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Do and Don't in Thailand

Thailand Etiquitte for Temples, Palace and archeological sites

  • Do wear appropriate attire
  • Choose the clothing that cover your shoulders and knees. On top, Do wear any shirts or blouses that fully covers your shoulders.  On the bottom, wear long pants or long skirts that.
  • Wear proper sandals or closed in shoes. 
  • Any revealing clothing such as see through dresses are not allowed.
  • Any tight fitting attire such as leggings are not allowed
  • Any clothing that has holes in such as torn pants, or ripped jeans are not permitted
  • Sportswear, sweat shirts or sweat pants of any type are not allowed.
  • Do take off your hats, sunglasses and shoes in the main hall or worship area.
  • Do not step or stand on the door threshold.
  • Do not touch or point at images of Buddha or the monks.
  • Do not raise yourself higher than the image of Buddha or the monks.
  • Do show respect to the monk. 
  • Women are not allowed to touch or get into direct contact with the monk.
  • Do not snap a selfie with the Buddha statues or the monk.
  • Do not touch sacred objects in the worship area.
  • Do keep silent, be quiet, turn off sounds of your electronic devices and do not disturb people in the worship area.
  • Do not use loud voices or crack jokes.
  • Do not show love and affection such as hugging or kissing in the temple area.
  • Do not drink,smoke, spit, chew gums inside the temples
  • While sitting, do not sit with your legs straight or point your feet at the image of Buddha or other people.  

 

Do & Don’t for Archaeological sites

Extra concern must be taken into account while visiting archaeological sites Here are some actions you need to do in order to help protect the cultural and historical heritage.

  • After visiting the site, please leave everything in its original condition.
  • Do not touch, move, gather or take back the artifacts
  • Do not stand, sit, climb, or stand on any structure in the site.
  • Do not enter the restricted area.
  • Do not dispose any waste around the site.
  • Do not write or make any marks on any object in the site.
  • Do not bring hazardous materials such as weapons, explosive objects, chemical substances or anything that could be dangerous into the site.  
  • Do not buy or brought buddhist images or any historical artifacts out of the country.
  • Do not do any inappropriate actions or disrespectful behaviors in the historical site such as smoking, drinking alcohols, climbing on statues or showing affection in public

Thailand Social Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

Thailand Do’s

  • Do respect Buddhism, all Buddha images, and monks.
  • Do dress properly when visiting temples and sacred places. For women, do dress to cover your shoulders and your knees.
  • Do remove your shoes before entering a temple, somebody’s house and even some shops.
  • Do respect Thai Royal Family
  • Do lower your body slightly when passing between or in front of people, especially while you are with people with higher social status.
  • Do eat well-cooked hot dishes. Please pay more concern about eating and drinking of street food from street food stalls.
  • Be more cautious while walking on the street because most cars and motorcycles don’t stop for pedestrian crossings and Thai people tend to be more relaxed with the traffic rules.
  • Do take the Thai national anthem very seriously. It is broadcast over television and radio twice a day – every day at 8am and 6pm. It is also shown before movies in the cinema. When the anthem is being played, everyone must stop what they are doing and stand to attention out of respect.

Thailand Don’ts

  • When you are inside the ordination hall, don’t point your feet to the principal buddha image. Don’t stand up especially when taking photos.
  • Don’t take a selfie with the Buddha image.
  • Don’t cross the door jam when you go into the ordinal hall in the temple.
  • Don’t do any behavior that show disrespect toward the Thai Royal family.
  • Don’t touch a Thai woman without consent. Most Thai women are conservative. Men should be careful when interacting with a woman in public,
  • Don’t show strong affection in public, especially inside temple grounds.
  • Don’t sunbathe naked.
  • Don’t touch a Thai person’s head or pass any objects over someone’s head because the head is the highest part of the body and is considered sacred.
  • Don’t point your feet to anyone or anything. Don’t put your feet up on anything. Feet is the lowest part of the body and it is impolite to put them up.
  • Don’t be offended by some personal questions about age, marital status or what you do for a living. These are subjects that will often come up in small-talk. You can choose not to answer if you don’t want to.
  • Don’t smoke in public areas. You can only smoke in the provided area.
  • Don’t drink tap water. 
  • Don’t take Buddha images out of the country because it is against the law.