Representation of the Culture

The Thai culture is greatly influenced by Buddhism, hence many Thais are Buddhists. The Thais expect a certain dress code that is allowed in temples, and the dress code does not include tank tops, shorts and slippers as it is deemed as inappropriate and not showing respect to the Gods and the Thais. It is also considered improper for women to touch monks. However, Hinduism is slowly becoming part of their culture, which is the influence of Thailand’s neighbouring countries Myanmar and Laos. The local cuisine also has some influences of the Chinese and Indian culture, besides the Thai culture. Images of the Buddha are often found in public including government buildings, schools, temples and homes.
The Thais show great respect for their King and they expects tourists to do the same thing too, as it is respectful. The Thai national anthem is played every day at two timings, 8am and 6pm, and also before the start of every movie in cinemas. It is expected that everyone, whether we are Thais or a tourist to stand during the national anthem.
The elephants are a traditional symbol of the King in terms of royal power, and are an important part of the Thailand culture. The elephant has been greatly loved and respected by the Thais since the old Siam days. This is because they have performed the most physical tasks. In the olden days, elephants were also used to transport the royal kings around. The Thais worship the elephants so much that they even pay respects to the Hindu God, Ganesh, which is represented by an elephant head and pot belly, and is also known as the elephant-headed God. In the Nakhon Nayok province of Thailand, there is a Ganesh Temple where many Thais go, to offer prayers to the elephant-headed God. Thais give equal respect and devotion to Ganesh, as they would to their own God in their Buddhism religion.


The music and dance in Thailand is also something that represents the culture of Thailand. There is the traditional music which consists of folk dance, and it is something that Thais take pride in, because the music and dance is part of their Thai culture. The Ram Thai is the main art of the dance and the Thai dance can be divided into 3 forms called the khon, likay-khon and lakhon. Teut-Teung also known as drum dance and it is used in folk music during parades at traditional festivals. The Farmers Dance which is also known as rice growers’ dance is a modern dance which is created by the Thai Ministry of Culture. The dancers’ attire match traditional farmers who grow rice and the dance portray typical farmers that work hard for the country.

Thai Boxing which is also commonly known as Muay Thai also corporate their traditional music in their sport, whereby the traditional music is played at every match. The Ram Muay ritual dance is danced along and the music is deemed as a symbol of respect. The tempo of the music varies throughout the match. For example, when the fight is resumed, the tempo is increased and during highlights of the match, the music becomes wilder.