ETIQUETTE IN THAILAND

It is not by accident that Thailand is often referred to as “The land of smiles”. The Thais are exceptionally friendly and helpful people, and getting along with them is easy – simple smile wide and laugh a lot. Being Buddhist, there are an amazingly tolerant people. Avoiding offensive behavior can generally be achieved through simple courtesy and common sense. A few taboos do exist, though, mostly with regard to the monarchy and Buddhism. Visitors should be particularly careful to behave respectfully at WATs and in front of any Buddha image. Confrontation is also considered extremely rude, and Thais will bend over backward to avoid arguments of any sort, Losing your temper or shouting, Whatever the situation, is seen as an embarrassing loss of face.
Thais use first names to address people, even in formal situations. The polite form of address is the gender-neutral title Khun, followed by the first name or nickname. Every Thai person has a nickname, usually a one – or two syllable name with a simple meaning, such as Mu(pig) or Kung(shrimp)

Greeting People The Thai Greeting is known as the wai and consists of the palms being pressed together and lift towards the chin. The wai evolved from an ancient greeting used to shown that neither party was carrying weapons. The wai is layered with intricacies of gender, and age: each of these dictates a certain height at which the two hands must be held. The inferior party initiates the wai holds it higher and for longer that the superior, who returns it according to his or her social standing . Non-Thais are not expected to be familiar with these complexities, and the easiest method is simply to mirror whatever greeting you receive. As a general rule of thumb, however, you should not wai children or workers such as waiters, waitresses, and street vendors.

Body language
The head is considered a sacred part of the body by Thais. Never touch or play someone’s head(ever). Not even that of a child. The feet are seen as the lowliest part of the body and to point your feet toward someone or rest them on a table is considered rude. When sitting on the floor, especially inside a temple, tuck your legs away behind you or to the side and try not to step over people sitting around you; allow them time to move out of your way


ROYALTY
The Royal family is the most revered institution in Thailand. Criticizing or defaming it in any way can be considered l’ese-majeste’. Not only could this mean a jail sentence, but Thai people will nearly always be deeply offended. Coins, bills, and stamps bear the images of Kings and therefore should not be treated lightly. Similarly, you cannot photograph certain sacred sights connected to royalty, such as the Bot of Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the highly revered Emerald Buddha image.

Monks
The monkhood(sangha) is a respected institution that comes just below royalty in the social hierarchy. Most toboos in dealing with monks concern women: It is prohibited for a monk to touch a woman or for him to receive anything directly from her. Therefor e, when traveling by public transportation, women should avoid sitting near or next to a monk. If she has to offer anything to a monk she should either use a middleman or place the item nearby for him to pick up. These rules are confined to monks and do not apply to nuns. It is not forbidden for people to talk to monks. However, monks never return wais.

ETIQUETTE AT WATS
As in churches and other houses of worship, a certain decorum should be observed when entering the grounds of any wat. Temples are calm, quiet places, so try to avoid disturbing the peace. Dress should be clean, respectable, and unrevealing(strictly speaking, the upper arms and legs down to mid-calf should be covered). Shoes should be removed when entering any temple building. Step over, not on, the thresholds of Wat buildings as Thais believe that one of the nine spirits that inhabit buildings lives in the threshold.
All Buddha images are sacred no matter how small, ruined, or neglected, and you must never sit with your feet pointing toward them.
Some areas of a temple may be off limits for women – there is usually a sign indicating so.


SUITABLE DRESS
Because the Thais are a modest people. Clothing should be kept respectable whether you are in the city or in the country. Women especially should take care not to wear revealing skirts, shorts, or skimpy tops. In formal settings and restaurants you will rarely see Thai women with bare shoulders sleeveless dresses or tops are considered too revealing for such situations. Topless sunbathing is frowned upon greatly regardless of whether others aredoing it – even in resorts dominated by Western tourists. Most Thais find the practice embarrassing and many of them find it offensive.

COMMUNICATING
Bargaining is common throughout Thailand. Though everyone develops a personal technique whether it involves smiling or remaining poker-faced but it is important not to get too tough or too mean. Likewise, be patient with receptionists, waitresses, and others whom you may deal with. In general, you should avoid raising your voice or becoming obviously irritable - Thais learn in childhood always to speak softly and avoid direct conflict. Foreigners who may be used to getting results if they show impatience are likely to find Thais ignoring them rather than attempting to continue communicating with them.

TIPPING
Traditionally tipping is not common practice in Thailand, thought in Westernized establishments it is becoming so. Taxi drivers expect tips you should round up the fare to the nearest ten Baht if you have not already bargained the fare. Porters, hairdressers, and barbers also often expect tips. A service charge of ten percent is common on upscale restuarant and hotel bills, even if they also charge government tax.

SMOKING
Most restuarant in Thailand provide smoking areas. The exception is Western fastfood chains, where smoking is generally banned. It is also prohibited in theaters and department stores and on public transit in Bangkok. Provincial bus services and trains often allow smoking.