History&Culture
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Thailand
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Thailand, officially the Royal Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a Southeast Asian nation at the center of the Indochina peninsula with a population of nearly 70 million. Bangkok is the capital city and Chiang Mai is an important educational and cultural center in northern Thailand. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state and the prime minister as head of government.
Thailand ( pron.: / ˈ t aɪ l æ n d / TY -land or / ˈ t aɪ l ə n d / TY -lənd ; [ 8 ] Thai : ประเทศไทย , RTGS : Prathet Thai ), officially the Kingdom of Thailand ( Thai : ราชอาณาจักรไทย , RTGS : Ratcha Anachak Thai ; IPA: [râːt.tɕʰā ʔāːnāːtɕàk tʰāj] ( listen ) ), formerly known as Siam ( Thai : สยาม ; RTGS : Sayam), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos , to the east by Laos and Cambodia , to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia , and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma.
Thailand
Farang ( Thai : ฝรั่ง [faràŋ] ) is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, no matter where they may come from. Edmund Roberts , US envoy in 1833, defined the term as " Frank (or European)." [ 1 ] People of African ancestry may be called Thai : ฝรั่งดำ farang dam ('black farang') to distinguish them from white people. This began during the Vietnam War , when the United States military maintained bases in Thailand. [ edit ] Etymology and related words
Farang
Behavioural rules for Farangs (western foreigners) - Generals dealing with Thais For us western visitors it is almost impossible to behave correctly in Thailand . But as Thais are extremely polite people and in addition know that for non- Thais it is very difficult to apply to their own behavioural rules against Farangs necessarily tolerance is applied. Many of our "mistakes” are forgiven but we should always take care on also in Thailand to keep with our western courtesy rules – by this almost all "put one’s foot in it” can be avoided.
Behaviour Rules for Farangs, Reception, Manners & Hints
Culture
Thailand ( pron.: / ˈ t aɪ l æ n d / TY -land or / ˈ t aɪ l ə n d / TY -lənd ; [ 8 ] Thai : ประเทศไทย , RTGS : Prathet Thai ), officially the Kingdom of Thailand ( Thai : ราชอาณาจักรไทย , RTGS : Ratcha Anachak Thai ; IPA: [râːt.tɕʰā ʔāːnāːtɕàk tʰāj] ( listen ) ), formerly known as Siam ( Thai : สยาม ; RTGS : Sayam), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos , to the east by Laos and Cambodia , to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia , and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.Thailand is a country with rich cultural history and refined traditions, and is well known for its individuality and uniqueness. Thai culture has been passed down through the centuries, starting from the early Lanna period through to the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods to the current ‘glorious era’ of Rattanakosin. Bangkok, as the capital during some of the Kingdom’s most prosperous eras, is seat to some of Thailand’s finest cultural sites, which form one of the highlights of visit to the city.
Thai culture in Bangkok
Thailand culture etiquette: What not to do
by Lindsay Grahaem Created on : July 03, 2010 Last Updated : July 04, 2010 Different cultures have their own set of behavioural rules, and Thailand is no exception. By paying a little attention to your behaviour though, and observing a few basic rules, it's easy to ensure that you don't accidentally offend any Thai person or the Thai culture in general. -Don't Insult The Monarchy-Thailand's World : Thai Culture in Thailand
<a href="http://www.histats.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://sstatic1.histats.com/0.gif?1786248&101" alt="web page hit counter" border="0"></a> Thai culture needs to be understood from the ethnic traditions of the various peoples who migrated to Thailand to form the Thai culture as we understand it today, the influences from India of religion and mythology, the origin myths of some of the minorities living in Thailand and animist traditions which continue today. From these traditions we have a Thai culture where belief systems are distinguishable from elsewhere and the themes of these are reflected in the performing arts of music and dance, in the art forms of woodwork, sculture, murals, pottery and bronze and significantly in architecture forms and decorations, both in the past and continuing in new buildings today. Most importantly Thai culture is significant in the behaviour, customs and beliefs of the Thai people today.
The wai of a Thai bride The wai has been adopted by western cultural symbols in Thailand, including Ronald McDonald . The Thai greeting referred to as the wai ( Thai : ไหว้ , pronounced [wâːj] ) consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It has its origin in the Indic Añjali Mudrā , like the Indian namasté and the Cambodian sampeah . [ 1 ] The higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect or reverence the giver of the wai is showing.
