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A Few Tips on Cultural "do's and don'ts"
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Cultural "do's and don'ts"
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Physical contact: the head is considered to be sacred by the Thais and so you should not touch anyone on the top of their head, other than young children.
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The feet, on the other hand, are considered to be lowly and therefore it is thought offensive to touch anyone with the soles of your feet, to point your feet at anyone - and particularly offensive to point your feet at any Buddha image - or to use the feet in place of the hands for example, such as to push open a door.
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It is not considered appropriate for men and women to show physical affection to one another in Thailand.
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Excessive bare flesh is considered inappropriate (Thais swim in shorts and t-shirts) in public places. It is particularly important to respect this when visiting temples when the shoulders and upper arms should be covered and 3/4 - full length trousers worn.
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The monarchy is revered in Thailand and it will cause great offense to say anything disparaging about the royal family or damage anything that depicts a picture of a member of the royal family.
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Women are not permitted to touch monks or their robes, or to pass anything directly to them. To pass anything to a monk women should first place it on a surface from which the monk can pick it up.
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It is common practice to remove your shoes before entering a house in Thailand, and some shops. |
The Thai's greet each other and say thank you with the 'wai' a gesture of placing the hands, palms together fingers pointing upwards, just below the chin - the higher the placing of the hands the greater the mark of respect so sometimes the hands will be positioned in front of the face
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