Welcome to my Blog!: THE ANALYSIS OF FIVE CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF THAILAND

THE ANALYSIS OF FIVE CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

OF THAILAND

Presented as a final test of

Cross Cultural Understanding Class

Written by:

IFTI LUTHVIANA DEWI

2016

A. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THAILAND

Thailand lies between Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, with the Gulf of Thailand to its south. Its culture mixes strong Indian influences, Chinese traditions, and elements that are uniquely Thai.

Much of Thailand’s culture comes from the ethnic Thai people. One of the most important influences on Thai culture has been Buddhism. With around 95% of the country being Theraveda Buddhist, the belief system and values of Buddhism play a huge role in daily life. In Thailand, tradition is very valued. For example, every taxi driver had painted traditional symbols inside the car to gain God’s protection.

Thailand is one of the most fascinating countries to visit on earth. Culturally there are many practices and beliefs that are very different to those from Western societies.

B. CULTURE IN THAILAND

1. GREETING

a. The traditional greeting is with two hands prayer-like palms together known as a wâi. The Wai must be understood as a highly important sign of reciprocal demonstration of respect. The role of Wai are:

(1) With less important: Thumbs about on breast height.

(2) With ones of equal rank: Thumbs about on chin level.

(3) With important and older people: Thumbs on level of the upper lip.

(4) With very important people: Thumbs on level of the nose tip.

(5) With monks (and members of the royal family in which only meet very rarely): Thumbs on level of the eyebrows.

2. THE ROYAL FAMILY

The Royal Family of Thailand is held in very high respect. Making derogatory remarks about any of the royal family is against the law. The penalty is 3 – 15 years’ imprisonment, depending on the severity.

3. ATTITUDE TO OTHER PEOPLE

a. In general, displays of emotion in public are viewed in a very negative light. No matter how frustrated or upset a person might feel, Thailand people will always strive to maintain a positive and friendly attitude, a sense of humor, and a smile.

b. Respect for elders and for those in higher social positions is also important. Hierarchies of social status characterize nearly every interaction. Children are expected to respect their parents and teachers. The young must show deference to the elderly.

c. Thai culture places certain spiritual importance to certain parts of the body. You should not point your feet at people, touch people with your feet, prop your feet up on seats or tables or step over people sitting on the ground. The head in contrast has a much higher importance. Avoid touching people on the head as this is considered very rude. You should also avoid sitting on pillows meant for head rests.

d. Throughout all of Thailand, if someone notices a pile of shoes at or near an entrance to a home, shop or guesthouse, they should remove their shoes before entry; it is considered rude.

4. FOOD IN DAILY LIFE

a. Rice is the staple food at every meal for most people. All food is brought to the table at once rather than being served in courses. A meal will include rice, dishes with gravy, side dishes, soup, and a salad. Whereas in central and southern Thailand polished white rice is eaten, in the north and northeast people eat glutinous or sticky rice. Fish and shellfish are popular.

b. Curries are eaten throughout the country, but there are regional varieties. Northern and northeastern food is similar to that of Laos and consists of more meat, including meat served as sausages, or as larb (a salad is usually made of raw meat). Chinese food has influenced the national cuisine, especially in regard to noodle dishes. Sweets are eaten as snacks.

c. A popular snack is green papaya salad.

d. For beverage, beside Thai whiskey (Mekhong) and rum (Sang Som), the local Singha-beer is everywhere to be found. Chang-beer enjoys a larger popularity and also European beers such as Carslberg and Heineken are available in almost all restaurants and supermarkets. In

5. TABLE MANNER

a. Dining etiquette for drinking. Thai people never pour their own drink (be it beer or tea), they must always be alert throughout the meal as to whether their neighbor's cup or glass needs refilling. If it is less than half full, it needs refilling; alternately, if their is less than half full, the neighbor is obliged to refill it. If he or she does not, they not refill it themself, for this will cause the neighbor to lose face.

b. Dining etiquette for utensils. Chopsticks are not traditionally used in Thailand. In Thailand, spoons and forks are used (never knives). If they need to cut things, they use the side of the spoon first, and then move on to the fork if necessary. If they are right-handed, they keep the spoon in right hand and the fork in left.

c. Dining etiquette for eating rice. Rice is generally served in separate bowls, not on the same plate with your food. While rice is a staple, it is not necessary to eat every grain in your bowl; leaving some over is fine. In fact, if they eat everything in their rice bowl or on plate, it means they want more. Do not take the last bit of food from a central serving plate; that means there will be none left in case someone else wants some. Also, a sauce may be mixed with the rice, and the main dish may be eaten with the rice, unlike the practice in Japan. If they eat noodles or broth, it is not appropriate to slurp the food, however hot tea may be slurped quietly to cool it off as it enters the mouth.

d. Dining etiquette for toothpicks. Toothpicks are generally used at the end of the meal. The best way to handle a toothpick is to work away with one hand, while keeping the other hand in front of it over the mouth, as a sort of mask.

e. Dining etiquette for seating. The most honored position is at the middle of the table, with the second most important person seated next. This means that the host will sit at the middle of the table on one side, and the honored guest in the middle on the other side, opposite the host. The honored guest sits on the side of the table farthest from the door.

f. Dining etiquette for beginning to eat. Do not begin to eat or drink until the oldest man at the table has been served and has begun. It is appropriate to thank the host at the end of the meal for the fine food.

