Thailand is a proud nation of people with a long history and well-established, complex hierarchal structure of status. Starting with the Royal family and percolating down, everyone in Thailand knows and respects their place in society. A polite Thai (which is most of them) will usually immediately identify whether another is of a higher status than they (usually deemed by age or wealth) and initiate the “Wai” – a submissive and graceful bringing together of hands to the chest or beneath the nose (to show ultimate respect). Even on a social level they will refer to their elders as “pii” (older sibling). In fact social grace is paramount and the formal suffix “kha” (female) and “khrup” (male) is added to the end of all sentences when addressing strangers, employers/employees or elders.
There are many other habits of etiquette – the most important being to avoid “loss of face” by losing your temper. The feet are considered dirty and should not be pointed directly at people or raised; shoes are usually never worn indoors and the head is sanctified, so touching someone on the head should be avoided, unless they are an intimate friend. Contrary to popular impression, Thais are quite conservative and expect visitors to dress appropriately in formal public places. They are also discreet about showing affection, especially in public.
While Westerners tend to pick up subtleness in tone of voice to indicate someone’s mood, Thais read your body language and approach. Emphasis is usually placed on passiveness and although they are used to foreigners being abrupt, it pays to smile constantly and go gently. Eye contact is a common and important method of placing strangers at ease and there is good reason why Thailand is known as “the land of smiles”. The Thais are incredibly patient and forgiving in an imperfect society and are happy to accept things as they are. The best you can do as a foreigner is to offer a soft laugh in testing situations and say “mai pen rai” (never mind) – a frequently used saying.
For most Thai people, even in the modern era, acting appropriately to maintain or improve your status is extremely important and this goes some way towards explaining their desire for material gain and wealth. Above all, they adore their King and greatly respect the Royal family; indeed his Highness King Bhumibol (Rama IX) of the current Chakri dynasty (and the world’s longest reigning monarch) was 83 in December 2009
and is hugely respected for his compassionate servitude to the entire nation, along with Queen Sirikit.
