Please enlighten me on some customs in Thailand!

loi krathong, the most meaningful and mythical festival among Thai people, is held every year on the night of December 15th in the Thai calendar (November in the Gregorian calendar). In this period after the rainy season, Thailand is a beautiful season when the river is high and the moon is bright. A 6-day tour to loi krathong, Thailand was exclusively planned by China National Travel Service during the holiday. Everyone presented water lanterns, and went to Guihe, where the water lanterns originated in Thailand, to set off water lanterns together with the locals. On November 14th, 25, the group arrived.

loi krathong, Thailand

According to the history books of Thailand, there are various legends about the origin of loi krathong, and there are many folk myths and stories. The relatively well-founded legend of loi krathong began more than 8 years ago in the first dynasty of Thailand-Sukhothai Dynasty. At that time, every year during the full moon on December 15th in the Thai calendar, residents gathered in the capital to celebrate the "Lantern Festival", and the emperor would swim in the river by dragon boat as usual, and the queen and concubines would also swim with the holy driving. At that time, the subjects paddled in the river, and then, under the auspices of the king, the whole city was filled with fireworks and jubilation all night.

According to legend, there was an imperial concubine named Nanopamasi in the imperial dynasty, who was ingenious and full of artistic genius. She ingeniously folded banana leaves into a lotus-shaped lantern boat, decorated with flower and bird patterns carved from fruits, inserted flowers, lit incense candles and put it in the water to make it float with the wind to show her gratitude to the Buddha and the river god.

King loi krathong, Thailand

was overjoyed when he saw this, and ordered that this water lamp be taken as an example, and December 15th of each year was designated as loi krathong. Since then, every time in loi krathong, the production of all kinds of water lanterns has become a common practice, and the shapes and styles of water lanterns have become more and more varied, and the production technology has become more sophisticated and skilled.

The meaning of water lanterns has also been expanding with the changes of the times. For example, farmers' water lanterns thank the river gods for giving them abundant water to irrigate their crops and pray for good weather in the coming year. Young men and women send messages to water lanterns in the hope that they can find their ideal partner; Buddhists pray that disasters will go with the water and happiness will come with the waves.

In loi krathong, it is held in all parts of the country, but it is not so grand and lively. Traditionally, Sukhothai Prefecture and loi krathong in chiang mai are the most lively, with colorful programs and rich local poetry.

loi krathong, Thailand

Today, the most lively and grand place in Thailand to celebrate loi krathong is Sukhothai City, the ancient capital of Sukhothai Dynasty, the birthplace of water lanterns. There is an ancient temple in the ancient city, which is located on an island in the middle of a lake. Citizens and tourists gather here to float water lanterns during festivals.

On that day, the celebration started with a water lantern design and a miss water lantern beauty contest, and at the same time, there were parades of elephants, horses and floats in costumes, which made people feel as if they had returned to the ancient Sukhothai era, because Sukhothai was an ancient capital with historical significance, a famous ancient city with beautiful mountains and rivers and rich products.

At the same time, Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is also interesting. In the early morning, good men and believing women hold delicious meals, fruits and flowers and flock to the temple to give monks worship to the Buddha. The monks are busy receiving gifts and giving lectures. At night, small coconut oil lamps are lit indoors and outside every household, in the courtyard of Buddhist temples and around the walls. Coconut oil lamps made of banana leaves are floating in the river, and flashing lights are everywhere to climb up and look at the distance, as if the stars in the sky have fallen to earth. At this time, the parade competition and drowning activities of the big water lantern boat began. Headlight boats are beautifully decorated, which means beauty in China. Headlight boats are divided into beautiful and moral categories, and colored lights or candles are installed on them. The moral category is to hold things in the structure of the lantern boat, and its significance includes advocating democratic politics, advising people to unite and maintaining the inherent national culture. There are also several girls dressed in delicate and charming costumes on the boat. As the embodiment of Princess Nopama, they sit or dance demurely, just like fairies descending to earth. Twenty or thirty headlight boats sailed for the river bank after the parade.

Some hotels in Bangkok City Hall, which are located near the water or have small lakes and canals in their gardens, or even large and small pools with water jets in their halls, have become excellent places to put on water lanterns and inherit the beautiful traditional customs. They not only attract many Thai people or families to enjoy dinner in the hotel and put on water lanterns to send their wishes, but also bring exotic and beautiful Thai characteristics to foreign tourists, and they all take part in the water lanterns and leave an unforgettable night.

As the materials for making water lanterns, a cheap "styrofoam" and some plastic materials were used in the past. Because these materials won't rot for a long time, it has caused environmental pollution. In order to celebrate loi krathong and keep the environment clean, the Bangkok municipal government vigorously promoted the use of banana leaves, Shi Lian and other plants to make water lanterns, so that over time, the materials will rot without polluting and blocking the tidal surface of the river channel, so that everyone can get what they want when they put water lanterns. Fortunately, with the improvement of people's awareness of environmental protection, people can consciously use plant materials to make water lamps, and the situation has been greatly improved in recent years.

