Thailand National Dress

Experiencins Thainess

There’s something about Thailand that wows a visitor’s emotions. Every year, surveys by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and independent groups show that tourists find Thai culture genial, gracious and friendly. In an era of processed lifestyles, the disarming warmth of “Thainess” refreshes the soul and prompts people to return. Thailand’s renowned hospitality grew from traditional customs that still shape modern Thai life, bind the land’s diverse cultures with core values, and imbue activities with gentle zest. Thainess is an intangible heritage – and an attraction in itself.

Initiation Upon Arrival

An initiation into Thai ways (withi thai) greets many a guest at check-in. Arrivals are often ushered by immaculate hotel staff to a bench of carved wood with silk triangular cushions to the strains of traditional music. Bowing graciously, the hosts present a garland of fragrant jasmine, a welcome soft drink of local herbs or fruits and a cold towel infused with lemongrass. Such exquisite courtesies are conventional here.

Convivial charm is no accident. Thais cultivate and label the traits of Thainess (khwaam pen Thai). Codes of conduct derive from Buddhism, relaxed rural life or court etiquette. This heritage accrued during the Siamese kingdoms of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Bangkok, and was recorded in official chronicles, manuals of folk wisdom (phum panya), literary epics such as ‘Khun Chang Khun Phaen’, and the central text about Thai cosmology, ‘Trai Phum Phra Ruang’. Over recent decades, notions of Thainess have continued to develop as a part of national identity.

Visitors encounter the Thai frame of mind in ordinary interactions, and at extraordinary events of pageantry, in the crafting of cultural symbols, and even in the sharing of a meal and refreshments. Generalizations about any culture always have exceptions, but Thais themselves constantly use these definitions of their national character.

THAI WAYS

Politeness

The most famous gesture of Thainess is the wai – a bow with palms pressed together in greeting, respect or reverence. Thais navigate their social hierarchy with different levels of wai. It is one part of a complex physical etiquette (marayaat) that Thais learn as children. Notice how softly most Thais walk and talk. Social juniors pass objects touching left fingertips to right elbow, a genuflection often done by servers in restaurants and spas. Seniors also get to start a meal first, enter a room first or be ushered to a seat. Younger Thais dip their head when passing elders or people of rank in a literal nod to seniority.

The Best of Bangkok in Three Days « City Discovery Travel Blog

Bangkok is Thailand’s  major tourist gateway and an important tourist destination in its own right. The city is home to the country’s most visited historical venues such as the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. These buildings, together with numerous temples and the city’s notorious nightlife draw about 10 million international visitors annually.

According to the Guinness Book of World record, the ceremonial name of Bangkok is the longest name for a place in the world. Translated in English, Bangkok’s ceremonial name is   “The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma.”