6. FAMILY

Family is central to Thai life. Although many newly-married couples will set up their own households, it is common for extended family to live with them. Often, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles will all live in the same household and help to raise children and provide for the family. Children are expected to show great respect for their parents, and they maintain close ties, even well into adulthood.

7. WEDDING

A Thai wedding generally consists of two parts: the legal and the ceremonial. These are done separately. There is no requirement of government documentation to have a religious ceremony, which is most common with Thai people. Normally, weddings in Thailand are Buddhist.

The legal part is performed at a local district office where the marriage is registered. It is not a chattel marriage, but a contractual marriage. The marriage certificate is in the Thai language.

Two type of gifts from the husband-to-be, are considered cultural requirements: khong mun and sin sod. Khong mun is a gift of gold jewelry that is given when the wedding is announced, or before the wedding ceremony. Sin sod is a bride price, often described less accurately as a dowry that given to the bride-to-be's parents. It is given at the wedding ceremony in front of all the gifts.

As a tradition a Thai man has to meet the whole family of the bride and get the total consent before he can get engaged. Only then he can propose to her parents for the hand of their daughter. Both families agree the date for the wedding is fixed. But the date for the wedding is delayed until the groom has finished his apprenticeship. The bride’s parents get bride-money from the groom, a kind of compensation for the upbringing consisting of natural produce or money. Many times this is returned to the bridal couple on the wedding day. In the country the newly married often stay with their parents.

Thailand traditional wedding

8. FESTIVALS

a. Loy Krathong

As the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (usually in mid-November) lights up the night sky, ‘Loy’ signifies ‘floating’, while ‘krathong’ is a small object in the shape of a lotis flower throughout the Thai kingdom. On the evening of the festival, thousands of people head to their local river or canal to make a wish. They do so by lighting the candle in their krathong and setting it free to float with the current. This is one of the Kingdom’s oldest and best-preserved traditions.

Image result for Loy Krathong FESTIVAL

Loy Krathong festival

b. Monkey Buffet Festival

One of the most famous places in Thailand to see monkeys is among the ruins of the historical city of Lopburi. In appreciation of their efforts to attract tourists, local businessmen put on a grand Monkey Buffet Festival for the monkeys on the last Sunday in November every year. Over the years this has become one of the world’s biggest monkey parties.

Monkey Buffet festival

c. Lotus Flower Receiving Festival or Yon Bua Festival

The Lotus Flower Receiving Festival, or Rub Bua in Thai, takes place at Bang Phli. This festival has been handed down from one generation to the next. It is held annually one day before the end of the Buddhist Rain Retreat. Traditionally, local people line up on both sides of Klong Samrong and throw lotus flowers onto the boat carrying a replica of a revered Buddha image.

The route of the boat covers a distance of only 1.6 kms but it takes them over 100 minutes from start to finish. They can also watch the boat parade from Bang Phli Old Market, the District Office and Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang.

The boat carrying Luang Poh To wasn’t the only one on the canal. Following close behind were about five or six large colourful floats. Some were being towed while others had its own rowers all wearing traditional Thai costumes. In addition, there were several hundred smaller boats belonging to local people.

Yon Bua Festival

d. Candle Festival

The Candle Festival takes place as the seasonal monsoon rains descends over the kingdom, marking the beginning of the Buddhist “rain retreat” and the Buddhist Lent, or “Phansa”. As Ubon Ratchathani province prepares for the Buddhist Lent, men with artistic skills set about the task of moulding and sculpting Lenten candles. As these works of art are to be presented as Buddhist merit-making offerings, the artisans pour their heart and soul into their craft.

The Candle Festival

e. The Phi Ta Khon festival

The Phi Ta Khon festival is unique to the Dan Sai district in Loei Province and reflects the local Isan belief in ghosts and spirits. Held once a year, it is part of a grand merit-making festival known as the “Boon Luang” festival. Young men of the community dress up as “spirits” wearing long trailing costumes made from colourful strips of cloth sewn together.

