Thai People - Thailand Islands

Thailand Islands - Thai People

Thai people are renowned the world over for being friendly and welcoming. Thailand is often referred to as the 'land of smiles' as there are more smiing people here than probably anywhere else in the world. This may be due to their lives being based on the idea of 'sanuk' meaning fun. The Thai philosophy is that if something is not 'sanuk', then why do it.

It is still a mystery as to where the Thais originally came from but it is widely accepted that Thais are a mixture of people from China, Cambodia and Burma. The history of Thailand and the Thai people goes back many thousands of years and throughout these centuries of war and change, Thailand remained the only country in south east asia not to be colonised by the west. This rich history has produced a people who are easy going, tolerant and accepting of others.

Thai people are highly religious with Buddhism being the main religion. Buddhism plays a major part throughout the whole of society from the social to the commercial. Ancestors in particular are revered and worshipped. Most of the population practices Theravada Buddhism and monks are held in high regard througout Thailand. Monks are given free transport but they are not allowed physical contact with women.

Thail culture and Thai people in general differ greatly from Europeans and other cultures. Thais tend to avoid confrontation as they see this as a loss of face. Shouting or loosing one's temper will achieve nothing in Thailand. Western businesses must also adapt to the idea of sanuk in the workplace where many Thai people have a much more easy going approach when it comes to deadlines and productivity.
Although Thai people are very tolerant, they will not however accept any criticism of the King of Thailand and the monarchy. Thais expect travellers in their country to respect the King and people often stand up when the King appears on television.