4. Culture

a. Cuisine

The Thai Cuisine is known as one of the most cuisine in the world, it combines: herbals, spicy

and fresh food with special cooking recipe. Each dish or a whole meal is always mixing of 4

main tastes: hot, sour, sweet and bitter. Thai Cuisine play an important role of Thai Culture and it

becomes one of features attract the visitors.

Thai people concept that a meal is when people communicate intimately with the others.

Therefore, they prepare carefully for the meal. In a meal, the main food is rice or sticky rice, use

with many dishes, such as: curry, soup, fried food or boiled food, salad and some main sauces

like shrimp sauce with chili. Thai always use fresh fruits in dessert, because they have climate

advantages so Thailand fruits have high quality. The Thai cuisine is divided into 4 different

regions, each region has its own characteristic style of process. There are some special dishes:

Tom Yum soup:

Tom Yum is a spicy and sour soup that very popular in the world. This delicious food is made of

fresh and high quality shrimp and some kinds of herbs, spicy with pungent and sour tastes.

Pad Thai

Coming to Thailand without try Pad Thai will be a big regret for the visitors. The ingredients of

this dish include: stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, peanuts, dry shrimps, tofu, tamarinds sauce,

peas and sometimes have fresh shrimps and cuttlefishes. Pad Thai becomes one of the Thailand’s

national dishes.

Thai hotpot

Thai hotpot is typical food; traveller definitely should try when come to here. The soup in hotpot

is originated in Tom Yum soup. The main ingredients usually use in hotpot is: beef, tofu,

vegetables, mushrooms, tomato, chili, lime, lemongrass, lime leaf, spicy and seafood. This food

is very addictive and becomes the most visitors’ favorite food.

Thai cuisine is also known with the diversity of street food. Every market is always crowd all

day and night. Mango sticky rice is a popular street food. It is the combination of sticky rice,

coconut milk and mango.

b. Taboos:

1.Disrespect to the King:

Don't disrespect to the King or the Royal Family. Thais have a deep reverence and devotion to

the King. In each situation, if you disrespect to the King, you will make mistake with the Thais.

They can not appreciate the Prime Minister, but always loyal to the King. So , always be careful

and pay attention to his royal majesty, especially the King.

2.Touching the others head:

Do not touch the others head or use your feet to touch the person or any object unless you have a

really close relationship with them. Because the Thais believe that head is the most important

part in a human body. Even if you want to touch the head of children either caress, this action is

considered disrespectful.

3.Wearing sexy, shoes to the temple or pagoda:

Thailand has more than 95% population follow the Buddhism, so they take very seriously and

carefully in the action related to the spirit world. Whenever you come to the temple or pagoda,

you have to take off shoes, placed outside and walk on foot to inside, that action express your

respect to the sacred places like that. Especially, guests should dress discreetly, wear a skirt over

the knee. If the foreign tourists are not know before and wear shorts or skirt must rent or buy

“sarong” to wrap all their legs and go to the temple.

4.Using leg to point somebody:

The most important Taboo of Thais is not use leg to point people or sitting cross-legged to

communicate. This action will make the Thais evaluate you are impolite because their

perspective that leg is the worst part of the human body. When sitting in house, remember that

never leave your feet towards Buddha statue.

5.Speak loud:

Do not argue with the others because the Thais are always amiable and graceful. Guests come

here should friendly and always bland with native people.

Especially, do not speak loud in public places, whether you are in a rage.

6.Touching the Monks:

In Thailand, Monks are not allowed to touch the female, while men still need to have space to

express their respect. In addition, you should not stand above, or higher especially do not hug the

monks. If a woman wants to give something to the monks, she must give it through a man.

7. Call the native people by waving hands with palms toward facing up:

Although you are a visitor, but never called the waiter by using up signs with the fingers pointing

up . This is very impolite (it's like you used "fingers alone" in the West). You should be waving

palms face down towards back.

In addition, these things should not be done when visit Thailand as whistle at the night - bring a

little color This superstition, that whistle at the night will call on the devil. Do not leave cigarette

butts or chewing gum on the public places.

Do not shipping trafficking prohibited items like drugs ... Played gambling is illegal in Thailand.

All the taboos above related to the cultural and spiritual life of the Thai people, we should avoid

things that violate visiting Thailand to have a fun trip and leave good impression on " country of

smiles "!

c. Festivals:

Thailand is known as the Paradise of the Southeast Asian tourism , which attracts millions of

tourists every year. Thailand not only attracts the tourists by the landscape, the beautiful green

island , the amazing food that Thailand also attracted tourists by the crowd and colorful festivals

throughout the year .