The Phi Ta Khon festival

f. The Hae Pha Kuen

The Hae Pha Kuen Festival is unique to the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Holy cloth, known as Phra bot, is draped around the stupa in a merit-making ritual. The custom reflects a form of communal merit-making designed to strengthen community spirit and foster unity and has been observed for some 800 years. According to Buddhist belief, participation in communal merit-making earns an individual more merit.

Hae Pha Kuen Festival

g. The Tak Bat Dok Mai

The Tak Bat Dok Mai floral offering merit-making ritual is unique to Saraburi province. This ritual stands out from the merit-making activities conducted in the other parts of Thailand because in addition to the offerings of cooked rice, food, incense, candles and other conventional sacred items, the Tak Bat Dok Mai ritual includes offerings of Dok Khao Phansa flowers that only come into bloom during the Buddhist Lent.

Tak Bat Dok Mai

h. Songkran Festival

The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit language and means the passage of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another. That means there are twelve Songkrans each year, but the significance of this Songkran is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram.

Songkran Festival, a national celebration of the traditional Thai New Year, captures the imagination of travellers for both its cultural and fun attributes; the latter being enthusiastic bouts of water splashing between friends and relatives. The custom originates from spring cleaning aspect of Songkran. Part of the ritual was the cleaning of images of Buddha. Using the 'blessed' water that cleaned the images to soak other people is seen as a way of paying respect and bring good fortune. This takes place all over Thailand in mid-April. The date used to vary but it is now fixed and takes place on 13-15 April every year.

Songkran Festival

THE ANALYSIS OF THAILAND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

1. Low context culture vs High context culture

a. Low context culture

In Thailand, there is no low context culture because they cannot express negative thoughts, feelings, and ideas as clearly in public, so that they have high context culture.

b. High context culture

The communication of Thai people shows high context culture. They respect the other use gesture or body language. It reflected when they are giving a Wai as the greeting to other people. Also their attitude in expressing their emotion in public, no matter how frustrated or upset a person might feel, Thailand people will always strive to maintain a positive and friendly attitude, a sense of humor, and a smile.

2. Individualistic culture vs Collectivism culture

a. Individualistic culture

Loy Krathong reflects that Thai people has individualistic culture. It shows by making a wish for each person.

b. Collectivism culture

Family culture in Thailand reflects that they have collectivism culture. It shows by new married couple, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles will all live in the same household and help to raise children and provide for the family. It means that they have tight social framework and their society values having relationship among groups more than being individuals.

3. Low power distance vs High power distance

a. Low power distance

Low power distance is reflected on the Sonkran festival. They are splashing water between friends and relatives, whether with the older or with the people that has higher status.

b. High power distance

High power distance is reflected through the respect people all over the country exhibit towards their Royal family, with they own family, and people who have higher status. For examples, Children are expected to respect their parents and teachers, the young must show deference to the elderly. For Thai, people have different power distribution and status, which can be determined by appearance, education, family name, job, and age. Lower status of people has to pay respect to the higher status. Those with highly prestigious positions in society, such as doctors, important public figures, and monks are almost revered. Their attitude like not point their feet at people and avoid touching people on the head shows that they are very respect the other.

4. Uncertainty tolerance vs Uncertainty Avoidance

a. Uncertainty tolerance

Uncertainty tolerance reflected in the food in daily life that they are eating. For example, Chinese food has influenced the national cuisine, especially concerning noodle dishes.

b. Uncertainty Avoidance

Thai people activity reflects uncertainty avoidance. This implies that the society values groups norms, rules and regulations rather than flexibility. Tradition is very valued. With around 95% of the country being Theraveda Buddhist, the belief system and values of Buddhism play a huge role in daily life. For example, every taxi driver had painted traditional symbols inside the car to gain God’s protection, and it shows that they are less tolerance for different tradition. In addition, there are many festivals show that they are strictly holding their culture, such as Tak Bat Dok Mai festival, Hae Pha Kuen Festival, and Yon Bua Festival. Other examples uncertainty avoidance is government will give punishment to Thai people who do not respect to the Royal Family.

5. Task Orientation vs Social Orientation

a. Task orientation

Task orientation is reflected on traditional wedding. Thai man should meet the whole family of the bride and get the total consent before he can be engaged. In addition, he should fulfill his task that are khong mun and sin sod as the requirements. Thai man is highly concerned with individual success.

b. Social Orientation

Family relationship has shown that Thai people focus more on collective concerns. They help each other to provide their family. Other example is in Monkey Buffet Festival, it reflects that they pay attention to the other people and appreciate of their efforts to attract tourists and local businesspersons. The Hae Pha Kuen festival also shows that they care of their community as indicated on this festival purpose, that is designed to strengthen the spirit of community.