FAMILY STRUCTURE
In a typical Thai village setting, the family is an extended family with many generations living in one house, or in several houses within the same area. The household is a very important and powerful unit in Thailand, it is where the Thai children will learn the codes of behaviour and manners that are essential for life in the villages and beyond (more information can be found in Agents of Socialization in this report). (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/) Larger extended families include unmarried adults, and married sons and daughters. The male (father) is regarded as the head of the household, and the female (mother) plays a role of managing family finances and cooking. Thai youth have the freedom of choice in choosing their own spouses since Thai parents hardly arrange marriages and usually accept their children’s choices, because Thai parents believe that the couple may have been together in a previous life. If a couple gets married, they do not move into another house right away. The couple begins their married life as part of the wife’s household, and usually remains there for two or three years. Their first child is often born during the years in the wife’s household. After several years with the bride’s parents, most married couples move to a new household that is usually close to the husband’s family. The wife has a choice of taking her husband’s family name or keeping her own, but all children will bear the father’s family name. Strong relations with both the husband and wife’s families continue after marriage. Divorce is very rare in Thai villages, but the two common reasons for divorce/separation are laziness and adultery. (Bello, 2000, 5)
In the villages, houses are built on posts that do not allow animals and insects to come in. The whole family lives in one room, and there is very little privacy. Also, the houses are built on stills because of the tropical monsoons that bring heavy rain into the villages that would flood the houses if they were built on the ground. The houses consist of woven bamboo walls, wooden floors, and thatched roofs that are made out of palm leaves. When entering the houses, people use ladders or stairs. Underneath the living quarters, domestic animals such as dogs, cats, chickens, etc. are kept as well as other storage. In the houses there is hardly any furniture, family members sleep on the floor on mats and store their belongings in baskets and chests. The kitchen is separate, but close to the house. Instead of having a dining area with a high table and chairs, many houses have low tables for eating meals. When eating, people sit on a mat on the floor and the food is placed on the low table. Women bend their knees to the side and men sit cross-legged. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/)
RELIGION
Buddhism plays a very important part in the life of Thais. Most Thais are followers of Theravada Buddhism and the religion spreads throughout their way of life from birth through death. (Madihol University, 1996, http://www.mahidol.ac.th/Thailand/religion/Buddhism.html) Buddhism is based on the teachings of the Indian prince Gautama Siddhartha, who was born in about 566 B.C. He later became known as Buddha, which means “enlighted one.” (USMTA Inc., 1998, http://www.usmta.com/Buddhism-1.htm) Thai people follow the rules and teachings of Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path in order to become enlightened. The Eightfold Path consists of right thoughts, right goals, right understanding, right speech, right conduct, right effort, right attentiveness, right concentration, and living the right way. Theravada Buddhists do not believe that Buddha was a god, but he was a man. Theravada Buddhists also believe that people must reach salvation without the help of others. People gain merit for their afterlife by giving food to the monks, by celebrating holy days and by visiting the shrines of Buddha. More about the religion can be read in Agents of Socialization and Religious and Spirituality Rules in this report. (Bello, 2000, 12)
FOOD
Thai cuisine is spicy and pungent, having sharp tastes and smells. Most Thai food are often seasoned with several garlic and chillies (hot-tasting dried pods of red and green peppers) and a mix of limejuices, lemon grass and fresh coriander. Other common additions to Thai foods include the Galanga root, basil (a sweet-smelling herb), ground peanuts, tamarind juice, ginger (a hot-tasting root of a tropical plant), and coconut milk. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/) Rice is the main food in Thailand and it is eaten with most dishes. Most Thais eat rice as much as four times daily. (Bello, 2000, 10) Rice is very important in Thailand that the word “to eat” in the Thai language is “kin khao,” which means “to eat rice.” All Thais use this word when they are about to eat a meal, even if there is no rice served in the meal. Since there are no rice-cooking machines in the villages, Thais eat two different types of rice. One type is teamed rice (called “khao suey”) and the most common type is sticky rice (called “khao nio”). Sticky rice is kept in small wooden baskets and the rice can be rolled into a ball with fingers and dipped into sauces or eaten with meat and vegetables. (ThaiWorldView, 1998-2003, http://www.thaiworld-view.com/culture.htm) A typical village meal consists of rice, fish, vegetables and hot peppers. For drinks, most Thais drink tea. During a Thai meal, all the food is served together with the whole family. There is usually no appetizer or dessert. (Bello, 2000, 10) Thai people like to talk about food all the time, especially in conversations. The phrase “kin khao lel” (“Have you eaten already?”) is the same as “How are you?” in everyday Thai speech and is often used to start a conversation. Since there is no refrigeration, all meals are prepared fresh and mint is used in most food preparation to keep the food fresh. (ThaiWorldView, 1998-2003, http://www.thaiworld-view.com/culture.htm)