1.Songkran Festival:

Thais call the traditional new year holiday is Songkran. New Year's Day was organized on the

13th to 15th of April to welcome the new year. Songkran comes from Sanskrit , means " a change

of time , the sun goes from Zodiac region to Taurus region in the universe " , to celebrate the

birth of Buddha with water spray on each other to wash pure sadness happiness in the new year .

2. Loy Krathong Festival

Loy Krathong (flower festival) is considered the most romantic traditional festival in the world

with shimmer, fanciful of thousands sky lights and scented candles.

Visitors can see this festival on Thai’s streets on November, easily caught the romantic image of

the couple in the flower festival Loy Krathong . Lantern Festival is a holiday more meaningful

and contains many elements of the Thai mythology, organized on the night of December 15th

according to the Thai calendar.

Loy in the Thai language means floating, Krathong means small candles or small lamps mounted

on the raft made of leaves. Loy Krathong is a traditional festival has a history of over 700 years

to make sense to pay homage to the god of water and prayed to God to forgive the actions of

people in life when people polluted the water.

3. Khao Phansa Festival:

With over 90% of the population is Buddhist; Buddhism occupies a very important role in the

life and beliefs of the people of Thailand. Khao Phansa ceremony is a major Buddhist festival

which organized in July to declare the start of Buddhist Vassavasa , starting 3 months , can not

leave the compound of the monks in Thailand. On this occasion, many Thai teenagers also

practice hair down to signaling and blessed for parents, this is quite common with Thais people.

The Thai men even poor or rich must go through a period of spiritual practice. This is when

people dedicate new robes for the monks.

d. Costumes:

Thailand costumes is divided into two types : traditional costumes (costumes royal and popular

costumes) and modern costumes . Basic characteristics of the traditional costume of the Thai

people is not moulded the body. Instead, they are sewn from silk or cotton then folded, wrapped,

rolled into various types of clothing .

Local costume

For women, the basic costume is a “Phasin”, the dress includes two or three pieces of tubular

fabric was wrapped around the waist and flagged at the navel. Men costume is cloths belt tied

between the legs and around the hips . Both men and women are carrying a cloth bag on the

shoulder strap to store personal items. Phasin able to smooth, without embroidered anything, but

usually they have texture and color according to the styles distinguished by each region and each

ethnic group. Often the lower part of the dress was embroidered a lot .

Thai royal costumes:

The Thai royal court in 19th century advocate for a change in dress of Thais, they prefer to look

more Western. Men began to wear a shirt, and with both gender, the ready-made clothes started

to be preferred.

Modern costumes:

After World War II , the government encouraged change to Western-style dress. Nowadays,

Phasin is regarded as the poor cloth and the countryside cloth. But one can only wear it in the

countryside or in the place of the procession during the festival days

e. Religion:

In Thailand, nearly 95% of Thais are Buddhist. A small group ( 4.6 % ) are Muslim, 0.7 % of

population are Christianism. In addition, in Thailand there are other religions account for a very

small number of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is allowed from the Government. The monks

are many benefits brought by the Government, they are using the public transport free of charge.

Buddhism in Thailand is affected by the traditional beliefs of the ancestors and the gods of their

nature ; these beliefs have been put into Buddhist reason. Almost all families in Thailand have

built a small shrine in the home, there is a small wooden house. Thai people believe that it was

home for the gods. Everyday they offer food and drinks for the gods to let the gods happy. Thais

also believe if the gods are not happy, god will go outside the shrine, the main residence of the

owner in the house and would disturb. The shrine is also built along the road, where the public

will often offer to the gods .

f. Funeral:

Traditionally, funeral lasted for one week. Crying is not recommended during the funeral for the

soul not to bother just died. Many of the funeral rites were performed to highlight the merits of

the dead. Buddhist scriptures printed with the name of the deceased and the offerings are offered

to the temple. The professor was invited to Requiem to praise the virtues of the recently

deceased, as well as to protect the landlord against the soul back and became evil ghosts. A new

picture of people lost their shooting at the most radiant is placed near the coffin. Normally,

during the chanting, the monks held a skein, skein is connected to the body or coffin; This roll

only used to send the good word to the dead monk. The body was cremated and the remains are

placed in a tower in a nearby temple. However, the Chinese minority has continuously bury the

deceased.

g. Meal etiquette:

In Thailand , the dishes served at the same time , not give in sequence as in some other countries.

The dishes are arranged logically on the table for the convenience of everyone to share dishes .

In here you also should not use forks to eat,instead of that they often use the spoon to share food from a large disk. Do not eat the last piece in the overall dish .

h. Communication rules:

International tourists come to Thai will certainly receive traditional greetings of the locals ,

which is salute 2 hands clasped to chest, head slightly bent. When receiving this greeting , you

do not be surprised, you should keep calm and return.