The annual loi krathong, Thailand, is spread all over the country. It is charming and full of romantic atmosphere, and people spend this festival happily. The evening is the beautiful scenery of loi krathong, and people have come to various rivers and ports to put water lanterns, and the lights of rivers and rivers are dotted. Young men and women are affectionate, women pray for a husband, and men expect a beautiful partner. The general public, on the other hand, thanked the God of Heaven and Earth and the God of Water for giving them edible water in the past year, and expressed remorse for the filth thrown into rivers, praying for forgiveness of sins and a happy life in Kangning.

There are many ceremonies and complicated manners in Thailand, and all ethnic groups have different ceremonies and manners. Thai people are the main ethnic group in Thailand, so the etiquette of Thai people is basically the etiquette of Thai people.

Thais should greet each other with folded hands on their chests. The method is to put the palms together between their chests. This is a greeting ceremony, which is equivalent to shaking hands in the west. The higher the palms are raised, the deeper the respect. When ordinary people see the king, they should raise their hands above their heads. When young people see their elders, they should raise their hands to their foreheads. When equal people meet, they should raise their hands below their noses. The elders should return the gift to the younger generation and lift it to the chest, and the hands should not be higher than the chest. Those with lower status or younger age should pay their respects first.

if someone offers you a folded hand, you must reciprocate, otherwise it is impolite. Bow your head a little when you are folded and say, "Savady!" (Sawattdee, that is, "hello"). There is no need to shake hands after the two sides salute each other, men and women do not shake hands when they meet, and laymen cannot shake hands with monks.

Don't wear dark glasses when talking with others, gesture moderately, and don't point your finger at the other person. When you walk in front of others (whether they are sitting or standing), you can't hold your head high and swagger, but you must bow down to express your apologies for what you have to do. This is especially true when women walk in front of others. Students must bend their hands when they walk in front of the teacher.

Thailand is a kingdom, and the Thai people have great respect for the royal family. As tourists, they should do as the Romans do, pay tribute to their king, queen, prince and princess, and stand up when the national anthem is played in the cinema or the portrait of the king appears on the screen. Whenever there is a grand assembly, banquet, or even before the theater begins to perform, the "ode to the king" should be played or played first. The whole audience here stands still and is not allowed to walk or talk. Pedestrians on the road must stand on the spot, and soldiers and policemen should stand at attention and salute, otherwise it will be considered disrespectful to the king.

The main ceremonies of the Thai people can be roughly divided into coronation ceremony, tonsure ceremony, sprinkling ceremony, new house completion ceremony and other ceremonies.

The Thai people's warm and polite personality has long been famous all over the world. I believe that people who come to Thailand have been received by the Thai people with warm, friendly, hospitable and polite hospitality. Although Thais seem shy, in fact, they get along well with strangers easily and always have a smile on their faces, so Thailand has the reputation of "smiling country". However, all ethnic groups in Thailand have some taboos. If they violate their taboos, they will cause dissatisfaction from their owners or others, and even strong opposition from the local people. In the future, diseases, deaths or crop failures will occur, which will be considered to be caused by those who violate the taboos. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. It is necessary to know some local customs and habits when you come to Thailand.

Thailand-a holy place of Buddhism:

The status of Buddhism in Thailand is sacred and inviolable, and any blasphemy may be detained, even for foreign tourists.

Here are only some things that tourists should pay attention to:

Don't point at monks, and don't touch monks. In particular, women are not allowed to shake hands with monks, and they are not allowed to sit next to monks in the car. Even if monks take the initiative to say hello (which foreign women often encounter), they should politely distance themselves.

please remember: do as the Romans do. If a woman wants to give something to a monk, she should ask a man to give it to her. If she wants to give it to her personally, the monk will open a yellow robe or towel to accept what the woman has given her. Monks are not allowed to touch women in the process.

Every Buddha statue, regardless of its size or whether it is damaged or not, is sacred. It is absolutely forbidden to climb the Buddha statue to take photos, or do anything that is disrespectful to the Buddha statue. When you meet a monk who is begging for alms, you must never send cash, because it is a violation of the monk's precepts? .

Some laws in Thailand are about the protection of religions. These laws not only refer to Buddhism, but also include other domestic beliefs. People who don't understand religious taboos, even if they don't mean to insult religion, will cause others' disgust. In the mosque, men should wear hats, and women should wear trousers or long skirts, and their hair should be wrapped with scarves. Take off your shoes when you enter the mosque.

Pay tribute to the royal family:

Thais respect their king, queen and royal family very much, so they should be absolutely cautious in criticizing the royal family in front of others. Thai law has penalties for disrespect to the royal family. Therefore, tourists should be careful to show proper manners. For example, when there are royal people present in public, it is best to pay attention to other people's actions and follow suit.

Dress:

Thai temples are sacred places recognized by Thai people. Please dress appropriately and dignified when entering Buddhist temples, and you will not be allowed to enter in any short skirt, shorts or topless clothes. When entering Buddhist temples, Muslim temples or private houses, tourists need to take off their shoes and be careful not to step on the threshold.

Thai women:

Generally, Thai women are rather conservative. Please don't touch them (physically) without their consent.

