Spoken by almost 100 percent of the Thai population, Thai is the only national and official language of the country. A survey shows that the people of Thailand take pride in their language, which reflects distinctive culture and traditions passed on from generation to generation.

Permanent Secretary for Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat said that the survey was conducted among 6,592 people aged 13 years and over nationwide, on the occasion of National Thai Language Day, July 29.

According to the survey, more than 50 percent of the respondents know that July 29 marks National Thai Language Day. Most people said that teachers and parents should serve as good examples for the use of the Thai language, followed by news announcers, television moderators, radio program presenters, and politicians. People in the survey wanted the Ministry of Culture to carry out a campaign for the proper use of the Thai language among young people and members of the media.

Aware of the importance and value of the Thai language, the Thai government on 13 July 1999 proclaimed July 29 each year National Thai Language Day, as proposed by the then Ministry of University Affairs. Chulalongkorn University submitted the proposal to the Ministry to honor His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his sixth cycle or 72nd birthday anniversary celebrations in 1999.

July 29 was picked as National Thai Language Day to commemorate His Majesty the King’s private visit to Chulalongkorn University to join experts on the Thai language in a discussion on problems of using Thai words. The discussion took place on 29 July 1962 at the Faculty of Arts, where students and lecturers were overjoyed at the talks with His Majesty as a panelist. During the discussion, His Majesty urged people, educational institutions, and public and private organizations to be aware of the proper use of the Thai language. His participation in the discussion reflected his interest in the preservation of Thai cultural heritage. To recognize His Majesty’s concern for the proper use of the Thai language, National Thai Language Day has been observed since 1999. Several activities, such as discussions, special lectures, exhibitions, and contests, are organized each year to mark this occasion.

His Majesty the King’s proficiency in the use of the Thai language is evident, as shown in his literary works. He is known to translate and write in his spare time, especially articles which he reads in foreign journals. The year 1994 saw the publication of His Majesty’s translation of William Stevenson’s book A Man Called Intrepid and in 1995 a biography of Marshal Tito called Tito by Phyllis Auty.

Many non-Thais find the Thai language fascinating. Basically, Thai is a monosyllabic and tonal language. It has incorporated a large number of polysyllabic words of Indian origin, borrowed from Cambodian, Pali, and Sanskrit.

Source: Public Relations Department of the Royal Thai Government

A recent survey of 23,088 Thai students from Pathom 5 up to doctorate level in all provinces across Thailand show that more students are turning to alcohol. According to the survey, the average age of drinking students is 19 years. The youngest drinker is only 10 years old.

Up to 56.7 per cent of Thai students with a grade lower than 2.00 in the previous academic semester have been drinking in the past six months. Of all students with the below-2.00 grade, 40 per cent have reported feeling stressed and despondent.

The risk of despair and drinking goes down as grades climb. The survey showed just 33.9 per cent of those with grades between 2.00 and 3.00 were in a state of desperation, and just about 49.6 per cent of them had been drinking during the past six months. Of those with a grade above 3.00, only 34 per cent have been drinking and only 25.7 per cent have lost hope in their lives.

If categorised by levels of education, 23.1 per cent of primary students reported feeling stressed and despondent. Despair, meanwhile, hit 35.5 per cent of vocational students and 32.7 per cent of secondary students. Up to 63.3 per cent of vocational students, 60.6 per cent of university students, and 50.3 per cent of graduate students are drinkers.

The survey was conducted under the collaboration between the Office of the Education Council and Assumption University's Academic Network for Community Happiness Observation and Research (Anchor). This report comes from The Nation.

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 if you are a child. Birthdays are not usually marked in the same way here as we did with birthday parties when we were younger. When I first came to Thailand I noted that many of my students didn't receive any presents from their parents. They didn't even get a cake. If they did get something, it would be a book or something equally unimaginative. But, it is not always like that. Thai people like adopting traditions from other cultures. Christmas is a good example of this. Thai children have seen Western movies and have seen what happens during our birthdays. So, they want the same too. Now more of my students receive presents from their parents than before. Some of them also have cakes. Though, they usually only get one candle. Or, if they have just turned say ten, they will then get eleven candles.

Thai adults might have a party for their friends. Though I know quite a few Thai people who never celebrate their birthday. They don't do anything special. Either they don’t have enough money or they are just not motivated. One interesting difference with these parties is that the "birthday boy" is expected to pay for all the drinks. I have even been to parties in Thailand where all the guests received presents! On Nong Grace's birthday today, she came to school with cake and candy for all her friends! For older people, they are more likely to celebrate the 12 year cycles. For example, on their 60th and 72nd birthdays. If you have a Thai friend who is going to celebrate a birthday then it won't hurt for you to buy them a gift. They will certainly appreciate it. But, it is not really expected. So, how do Thai people traditionally celebrate their birthdays? What they do is make merit by going to the temple early in the morning and offer food to the monks. This morning was the 53rd birthday of my school. We celebrated by inviting several dozen monks and everyone came early to school to offer them food and other basic essentials.

