The longer that you stay in Thailand, the higher the chance is that you will one day be invited to a funeral. This might be for the parent of a colleague at work or a relation of your Thai wife or husband. I am not exactly an expert on Thai funerals, but I have...
Read more
Before the age of television soap operas and movies, Thai people entertained themselves by watching Shadow Puppet Shows. In Thai these are known as “Nang Talung” and were popular in Southern Thailand. Although you cannot see them so much these days, you might be lucky at a village festival, temple fair or some other...
Read more
In the old days, before movies and T.V. soap operas, people were entertained with Nang Talung. This is the art of shadow puppets that first became popular in Southern Thailand two or three generations ago. It has since spread to other parts of Thailand, like the north-east, but many people still see it as...
Read more
If you want any proof that superstition and black magic is alive and well in Thailand then you don’t need to go further than the front page of the Thai Rath. This is the most popular newspaper for Thai people and its front pages are often filled with colour pictures of road accidents and...
Read more
After a string of bad luck, the Thai government has decided that the best way to bring about national reconciliation in Thailand is to move around some furniture and potted plants at Government House. I don’t want to belittle the beliefs of the people in government, but wouldn’t it be better if they paid...
Read more
It would seem that the longer I stay in Thailand, the higher the frequency that I attend funerals. In fact, I have two sets of funeral clothes now. I thought today I would give a brief overview of a cremation in order to help any foreigners who might find themselves attending a funeral while...
Read more
A couple of weeks ago I went to Mae Sa waterfalls on the edge of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. On the way back, I noticed a sign saying Tad Mok waterfall, 9 km. It was already too late to make the little side trip so I postponed the visit until the next suitable time....
Read more
Some of you have probably already heard about Pongsathorn Wattanabenjasopha, the 12 year old school boy that committed suicide last week by jumping from the 6th floor of our school building. It was front page news last Friday in all the Thai newspapers and on television as well. All of them had a close-up...
Read more
In memory of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajnagarinda, an exhibition of her life has been set up at the site of the crematorium (Phra Meru) at Sanam Luang in Bangkok. The crematorium building is probably one of the most picturesque buildings in Bangkok built during this century. Though surprisingly, it is...
Read more
The nation today bid farewell to the late Princess Galyani who was cremated in an elaborate ceremony this evening in Bangkok. Hundreds of thousands of people dressed in black witnessed this historical event at Sanam Luang. For people in the provinces who couldn’t make it to Bangkok, there were ceremonies that were synchronized with...
Read more
One of the most fun events I have watched at fairs in Thailand is the Climbing the Greasy Pole Competition. As the name suggest, you have to try and climb a pole that has been greased to reach your prize at the top. These photos were taken during the Buffalo Racing in Chonburi recently....
Read more
Weddings in Bangkok usually last all day. However, if you have received a wedding invitation, you are usually only expected to turn up for the wedding reception in the evening. I have already shown you pictures of the other two major ceremonies that took place earlier in the day. These were the Making Merit...
Read more
I was telling you before about the Thai wedding I recently attended. The first part of the ceremony was for Making Merit and the Blessing of the Monks. On the wedding invitation I received, the next event was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. This is the parade of the groom and his family...
Read more
There are an increasing number of foreigners who are marrying Thai women or Thai men. And according to our ThailandQA.com Forums, there are also many people coming to Thailand to attend weddings as guests as they are asking questions like “What do we wear to a Thai wedding” and “What gift do we give...
Read more
If you have ever been to Thailand, then you probably already know that the calendar here is slightly different. Here we use calendars that show the Buddhist Era. This counts the years from the time when the Lord Buddha passed into Nirvana. This predates the Christian Era by 543 years. So, even though this...
Read more
A picture of King Rama VI with his governmental ministers Most people know before they come to Thailand for a holiday, that they shouldn’t criticize or even comment about the Thai royal family. It is a sensitive subject which could lead to 15 years in prison in extreme cases of lese majeste. All of...
Read more
One of the questions that we sometimes receive in our mailbox and over at the ThailandQA.com forums is this one: “How do Thai people celebrate their birthdays?” Well, they don’t often celebrate in the way that we do in the West. This often means no cake, no presents and no party for your friends...
Read more
Descendants of the Mon people who live in the Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan celebrate Songkran the first weekend after the rest of the country. I crossed the river last night to go and watch the Nang Songkran Beauty Contest and also to enjoy some of the food they were selling along the...
Read more
The 2nd of March is National Thai Heritage Conservation Day. It was set up to enhance public awareness of the value and importance of the national arts. The stamps shown here were released today.They illustrate dvarapala, the guardian of the temple. (Left): The guardians painted on the door panels at the rear of the...
Read more
The following are some of the pictures I took at the cultural events that took place at the Ancient City in Samut Prakan during Songkran 2007. Krabi Krabong – a form of martial arts which can be deadly Sea Boxing – Two competitors balance themselves on a pole above water. They then box until...
Read more