WORK
In Thai villages, the majority of people work in agriculture that includes crops for cucumbers, bananas, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, pumpkin, carrots, cassava, and groundnuts. The main crop (and also the largest) is rice. Unfortunately, weather conditions can heavily affect the crops and the growth of foods. Droughts occur frequently in Thailand and other issues that affect crops include flooding and pests. Farming is very important to the villages and farmers raise livestock such as chickens, cattle, cows, and pigs. (Bello, 2000, 6) Thailand is rich of tropical fruits and many villagers work in areas that grow exotic fruits such as durian, litchi, oranges, pineapples, rambutans, mangos teens, bananas, coconuts, papayas, custard apples, jackfruits, pomelos, guavas, rode apples, and crab apples. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/) Families garden individual plots of land, and the whole village works together to plant and harvest the rice crops. Some Thais make their living by logging and they live near rivers in huts above a raft of logs. They float along the river and sell the logs under the hut. Fishing is also important in villages, and families who fish for a living live in floating homes along the river. Fish are captured and stored under the house in an enclosed space. They are then fattened by the family and sold. (Bello, 2000, 6) In many villages there are floating markets, in which the market is in the form of a river with small boats that go around selling a variety of items such as food, fruits, and accessories. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/) Men and women usually have separate tasks to supply their living and household. Tasks for men include fishing, hunting, building bamboo rafts, repairing tools, and gathering wood. Women have responsible tasks that include cooking, pounding rice, managing family finances, carrying water and wood, tending kitchen gardens, gathering fruits, raising livestock, and making clothes. (Bello, 2000, 6)
RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUALITY RULES
Most Thais are devout Buddhists, and it is important that they follow the rules and teachings and not do or say anything that is disrespectful of their religion. It is very important to dress appropriately when visiting a Buddhist monastery and to remove shoes when entering. People also show respect by removing their shoes when they are invited into a Thai home. When a Thai person meets someone, they always wai (greet) the person by putting both hands together in a praying position. Images of Buddha should not be placed in a bad position, treated genuinely as an ornament, and shown in any lack of respect. Monks are treated with great respect and women should not touch a monk, stand near him, and hand anything to him directly. Thais also show great respect for the Thai monarchy and it is disrespectful to criticize the monarchy. (USMTA Inc., 1998, http://www.usmta.com/Buddhism-1.htm)
Thais believe that the feet are spiritually (as well as physically) the lowest part of the body and it is considered extremely rude to point feet at anyone and to sit with the legs crossed with the foot pointed out. When sitting on the floor in a wat (temple) facing a Buddha image, it is respectful to keep the feet to one side or beneath the body. Thai people never step over a person, they walk around them instead. When washing clothes, Thai people wash clothes that are for the top part of your body separately from the clothes that are for the bottom part of the body. For example, shirts are washed separately from socks. This practice occurs because Buddhists believe that the lower part of the body is unclean and they believe the top part of the body is sacred. This also applies when hanging clothes on a clothesline to dry. Clothes that are for the bottom part of the body are never placed next to or above the clothes that are worn on the top part of the body. In relation, after taking a shower, a person uses a towel to dry the top part of the body and uses another towel to dry the bottom part of the body. Since the head is considered to be very sacred, a person should not touch anyone on the head. (ThaiWorldView, 1998-2003, http://www.thaiworldview.com/culture.htm)
COMMUNICATION
