We had a page dedicated to culture in Thailand years ago but it is time for an update as a country and culture in Asia changed. The most important development that has taken place is the change in the royal family and in politics. We have described this for you.
The royal family of Thailand
The ancient king of Thailand named Bhumibol Adulyadej stands for Power of the country and he died on October 13, 2016. Read here about His funeral
His son Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is the current successor and the new king number 10.
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn greets an audience from the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace during the coronation ceremony Monday, May 6, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The climate
Thailand is warm throughout the year. The average temperature is 30 – 35 degrees. Thai friends tell us, with a wink, that there are three seasons namely:
hot, hotter, hottest because Thailand can be boiling hot!
Summer is March until May
Rain season is June to September
Dry season is December until February
Time difference with Europe is 5 or 6 hours. Thailand is faster in time. So when it is lunch time in the Netherlands, people are already having dinner in Thailand.
The Thai hand greeting.
The Thai greet each other formally, especially towards the elderly, with a Budistic gesture: with the flat hands against each other at the level of the nose. This shows respect to the others and is done by everyone on a daily basis.
Thai greeting
Another important part of culture in Thailand is the language. Thai has its own unique alphabet. This alphabet is characterized by the round characters. When speaking male speakers add Krab at the end of a sentence and female speaker add Ka.( often Na Ka for ladyboys)
So: “Sawadee Crab” is a formal “hello” for the male speakers.
“Sawadee Kaa” for females.
Here are 21 useful phrases in Thais language.
English is spoken / understood a little everywhere. Certainly within the tourism industry you can easily manage with English.
Era
In the year 2020, this is the sticker that you will find on the front of the car.
A good moment to see the difference in years from 543 was 2007 in our western year, but in Thailand it was already 2550! The Thai era therefore started 543 years earlier. The Thai calculate the era from the birth of the most important Indian Buddha monk. What year is 2020 then?
Prices in Asia: The currency in Thailand is Bath and the easiest way to quickly calculate your price in euros is divide by thirty-three.
In supermarkets and department stores, fixed prices are applied, just like with us. At other locations less official locations, you can negotiate the price with a friendly smile. The discount can be up to 10-25% of the asking price. Tip: avoid the intrusive seller! In many tourist spots there are sellers and tuk-tuk drivers that charge higher prices for tourists.
The capital city
The former name of the capital is Bangkok. In 1782 this name was changed to Krung Thep city of the Angels.
For unknown reasons, this name change has not been observed abroad and we still call the capital Bangkok. The official name of the city is also the world’s longest urban name. More than three hundred letters.
The population in Bangkok is around 12 million and 65 million people throughout Thailand.
Cultural festivals like culture in Thailand
Loy Krathong is in November and really special. Floating self-made boats with candles on them is beautiful. It is then full moon at the same time. They do this, among other things, to properly tune the water Gods at the end of the rainy season. We have created a page for this.
Songkran festival is the most important festival and very special to experience. This Water festival starts around April 13!
It is useful to know what to look out for and what is culturally acceptable. In this video they give 12 tips what not to do!
In this video from www.destinationtips.com number 10 & 12 are not very accurate. We believe that this is out of date because everyone also eats with a fork and the Thai people know that shaking hands is internationally accepted. Nevertheless, it is an educational video or the culture in Thailand.