Unique Thailand: Culture Off the Beaten Track

There are countless articles about Thailand's best-known sights: the beaches of Phuket, jungles and mountains, the glamorous attractions of Bangkok, islands, night markets and much more.

But here is something that is not talked about often enough: the people are one of Thailand's absolute highlights!

Amid all the Thailand travel tips about delicious food and wonderful destinations, it is easy to forget that our unique Thailand is made so special above all by its inhabitants. But what makes these people tick?

In what follows we explore curiosities, from funny and quirky to downright spooky, that are absolutely part of Thailand's charm.

Although you cannot point them out on a map of Thailand, they belong to the local culture just like the chillies in a papaya salad!

"Hello, my name is Ice. Lovely to meet you!"

Perhaps on the beaches of Phuket you will meet a Thai who calls himself "Cucumber". Or maybe, while touring the Bangkok sights with your tuk-tuk driver, you have made friends with someone called "Milk"?

Did you know that these are perfectly normal names in Thailand?

You will also often come across Benz, Poo and Porn in the big city of Bangkok. Every Thai person has a nickname, given to them by their parents shortly after birth. Why is that?

The full name is usually very long and complicated and is used only on official documents such as a passport. Good friends often know one another only by their nickname, not by their official first name!

In Thai folklore there is an old superstition that evil spirits want to steal newborn babies or take possession of them. A nickname is used to confuse them, or to make the baby unappealing to the spirits.

Official Thai first names include, for example, Somchai (male) or Subaporn (female). Porn may sound vulgar to European ears, but it actually means blessing and is a highly respected name.

Good examples of typical surnames are Inthapong or Keawchompoo. You should know that Thais who share the same surname are always related to one another.

For this reason, some surnames are very long, as more and more words have been added over time to set families apart from one another.

When it comes to choosing a nickname, there are no limits for parents. Common examples include:

• Abbreviations of the official name: Sert for Prasert, Kan for Kanchana

• The weather at the child's birth: Fon (rain) for babies born in the rain, Dao (star) for the starry sky, Nam (water), Sai (sand), Fah (sky)

• Features of the baby: Lek (small), Fai (mole), Yai (big), Uan (chubby)

• Colours: Som (orange), Daeng (red)

The birth month can also serve as a nickname (for example Meena for March).

These days English names are fashionable too; examples here include car brands (Benz, Ford), first names (Pete, Jack) or simply words that the parents like.

Bangkok, or in Thai Krung Thep, is the short form of (please take a deep breath):

"Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Maha Sathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit."

This full name consists of 169 Latin letters, which makes the city home to the longest place name in the world.

And what does it all mean? Translated, the name reads:

"City of Devas, the great city [and] residence of the sacred jewel of Indra [the Emerald Buddha], the impregnable city of the god, the grand capital of the world adorned with nine precious gems, abounding in immense royal palaces that resemble the heavenly abode of the reborn god, a city gifted by Indra and built by Vishvakarman."

Devas are angelic, winged creatures. Thanks to them, Bangkok earned the nickname "City of Angels".

Thais, especially in rural areas, are very superstitious. They believe in a wide variety of spirits, each with differing powers. While this may seem rather bizarre to non-Thais, it is taken extremely seriously by the locals. These spirits are truly feared!

These spirits from folklore and traditional tales are omnipresent in film and on television, which only fuels the general fear of them.

It can even happen that men dress up as women in order to fool a so-called Pop spirit. Lights at night are feared too, because they might be mistaken for the flying head of the Krasue spirit.

Okay, these are yet more things that make Thailand absolutely unique. But what exactly can you expect from these spirits?

Krasue spirit: Krasue are female spirits who lead a normal life during the day. At night, however, their head detaches from the body and drifts about restlessly in search of newborn babies or pregnant women to devour. It is thought that Krasue are the spirits of women who were burned long ago.

Pop spirit: A dangerous female spirit that takes possession of its victims and devours their organs. To this day, this spirit is blamed in north-eastern Thailand for unexplained deaths among villagers.

The only way to get rid of it: an exorcism in the form of dances and prayers!

Krahang spirit: Krahang is the counterpart to Krasue. By day he is an ordinary male villager. At night, however, he turns into a flying fiend who attacks women. Interestingly, the spirit uses round rice baskets to fly.

Pret spirit: Pret are tree-tall, thin spirits with an insatiable hunger. Their mouth is as tiny as the eye of a needle, which is why they are never satisfied. In folklore it is believed that ungrateful and money-grubbing people are reborn as Pret spirits.

Disobedient children are often told the story that the Pret spirits' tiny mouths come from the fact that they were once children who talked back to their parents.

Every building in Thailand has a spirit house. These are small, colourful little houses, usually located in a corner of the property. The exact spot is determined by a Brahmin priest.

The spirits of the land are meant to be able to dwell in these little houses so that they do not trouble the building's occupants. Thais like to present offerings such as rice, bananas and coconuts. A particularly interesting offering is red Fanta, which is said to symbolise blood.

Several Europeans have left their mark on Thailand. Did you know, for instance, that the country's national anthem was composed by a German?

Peter Feit, whose father emigrated to Thailand in the eighteenth century, spent his entire life in Thailand and founded the country's first western orchestra.

He introduced the Thais to western music and was a respected teacher. For this reason, the king eventually honoured him with the title Phra Chenduriyan (master skilled with musical instruments).

The lyrics of the national anthem have since been altered, but the melody remains unchanged to this day.

What is more, some of the most famous monuments in Bangkok and across the country were designed and created by a native Italian.

Corrado Feroci came to Thailand at the beginning of the nineteenth century to teach the art of sculpture. In the years that followed, he founded Silpakorn University of Fine Arts.

He also created works of art such as the Democracy Monument, the Victory Monument and the Memorial Bridge over the Chao Phraya River. He is regarded as the father of modern art in Thailand and is still greatly revered today.

So, do you understand now what we mean when we say that one of the best and most unique Thailand attractions is its invisible, bizarre and amusing cultural quirks?

Of course, you could also simply take in the usual Bangkok sights and lie in the sun on the beaches of Phuket. Even then, a trip to Thailand is certainly a wonderful experience.

But isn't it also part of Thailand's appeal to seek out an attraction you won't find on a map of Thailand or in the generic Thailand travel tips?

The whims of Thai culture, all the superstition and the often quirky names… we definitely count getting to know these cultural idiosyncrasies among our best Thailand travel secrets!

"Good day! My name is Andrew and I am your personal travel specialist for South-East Asia.

I look forward to welcoming you here in Thailand, and I promise you that the smiles of the Thai people will bring a smile to your face too."

With warm and wander-loving greetings from Bangkok, Andrew Greiner

service@asiaventura.co.uk