Thai people communicate in Thai, which is the main language in Thailand and was created by King Ramkhamkaeng. King Ramkhamkaeng the Great was the ruler of the Sukhothai Kingdom from 1279 – 1298 and began inscripting Thai in 1292. The Thai inscription is known to be a source of Sukhothai history and the masterpiece of Thai literature. (Siamweb Cyber Culture, 1995-2001, http://www.siamweb.org/cont-ent/Thailand/131/index_eng.php) The Thai language is a tonal monosyllable language and consists of five different tones, which are the low tone, high tone, falling tone, rising tone, and mid tone. With these five tones, the same word (or syllable) can theoretically have five different meanings. For example, the Thai word “mai” means “new” in the low tone; “wood” in the high tone; “not” in the falling tone; “silk” in the rising tone; and the word [mai] does not exist in the mid tone. Tones are very important in the Thai language and by pronouncing the incorrect tone; the meaning of a sentence or phrase can be changed or misleading. When Thai people speak, there is a “polite” (respectful) word that is attached to the end of a sentence that they say. The word is “khrap” for men and for women it is “kha.” Also, Thai people change words depending on the person they are talking to. For example, the verb “to eat” is “kin” for friends; “than” for people of higher rank; “savoey” for the king, and “chan” for the monks. (ThaiWorldView, 1998-2003, http://www.thaiworldview.com/culture.htm) In non-verbal communication, the Thai language has its own unique alphabet, consisting of 44 consonants and 32 vowels that when combined, form syllabic sounds. The Thai language has no plurals and there are no tenses. When determining the past, present, or future, a small word or two is usually added to separate these tenses. Thai is read from left to right, but in Thai writing there is no blank space between words. (ThaiWorldView, 1998-2003, http://www.thaiworldview.com/culture.htm)
AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
In Thai villages, the family is the primary agent of socialization. Children learn discipline, patience and the expectations of the household. Respect for elders in the family is taught very early in a child’s life. Thai parents often avoid giving direct guidance, they believe that their children will gain wisdom through contact with others and by observation. (Bello, 2000, 5) Another important agent of socialization is the wat (temple) which is the symbol in Thai villages. The wat is a sacred place with statues of Buddha and the wat is where Thai people practice their religion and pray. It consists of Buddha images and it is also a storehouse for valuables (most villagers keep their valuables in the wat for protection), documents, and other artifacts of historical significance. Thai people will come to the wat to pay respect before the Buddha image and some people may visit a monk to seek advice and discuss their problems. In the wat, children learn the rules and expectations of Buddhism that will guide them through their life. Children also come to the wat for education, since elementary schools are built on the grounds of the wat. In school, the monks teach the religion as well as important subjects like reading, writing, and math. The village wat usually has a large meeting hall for members of the village and a large playground for children. Village youth gather in the playground in the early evening hours to play traditional Thai sports such as takraw. (Madihol University, 1996, http://www.mahidol.ac.th/Thailand/religion/Buddhism.html)
RITES OF PASSAGE
Shortly after the birth of a child (usually a few days), there is an important naming ceremony in which the birth parents often consult a monk in deciding a name for their child. The name should be linguistically satisfying and should also have a good meaning. A lot of names refer to natural objects such as flowers, trees, stars, and gems. (Bello, 2000, 5) In some villages, a Brahmanic rite is followed in which the baby’s head is shaven when he/she is one month old and the ceremony (also known as the Khwan ceremony) is sometimes accompanied by a Buddhist ceremony where monks recite passages from sacred texts. During childhood, children have topknots (small tufts of hair growing in the middle of a completely shaven head). When the topknots are about to get cut off, family members and relatives pray to the monks, and the monk cuts the topknot first before the parents and other relatives cut the rest off. After cutting the topknot off, the hair is put onto a lotus leaf and put onto the river to float away. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/) When a girl has passed three days of age, it is a tradition for the mother to pierce the ears using a needle, thread, and cotton. The most important rite in the lives of most Thai men is going into monk hood (being a monk) for a short period of time. In Thai society, it is considered that a man matures from monk hood and prepares him for the adult life. Monk hood usually occurs after the man has reached the age of twenty and many parents prefer that monk hood should take place before marriage. Another purpose of this practice is to achieve merit. Buddhists believe that the more merit you achieve in life, the better the life will be when reborned. (Bello, 2000, 12) While living as young monks, men spend the mornings praying, meditating, and studying. During the afternoons, they take bowls and go out to collect food. A day before the monk hood is scheduled to take place, the young man will have his head and eyebrows shaven completely and will wear white clothes. Senior monks, friends, relatives, and neighbours are invited to participate in the ceremonies (by attending the ceremony, they gain more merit). On the day of the practice, the young man is carried around a monastery a total of three times before he is taken into the monastery hall where a group of senior monks will