The following is some feedback from visitors to our website on this subject:

Oakmonster (a Thai woman): When I was a kid, the traditions went like this: Very early in the morning, we went to see my grandmother to ask for her blessing, then piled onto the car to Wat Benjamabopitr to give alms to the monks and released the birds/turtles. Then I got dropped off at school with a pass from my parents to be late AND to bring in treats for my classmates. Later that night, we'd have dinner with my family and then my cousins and grandma would come over and we'd have cake and open presents. As we grew older, we lost grandma and my cousins moved away, and then the traffic got so bad that going to Wat Benj became a half day effort, so our birthdays were reduced to just dinner with family and maybe a few presents, usually from my mom's friends. Birthdays have been more of a family affair for our family. There were only a few birthday parties where friends were involved that I could remember. Heck, I didn't have a party for friends until I was in 5th grade...which I did at McDonald's. LOL. One thing that seems to be consistent though is that we celebrate birthday by TREATING OTHER PEOPLE i.e. have a party so you can feed your friends, not for them to feed you.

Betti (a foreign teacher): Most of my kids bring a large cake to school to share with everyone. One of those Thai style cakes that taste like shaving cream and plastic. But at least they look good and make good photos. Some parents leave a camera and ask teachers to take some photos for them. We always put one extra candle "for good luck next year". These kids are upper-middle class, most have Thai parents who speak little English and have never been to the "west".

The tragic news over the weekend of the two speedboats that collided near Koh Samui brings back bad memories of my own boat trips. I think just about every time I have been on a boat in Thailand I have always worried about overcrowding and the seemingly lack of life-jackets. There are of course laws in Thailand which limits the number of people. However, as many people who live here know, not many laws are strictly enforced. The boat operators obviously want to load onto the boat as many paying passengers as they can. It makes economic sense to them. It also costs money to buy the life vests. In this case it was late at night and there was a storm. Newspaper reports suggest some people were using life vests to cover their heads. But that is not the point. In the case of a boat capsizing or sinking is there anything that you can hang on to while you wait for a rescue ship? Most likely the answer is "no".

A few weekends ago, I took some visiting friends to the temple on the other side of the river. The cross-river ferries here are always jam packed as there are no bridges in Paknam. During the day there are probably two or three boats operating at one time. At peak times a lot more. The jetty each side is basically a large concrete slab that bobs up and down as big ships pass by. Signs posted tell you not to overcrowd the jetty. But, does anyone take any notice of this? Not really. People have a habit of trying to get onto the boat before other passengers get off. Much the same as lifts in the department stores. So, as a consequence, the jetty has the weight of two boat-loads of people.

For myself, I usually wait for the crowds to thin. There is no rush. I think some people have short memories. It must have been about ten years ago when a jetty in Bangkok capsized killing a number of school children. People forget quickly. Even once you are on the boat you are not safe from harm. People are lulled into a false sense of security as the trip across the river only take 5-10 minutes. In the past 10 years there have been several accidents where passenger boats on the Chao Phraya River have capsized and people have died.

Every time I get on the cross-river ferry I always look around for life jackets. On the boats that cross from Paknam Market to Phras Samut Chedi there are no life jackets. However there are about a dozen or so buoyancy floats. These are screwed to the ceiling of the boat and the question is whether they will be easy to get to in the event of a collision. Forget about the fact that there isn't enough to go around!

I am sure after these latest serious injuries the government will make some noises about everyone having to wear life jackets in the open seas and that boats won't be allowed to be overloaded with passengers. But, how long do you think that will go on for until things go back to normal? Like I said, some laws are not strictly enforced in Thailand.

According to an article in the Bangkok Post, the Fine Arts Department plans to register 25 sites as areas of historical interest in Thailand this year. Most of the sites are in Bangkok and many are Buddhist temples, although there are also palaces and residences. Registration will entitle them to allocations from the conservation budget.

The department are proposing the registration of seven sites outside of Bangkok including the Phi Sua Samut Fort in Samut Prakan; an ancient town wall at the Phanu Rangsi military camp in Ratchaburi and Khao Sam Roi Yot cave in Prachuap Khiri Khan where ancient artwork was discovered. Temples in Phetchaburi will also be registered including Wat Yang, Wat Lat Satthatham, Wat Na Prom and Wat Phriang.

In Bangkok, the 18 sites marked for registration include Wat Kalayanamit, Wat Chinorosaram, Wat Khruawan, Wat Bang Khun Thien Nok; the southern building of Parusakawan Palace (presently the office of the National Intelligence Agency); the palace of Prince Dilok Nopharat (the office of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority); the residence of Chao Chom Manda Riem (Nanthanasuksa School); the residence of Maj Gen Phraya Damrong Paetayakun; Ban Sa-nguansuk residence; and the library of Mahamakut Buddhist University at Wat Bowon Niwet.

Other sites to be registered include Ban Wannakowit; Ban Phibultham (the Energy Ministry); temples including Wat Ratchasingkorn, Wat Kamphaeng, Wat Samphanthawongsaram and Wat Duang Khae; the Phithak Ratthathammanun Monument (Laksi Monument); and the residence of Phraya Paetpongsa Wisuthabodi (Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University).

