Do as the Romans do says the popular saying. This is actually quite true. When you visit another country, you cannot be the boorish tourist who just goes and does what he does without really giving a second thought to the traditions and etiquettes that should be followed in another country. A responsible and culturally sensitive tourist will follow the established cultural rules and etiquette of the country he visits.
Asia has very strict and staid rules on etiquette. This is mainly because most of these rules are based not only on their culture but also on their religion. The people of Thailand follow very strict rules on etiquette that revolve around culture, religion and their love for the monarchy. These rules should be strictly followed in order to avoid any kind of social embarrassment or risk offending the locals or your hosts.
- Be very respectful of the King of Thailand and the Royal Family. The Thais revere the Royal Family very much so much so that any kind of aside that is seen as negative, even making a passing joke about them, is not only seen as extremely rude you can even end up in jail. The reverence also extends to places where the King is shown. For example, when you are in a cinema and a film on the King comes on. You will have to stand up until it is finished. Also, if you drop some money, do not ever step on it with your feet before picking it up. The picture of the King is in their national currency so it is highly offensive to put your feet (which they consider as the dirtiest part of the body) on the depiction of the King.
- The Thais put their head in high reverence because they believe that this is where the soul resides, also known as the Khwan. This means that you should not touch the head of another person. This also includes ruffling the hair of children. Additionally, you should not pass any object on top of a person’s head as this is also seen as very rude.
- If the head is the most important and most highly revered part of the body, then the feet is seen as the least important and dirtiest part. For this reason, nothing can be ruder than pointing at something with your feet.
- If you are in the country for a business meeting it is okay to give a gift to your business counterparts. A bottle of premium liquor is highly appreciated.
- When visiting temples always remember to remove your shoes. This also extends to approaching statues of the Buddha. It does not matter if the statue is in the open air, you will still have to remove your shoes.
- Removing shoes also extends to the home. Always remove your shoes when entering a home. Thais who live in the city are more understanding if you forget about this particular rule of etiquette but if you are in the rural areas of Thailand always remember to remove your shoes because a mistake will be less understood by the rural locals and this means that they will be highly offended even if it was just a mistake.