consists of both the folk music and also the classical traditions along with pop or string music. The
Ram Thai is the main art form while the dance forms can be divided into the high art or classical dance and low art or folk
dance. Thai dance can be divided into 3 forms, namely: khon, likay-khon and lakhon.

SAWATDEE....HELLO, BEAUTIFUL BANGKOK

by Ethel Soliven-Timbol

Bangkok known as Krun Thep, which is Thai for "City of Angels," beckons with its golden roofed temples and spicily
curried cuisine. Seven million visitors come to Thailand each year spending an average of six to seven days because there is so
much to see and to relish in this "Exotic Orient" as one enamoured traveller dubbed the country.

Our agenda for the first day of our tour started with a tour of Wat Po. One of the 370 temples in Bangkok alone, it is home
to the famous Reclining Buddha, which is said to be 46 meters long. Also world–famous are the golden Buddha at the Wat Trinig
("wat" being Thai for "temple") and the dazzling Emerald Buddha. There are 2100 temples in all of Thailand, where 90 percent of
the people are Buddhists.

Our loquacious guide regales us with the colorful history of Bangkok and how it became the imperial city 300 years ago,
when the god-king Rama I moved the royal residence to this side of the Chao Phraya River. Today, a boat excursion takes
visitors on a tour of the old city, winding down the "klong" canals for a glimpse of the water dwellers and the ancient edifices,
remnants of an era when Rama I divided his city into three sections: for the Thais, the Chinese and the Indians. The best buys of
Thai silks, spices and crafts are still at the riverside markets where one can also produce gold, jade and other precious jewelry.

Not to be missed are the Temple of the Dawn along the Chao Phraya, a showcase of Chinese porcelain mosaics, and the
Temple of the Giant Swing for some of the finest murals. Only for strong knees is the Temple of the Golden Mount, atop a climb of
300 steps, housing one of the largest bronze buddhas in the world.

The Reclining Buddha was shipped from China by King Rama I, who also built the Wat Po Temple on a 20-hectare
compound adjacent to the Royal Palace, circa 1782, in the 2222-old Chinese section. The King had also brought with him
excellent samples of porcelain, which the court artisans used to decorate pagodas using their elaborate spires. At the main
temple, devotees buy one–inch gold leaf squares which they stick to smaller Buddha’s as offering to their god.

Every day, morning ceremonies are held at an adjacent temple surrounded by four magnificent monuments: the first in red
built by Rama I; the second in yellow, by Rama II; the third in green by Rama III; and the fourth in blue, by Rama IV. Just as
fascinating is the sala tree under which, according to legend, Buddha was born (although in India). Its pink and red flowers are
sweet-smelling, a contrast to the brown gourd which are the ―fruit ―of the sala tree.

To cap a hectic first day, we had dinner at the Baa Thai Restaurant while watching heavily costumed folk dancers from
the lowland and highland villages, including favorite destinations, like Chiang Mai, the second largest city up north, from whence
one can visit the winter palace of the Royal Family and the training school for working elephants.

Amazingly, Bangkok is clean, especially the day after Wednesday, which is "Clean Up Day" according to our guide. So
the sidewalk eateries are relatively sanitary, although foreign visitors are advised to stick to bottled mineral water or soft drinks. In
spite of the colossal traffic jams, no thanks to the ubiquitous "toktok" pedicabs the air smells cleaner and less polluted than in
Manila.
Learning Task !. Verbalize your Thoughts

1. What did you notice in the pictures?

2. What landmarks in Thailand are noted for?

3. What are the customs and traditions of Thailand?

4. Do Thais have a culture similar to us?

Learning Task 2. A Face to Face Encounter

1. With your group, talk about the similarities of Thais and Filipino in terms of customs, traditions, beliefs and
way of life.

2. With the use of a map, show the geographical locaton of Thailand, its climate, people and government.

Learning Task 3. Tracing Your Roots

In order to understand better how to trace your roots, you have to give attention to the learning task,
but first, try to keep thinking about and give your tentative answers to these Essential Questions (EQ).

a. How does diversity convert to unity?

(diversity - 1.a. The fact or quality of being diverse; difference. b. A point or respect in which things differ.)

b. How do traditions and beliefs bring about diversity or harmony?

PICK AND MATCH

Connect the pictures under Column A with the vocabulary under Column B and with the meaning in Column C.

Column A Column B Column C

recline paintings on walls

spire tilt back; lie back

murals tall, pointed structure

mosaic picture of small colored pices

loquacious talkative