wait for him. The young man will be read the necessary conditions of being a monk. He will then be accepted into monk hood and will now wear the saffron robes. (Madihol University, 1996, http://www.mahidol.ac.th/Thail-and/religion/Buddhism.html) As mentioned in Family Structure in this report, Thai youth have the freedom of choice in choosing a mate since Thai parents rarely arrange marriages for their children. They believe that the couple may have been together in a previous life. (Bello, 2000, 5) Buddhism plays an important role in Thai marriage ceremonies. In the villages, marriage often takes place at the age of twenty but it sometimes depends on the readiness of the couple. Traditionally, monks are invited to chant and bless the couple in the bridal’s home in the evening before the marriage ceremony. On the following morning, the couple offers the monks food. Before the wedding, there is a ceremony in which the monks and other people such as friend and relatives gather to sprinkle holy waters on the bride and the groom. The actual wedding takes place right after the ceremony or later in the afternoon. One part of the wedding is the “Khan Mark” where friends and relatives of the groom dance and celebrate their way to the bride’s house with gifts. Another traditional part of the wedding ceremony is paying respect to dead ancestors. Before the wedding takes place, the groom’s parents give money or gifts to the bride’s parents. (Madihol University, 1996, http://www.mahidol.ac.th/Thailand/religion/Buddhism.html) The wedding ceremony begins with chanting and blessing from the monks, and the monks bless the couple with holy water and then they go to a temple. During the wedding, guests pour holy waters from a shell onto the hands of the bride and groom. The hands are then held in a worship position as the couple kneels on a low bench, and the couple is symbolically joined together. The engagement ring is usually given a day before the wedding takes place or on the same day. After the ceremony, the couple and the wedding guests join together for a dinner and celebration. (Sriwittayapaknam School, 2003, http://www.thailandlife.com/)
When someone has died, a bathing ceremony takes place usually on the first afternoon after the death. It can either take place at the home where the person died, or at the monastery where his/her body is taken from another place. (Ivanova, 1996, http://www.orient.pu.ru/ivanova.htm) Monks, relatives, and friends pour scented water on the outstretched hands (palms) of the person who died and a sacred thread is passed three times around three different parts of the body that will symbolize the bonds of passion, anger, and ignorance. The body is then placed in a coffin decorated with fresh flowers and in the evening, monks are invited to the home of the deceased for evening chanting. Friends and relatives also come to give wreaths or fresh flowers and to listen to the chanting. It is common for evening prayers to occur for at least one week. On the day before the funeral, the coffin is taken to a special pavilion. In the evening, monks are invited again for chanting and praying as the family, friends, and relatives pay their final respects. On the day of the funeral, cremation is performed and is followed by a lunch offering. The ashes of the cremated person are then collected and some are placed in urns (vases that hold a cremated person’s ashes) that is to be kept at home near the family or in the monastery grounds, while the rest of the ashes are scattered in the water or blown away by the wind. Every year, on the anniversary of the death, family and relatives invite monks to chant verses and bless the ashes. (Madihol University, 1996, http://www.mahidol.ac.th/Thailand/religion/Buddhism.html)
CONCLUSION
As you now know, the culture and lives of Thai rural villagers are much different than the culture and lives of those who live Thai modernized cities in terms of work, housing, rules, agents of socialization, and rites of passage. Thailand’s rural village culture is highly influenced by religion (Buddhism) and is comprised of a unique history, geography, foods, family structure, work, rules, communication, agents of socialization, and rites of passage. In Thai history, there are normally four main historical periods that saw the development of the Thai culture and in terms of geography, Thailand is naturally divided into four topographic regions and the climate is warm and tropical with a monsoonal period that lasts from May to September. In villages, the household consists of an extended family with many generations living in one house. Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand, and plays an important part in a Thai person’s life. Thailand’s cuisine is pungent and spicy, with rice being the main food that is eaten with almost all dishes. The majority of villagers earn a living in agriculture, from harvesting rice to selling fish. Respect is also very important in a Thai person’s life, and a Buddhist should respect the spirituality rules. In communication, the main language is Thai and it has its own unique alphabet. There are two important agents of socialization in a person’s life that of which is the family and the wat. There are many rites of passage in life, the first one being the naming ceremony. The most important rite (for a man) is going into monk hood, and a special rite for a couple is getting married.