I think one of the first phrases I learned when I arrived in Thailand was “gin khao reu yung?” This is a phrase that asks if you have eaten yet but is really more of a greeting than an inquiry. They are not really interested in when you had your last meal. If you dissect that phrase a bit more you will find a clue to as what is the main component of their meals. In Thai, “khao” means “rice”. So, what they are really asking is, “have you eaten rice yet?”

A second thing I noticed was that Thai people seem to eat all the time and they don’t really have the regular mealtimes like we do in the West. I would go as far as saying that for many people, eating is like a hobby. They have a phrase which says “gin len” or “play eating”. This is a bit like our snacking. I see some people eat all the time and they never seem to get fat. However, some do as I have written about before.

Wherever you go in the streets you will always find food stalls. From dawn to dusk and in some areas, all night. By far the majority are mobile. At the end of their day they wheel their carts back home. Some are pushed and others have bicycles or motorcycles attached. However, an increasing number just leave their cart on the sidewalk and maybe just pull a sheet over it.

Around the corner from where we live there must be at least a dozen of these stalls. For breakfast you can go and eat jok which is a kind of rice porridge with bits of pork and an egg. There are also little rice and coconut puddings called khanom krok. More substantial meals include pad thai (lightly fried noodles), ba mee (egg noodle soup), kao mun gai (Chinese chicken), hoi tod (oyster omlette), som tam (papaya salad) and many more. Then there are the snacks on a stick. Both seafood and meat.

One of my favourites is the fried chicken cooked by the Muslim guy (a.k.a. the “chicken man”). His secret recipe is so much better, and of course cheaper, than KFC. I don’t think his sales were affected much by the bird flu scare the other year. In fact, everyone I know were a bit upset when he disappeared for a week or so. We later found out it was the Muslim new year so I guess he deserved a holiday. The “chicken man” starts the ball rolling mid-afternoon and then his wife takes over late afternoon. By about 7 p.m. all of the best pieces of chicken have long gone.

With all of this abundance of cheap food on every street corner it is not surprising many Thai people either eat out or get “take-away” on their way home from work. A basic meal costs from 25 baht and 10 baht more will give you an extra helping. Just ask for “piset” which means “special”. It is not that difficult to order and all of the vendors around here are very friendly. I obviously have my favourite meals but I don’t want to let any of the vendors think that I am avoiding them intentionally. So, I have this rotation worked out.

Although I do like eating Thai food, it is also nice to have Western food. Since moving into my own house five years ago and rediscovering the kitchen I often cook at home. Most of these meals are Western (like meat and three veg) though I do experiment with Thai ingredients sometimes. I think that if I want to eat Western food then I should cook myself. There are some restaurants around Paknam that have Western menus but it can work out very expensive.

Most of the Thai people I know don’t really like Western meals. They are not so keen on steak and they would rather not have extra cheese on the pizza. If they eat a hamburger they would much prefer to eat the meat and then just peck at the bread. They do have milk but it is mainly seen as a children’s drink. So, they wouldn’t have cereals. They like bacon but again it is not traditional to have egg and bacon like we do.

For myself, I prefer a good breakfast of egg and bacon on toast or some cereals with a cup of coffee. Go to a restaurant and that kind of meal would set you back 120 baht at least. On the other hand, Thai people would have a jok rice porridge for just 25 baht or so. Other Thai people I know would eat food left over from the meal the night before. Although I like curries very much, I just cannot bring myself to eating anything hot and spicy so early in the morning!

Thai cuisine involves the balancing of contrasting flavors, spicy and subtle, sweet and sharp. It is also concerned with aesthetic value, for the Thais believe that food should please the eye as well as the palate.

One particularly delightful aspect of Thai cuisine is the art of carving fruit and vegetables. There is a long tradition of fruit and vegetable carving in Thailand, especially in the preparation of meals for the royal family. This traditional craft is still popular.

In the carver's skilled hands, and with a small and very sharp pointed knife, an ordinary papaya or pumpkin is turned into a bouquet of flowers, and a radish becomes a tiny rabbit or a carrot a rare orchid. Almost any kind of fruit or vegetable can be used as long as the carver understands the texture of each and uses its natural color to imitate the chosen subject. Soft produce such as mango, tomatoes, and papaya can be shaped into flowers, buds, leaves, or any form that does not require too much detail; otherwise, they would become mushy and loose their juice rapidly.

Not all the carvings are as small as a flower. A large round watermelon becomes a richly decorated and lidded bowl to be used as a container for fruit salad. The green outer skin is cut away to make a pattern of flowers or even characters in Thai literature.

In addition to molding the fruit or vegetable into a recognizable form, Thai carvers also use the skin in some artistic manner. Skins from apples and oranges, for example, are useful for decorating platters by curling the skins into looping frames for portions of food.

The art of fruit carving has gained greatly in popularity over recent years. Nowadays most five-star hotels and a number of cooking schools hold Thai cooking classes that offer courses that are centered around the carving of fruit into decorative garnishes.

Why should someone bother to transform a pumpkin into a magic basket or a carrot into a butterfly? The answer is the Thai appreciation of beauty and craftsmanship, whatever the medium.

Source: The Government Public Relations Department