Understanding Thailand and Its People
Historically, Thailand's government has encouraged an assimilation of minority peoples and collected little information about them.
Chinese, estimated at 14 percent of Thailand's population, are the largest minority.
Many have taken Thai names or married into Thai families, making an accurate count of their numbers impossible.
Less numerous minorities, many of them living within Thailand's borders as a result of past border wars, include the Ngio (or Shan), Phutai, and Saek, who speak Tai dialects.
Also, there are the Khmer, many of them from war-torn Cambodia; Malays, in the peninsula; and the isolated Karen, Meo (or Hmong), and other minorities of the north and northwest, known collectively as the "hill peoples.
" Religion About 95 percent of the people are Buddhists.
Roughly 5 percent are Muslims (mainly Malays of the south), while other religious groups constitute the remainder.
Every morning Buddhist monks carrying small bowls and wearing saffron robes, venture out among the people to receive food.
On holy days and during festivals, food is brought to them in their temple-monasteries, or wats.
Hundreds of these wats dot the countryside.
Every boy is expected to put on a monk's robe and serve in a wat for three months.
The most elaborate is Wat Phra Keo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), situated within the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
Language and Education Thai is the national language, and the official dialect that is used in Bangkok.
While the phonetic language is related to Chinese, King Ramkhamhaeng, an early leader, based the written alphabet on the Cambodian script.
Six years of education is compulsory for all children.
Upon completion of secondary school, a student can attend one of the country's 23 universities.
An estimated 89 percent of adult Thai are considered literate.
Way of Life Thailand is still largely a nation of small villages, most of which are located along the coast or near the rivers.
Rivers and klongs (canals) play an important role in Thai daily life, although many klongs in Bangkok have been filled up in order to widen traffic-congested streets.
Many people still live in floating houses moored to the riverbanks.
They earn their living by selling various products from their floating stores.
Traditional-style houses in the villages are made of wood or bamboo.
The roofs are generally made of thatch or sometimes corrugated iron.
When located near the water, the houses are usually built on stilts as a protection against floods.
Buddhism influenced traditional Thai arts, with the temples ranking among the best examples of Thai architecture.
New public buildings, as well as private homes, successfully preserve the grace of traditional architectural design while using modern construction materials and techniques.
Boiled or steamed rice is the principal food.
It is eaten together with fish, pork, chicken, meat, and vegetables, which are often fried and heavily spiced.
At home, as well as in restaurants, the Thai delight in eating a wide variety of traditional Thai and Chinese dishes.
Fish sauce and hot peppers are indispensable ingredients in Thai cooking.
Fruits such as mango, mangosteen, rambutan (a Malayan fruit related to the litchi nut), and pineapple are found in abundance.
Water buffalo provide the main source of power for about 30 percent of all small farms in Southeast Asia.
Farmers choose this ancient energy source because it remains more efficient than a tractor, which consumes gasoline instead of grass and provides no natural fertilizer.
Following a tour of the farm regions in the 1970s, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's king concluded that the lack of water buffalo contributed to rural poverty.
The Royal Buffalo and Cattle Bank, which he established, has since loaned 7,000 animals to farmers.
Among the sports popular in Thailand are traditional Thai boxing (in which the hands, feet, elbows, and knees may be used), takraw (wicker ball), kite flying, and cockfighting.
Western sports such as rugby, soccer, and basketball have also gained favor with the Thai.
Among Thai festivals, perhaps the most colorful is the Surin Roundup, which takes place every October at Surin, in the eastern part of the country.
Thousands of people come to watch elephant races and the parade of the "war elephants," a re-creation of the pageantry of ancient times, when elephants were used in battle.
Chinese, estimated at 14 percent of Thailand's population, are the largest minority.
Many have taken Thai names or married into Thai families, making an accurate count of their numbers impossible.
Less numerous minorities, many of them living within Thailand's borders as a result of past border wars, include the Ngio (or Shan), Phutai, and Saek, who speak Tai dialects.
Also, there are the Khmer, many of them from war-torn Cambodia; Malays, in the peninsula; and the isolated Karen, Meo (or Hmong), and other minorities of the north and northwest, known collectively as the "hill peoples.
" Religion About 95 percent of the people are Buddhists.
Roughly 5 percent are Muslims (mainly Malays of the south), while other religious groups constitute the remainder.
Every morning Buddhist monks carrying small bowls and wearing saffron robes, venture out among the people to receive food.
On holy days and during festivals, food is brought to them in their temple-monasteries, or wats.
Hundreds of these wats dot the countryside.
Every boy is expected to put on a monk's robe and serve in a wat for three months.
The most elaborate is Wat Phra Keo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), situated within the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
Language and Education Thai is the national language, and the official dialect that is used in Bangkok.
While the phonetic language is related to Chinese, King Ramkhamhaeng, an early leader, based the written alphabet on the Cambodian script.
Six years of education is compulsory for all children.
Upon completion of secondary school, a student can attend one of the country's 23 universities.
An estimated 89 percent of adult Thai are considered literate.
Way of Life Thailand is still largely a nation of small villages, most of which are located along the coast or near the rivers.
Rivers and klongs (canals) play an important role in Thai daily life, although many klongs in Bangkok have been filled up in order to widen traffic-congested streets.
Many people still live in floating houses moored to the riverbanks.
They earn their living by selling various products from their floating stores.
Traditional-style houses in the villages are made of wood or bamboo.
The roofs are generally made of thatch or sometimes corrugated iron.
When located near the water, the houses are usually built on stilts as a protection against floods.
Buddhism influenced traditional Thai arts, with the temples ranking among the best examples of Thai architecture.
New public buildings, as well as private homes, successfully preserve the grace of traditional architectural design while using modern construction materials and techniques.
Boiled or steamed rice is the principal food.
It is eaten together with fish, pork, chicken, meat, and vegetables, which are often fried and heavily spiced.
At home, as well as in restaurants, the Thai delight in eating a wide variety of traditional Thai and Chinese dishes.
Fish sauce and hot peppers are indispensable ingredients in Thai cooking.
Fruits such as mango, mangosteen, rambutan (a Malayan fruit related to the litchi nut), and pineapple are found in abundance.
Water buffalo provide the main source of power for about 30 percent of all small farms in Southeast Asia.
Farmers choose this ancient energy source because it remains more efficient than a tractor, which consumes gasoline instead of grass and provides no natural fertilizer.
Following a tour of the farm regions in the 1970s, Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's king concluded that the lack of water buffalo contributed to rural poverty.
The Royal Buffalo and Cattle Bank, which he established, has since loaned 7,000 animals to farmers.
Among the sports popular in Thailand are traditional Thai boxing (in which the hands, feet, elbows, and knees may be used), takraw (wicker ball), kite flying, and cockfighting.
Western sports such as rugby, soccer, and basketball have also gained favor with the Thai.
Among Thai festivals, perhaps the most colorful is the Surin Roundup, which takes place every October at Surin, in the eastern part of the country.
Thousands of people come to watch elephant races and the parade of the "war elephants," a re-creation of the pageantry of ancient times, when elephants were used in battle.
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