Thai people in each region have their own way of life from the North to the South and from the East to the West and the Central Plain. Thai people in Bangkok have their own way of life and their own set of etiquette. The regional difference in traditions and social customs is due mainly to historical background and the formative stage of political and social development as well as exposure to outside world. Religion has played a leading role in traditions of each society. In Thailand, local traditions may vary from place to place depending on ethnicity of the majority of people. In the North, places like Chiangmai, Chiangrai, Lampang and Lampoon used to be small city states with their own rulers. These former city states in the old time used to submit to the powerful Burmese rulers and were influenced by Burmese culture and traditions, particularly architecture of the Buddhist temples and certain social norms.

The traditions as kept by other regions cannot penetrate the strong belief of the local people in their own way of habits and life style. That is why each region can retain their own regional culture and dialect. Thai language has four distinguished tones and groups of words exclusively used in spoken Thai: The northern dialect, the southern dialect, the northeastern dialect and the eastern dialect. The language used in Central Plain are not different much to official Thai. Only accent can be distinguished from province to another. Most of the people in each region who are educated in schools with teachers using the official Thai to teach students in their classes can easily switch their tongues to speak the way Bangkokians speak. 

 You will see the spirit houses on a pole in almost every house of Thai people at a corner of their front yards.  Tai people call the spirit house ‘Sal Phra Bhumi’  ‘Sal’ or ‘Sala” means shrine. This tradition was from the old belief in the spirits of forebears or ancient guardian spirits of the places they presently live. The belief in spirits or ghosts has been with mankind since the ancient time when they had not yet understand the natural phenomenon and diseases that had taken away their lives. Instinctively, Man needs something to comfort his mind when in fear of unknown power and becoming hopeless in life-threatened situation. Fear is basic instinct in mankind and animal-kind. Seeking comfort in spirits of ancestors is deep-rooted common belief in all societies. So far, the knowledge of science is still incapable of eliminating the belief in spirits and ghosts people all over the world. Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are in the same league in believing in Gods. Buddhism has no God in its basic principles as the power that can control your life. But it preaches the existence of super-beings called devata or devas in Sanskrit which means those in an angelic state of being or celestial beings if you like to call them so. Buddhism does not treat any deva like Superman or having mystic power Zues or other gods  have in Greek mythology. A deva has no role in dictate any people’s life. People depend on their own deeds, not deva or God or spirit. But the influences of ancient traditions and customs are difficult to bust. So, the local traditions and customs have to live side by side in compromise. That’s why Buddhist events in Thailand are sometimes mixed with Brahmin ceremonial practices and local customs

There are many social customs practiced in Thailand. The most seen in Thai social customs is the greeting by wai a Thai people do for another.  But it is not a standard whenever two people meet. The general rules are as follows.

            1) A younger person (man or woman) is the first to greet an older person by raising both hands with palms close together to perform a “wai” (ไหว้) as a sign of respect. The young person needs to bow his/her head a little to meet both hands at about his/her nose. The common etiquette is to “wai” everyone present in a group of older persons to be courteous to all. The older persons need to accept the greeting by rub wai (รับไหว้) or wai to return the honour. A Thai people honour other people as they meet in any place by exchanging the wai. If the two parties know each other as close friends, wai is not necessary.

2) Wai is a way to express politeness and modesty by one person to another person. The accepted rules at a workplace are:  it is good for junior staffer to express humbleness toward his/her unit manager or senior executives. Wai is a way to give honour to other people both in private and public areas. It’s not matter if you are older than the person who is higher in ranking. Let think about the military rule for saluting among military personnel. If you a colonel you have to salute a major general you meet at any occasion first even though you are 56 and the general is 52. Ranking and position is more important than age in official circle of every country.

3) Well-trained small girls will wai  older people in a very polite way by bending her knees a little. Grown-up persons (men or women) will bow a little bit while doing a wai to much older persons, for example, father or mother of a friend or persons in top positions in their organisations. Politeness is key in Thai social etiquette, any kind of rude manner used among friends have no place in the etiquette rules for all occasions.

A wai can mean many things: a way to say sorry, a regret, an apology or begging for pardon. When a minor has made a mistake or did any bad manner unintentionally to an adult, it's good to quickly raise his hands to perform a wai. This is a basic rule. When a son or a daughter made a mistake big enough to cause any parent to feel sad. The best for the son or daughter to apologize or ask for forgiveness is to wai the parent at his or her chest. This way is done among family members only.

In certain circumstance of serious misconduct causing parents to be very upset, a teenage or a grownup child of the family may bring a  jusmine flowers garland in a paan, a small gold-plated flat top container with a base underneath or a silver plate, to give to the parent and ask for the parent's kindness and forgiveness and then wai or graab the parent at her or his feet or on the laps if sitting on a chair or the floor.

A wife can ask for forgiveness from her husband with a wai at his chest if she made a grave mistake that bring sadness to her husband.

4) Laypeople have to perform a wai for monks at all time whenever wherever they meet any monk. The monks will accept your respect by saying something to greet you. Monks cannot wai ordinary people. Among them, junior monks have to wai senior monks as a rule. In religious ceremonies, the rule is to graab the senior monks.  Graab is to sit on the floor in any posture and bow your head and torso down with your hands closed together and rest on the floor. Your head is to touch your hands. If the people you do the graab for is ordinary people, you don’t need to put your palms flat on the floor. Jus keep them together as in the wai form. But if you graab a monk or a Buddha image you need to put your palms flat down to the floor.

5) For small children at kindergarten age or very young grand children, Thai senior people need not to wai  them in return. Parents and grandparents can accept greeting from family members in any polite way.

6)  Thai people may say “Swasdi krub” or “ka”, while they perform a wai to give double greetings by word and body language at the same time. To engage in conversation further or not is up to relationship between the two parties. If the greeting by wai is done as a courtesy while a junior walking pass a senior, that is enough. It’s the same as done in Europe or America when two people say “hello” with a nod while walking pass each other on a narrow corridor or walkway.

Etiquette is a code of manner, which is different from country to country and from society to society in the same country. For example, Thai people regard their ‘head’ as a highest piece in their body. Anything considered  high in Thai tradition is worthy of giving respect. This tradition makes Thai people to pay special care in their manner if it involves head and hairs of other people. Touching head of other people, particularly senior people in the family and colleagues and strangers is taboo as it is taken as an insult and serious breach of good manner. Only parents, grandparents and other senior relatives can touch the head of their small children or grandchildren. When their children or grandchildren turned into adulthood, touching head of adult family members is not proper any more. In a Thai family, sons and daughters are not allowed to touch their parents’ head as a way of showing their closeness or love.

Feet are regarded as the lowest parts of human body. So, it is not proper to use a foot to kick a cabinet door or a drawer of a filing cabinet to close in front of other people. Using a foot to point to something or kick a small object on the floor to other people even she is your secretary or a junior staff-member is a very bad manner. You may be considered an uncivilized and badly raised by your parents.  They may take what you have done to them in such bad manner as an serious insult to their status as a person.  Many office workers in Bangkok come from good Thai families with the sense of pride in their family background and bloodline from their ancestors. Many of them are still related to the old-time aristocrats and royal families in the past.

For foreigner living in Thailand if work in an organization or associated with some well-cultured Thais, observing Thai customs and traditions is a very good idea. They will gain respect from their Thai colleagues or friends. Respect is the most important social norm throughout this side of the world, not only in Thailand.