Address:

When Thai people usually address people's names, they add a word "Khun" before the name, which can be used by both men and women and means "Mr.", "Mrs." and "Miss". In Thai companies, employees often refer to "Pee" (brother and sister) and "Nong" (brother and sister), giving people a kind feeling.

The head is sacred:

Don't touch other people's heads, and don't mess up other people's hair. In Thailand, people's heads are recognized? It is an important part where the elves are. If you accidentally touch someone's head, you should apologize sincerely at once. Thais are forbidden to touch the head of children (especially young monks) by outsiders. Only kings, monks and their parents are allowed to touch the head of children. Even a barber can't touch other people's heads, and he must say "I'm sorry" before cutting hair.

Thais can't sleep with their heads facing west, because the sunset symbolizes death in the west. Only after death can they park their bodies with their heads facing west. When building houses, Thais are also used to sitting with their houses facing south or south facing north instead of west. In addition, the beard is also recognized? It's rude.

Unclean left hand:

Thais believe that a person's right hand is clean and his left hand is unclean, and his left hand can only be used to take some unclean things. Therefore, holding important things with your left hand will attract disgust. Left-handed people can pay no attention in daily life, but absolutely not in formal occasions. On more formal occasions, you have to offer it with both hands, and you will be recognized with your left hand? Is to despise others.

The sole of the foot is unclean:

Like the left hand, the sole of the foot is considered unclean. When sitting, avoid putting your feet on the table. Hitting or pointing at people with your toes will be severely reprimanded, and you must never rush your feet at the Buddha. Thai people think that the feet are despicable and can only be used for walking, and they can't do other things, such as kicking the door with their feet and pointing things with their toes. When sitting, don't tilt your feet and point your feet at others. When a woman takes a seat, the requirements are more stringent, and her legs must be close together, otherwise she will be recognized? It is uncivilized and ill-bred.

Precautions in public places:

In public places in Thailand, don't do anything that damages the style, such as hugging, kissing or shaking hands, which is considered to be against local customs. In addition, sunbathing naked is only allowed on some beaches. In other places, Thais don't like this kind of behavior. Although it doesn't constitute a crime, it violates Thai Buddhist philosophy.

Birth taboo:

In Thailand, when a baby lands, the midwife can only cut the umbilical cord with a bamboo knife, not scissors. After the baby is born, put the baby's placenta in a earthen pot and bury it behind the house after the baby is full moon. The newborn baby has to be soaked in cold water several times a day until his face is white and his lips are purple. It is said that this can prevent the child from getting sick. Neighborhood relatives and friends visit? When you are a woman, you can't talk about cold and heat, sweat rash, illness and death.

Other taboos:

Thais don't need to sign their names in red. Why? After Thai people die, they should write their surname on the coffin mouth, and write it with a red pen. It is forbidden to hang clothes, especially underpants and socks, in places where people often walk, such as doorways and roofs. In some rural areas, it is forbidden to praise others for their beautiful children. You can't pick the water lamp. Thais hold the loi krathong at the full moon in December every year in the Thai calendar, which is the most lively festival in Thailand. Be careful when watching water lanterns, no matter how many? Exquisite and beautiful, you must never pick them up, otherwise you will be severely punished.

There are more than 3 million Chinese Thais in Thailand, and Buddhism is the state religion.

Thai people have many established rules in dealing with people. When friends meet, they put their hands together and exchange greetings. When the younger generation salutes the elders, they raise their foreheads with their hands folded, and the elders should also reciprocate with their hands folded. Older or higher-ranking people don't have to raise their hands above their chests when returning gifts. When the ceremony is folded. The higher your hands are raised, the higher your respect is. Thai people also bow down, but on certain occasions, civilians and high officials bow down when they meet the king and his close relatives. The king should kneel when he meets the monk. The son became a monk, and his parents bowed to the ground. It is impolite to throw things at others. When you walk in front of the people sitting, you should bow down slightly to show politeness.

Thais attach great importance to the head, which is considered sacred and inviolable. If you touch the Thai head with your hand, it is considered a great insult. If you hit a child on the head with your hand, you think that the child will definitely get sick; Don't sleep with your head facing west, because the sunset symbolizes death in the west. It is forbidden to sign with red pen, because people write their surnames on coffins with red pen after death. Feet are considered low, so don't put your feet in front of others, and you can't kick things to others, otherwise it's rude. Don't kick the door with your feet, otherwise you will be accused. When sitting, the most taboo is to cross your legs. Pointing the sole at others is considered to be stepping on others, which is an insulting behavior; When a woman sits, her legs should be close together, otherwise she will be considered ill-bred. Don't step on the threshold in front of the Thai people, who think there are gods living under the threshold. In Thailand, men and women still abide by the precepts of giving and receiving, so men and women should not be too close. I like red and yellow, but I hate brown.

it is customary to use color to represent the week. For example, red is Sunday, purple is Saturday, light blue is Friday, orange is Thursday, green is Wednesday, pink is Tuesday and yellow is Monday.

The traditional Thai New Year, namely Songkran Festival (Songkran is a Sanskrit transliteration), is also called Songkran Festival.