Thailand people are the true example of the rich cultural diversity of the country. The Thailand population is a blend of persons tracing their ancestry from different parts of Asia. A majority of the Thailand people is of Thai ethnicity. Persons of Chinese descent make up a significant minority of the population. About 15% of the people of Thailand are believed to be descended from Chinese settlers in the country.he Chinese immigrants also accepted Buddhism as their faith of choice.
They also learnt the Thai language.The Thai Malays form the majority of the local people in Thailand in the country’s southern regions. The Thai Malays follow the Muslim religion and speak the Malay language. The north-eastern region of Thailand is populated by the people of Laos descent. The Laotians constitute one-third of the total Thai population. They are known as ‘Isan’ among the Thai population. A small Indian minority is also present in Thailand.
Thailand Fesivals
The timing of Thai festivals are determined by the lunar calendar. As a consequence, the dates of the festivals in Thailand change every year. Some of the festivals have national importance. Others have a more regional bent. Thailand festivals occur throughout the year. A festival is held every month in Thailand. The Songkran festival is held on the month of April. The festival celebrates the Thai new year. In the Loy Krathong festival, thousands of candles are placed on floating kratongs and are pushed on the river, canals or any other suitable waterways. The Loy Krathong festival are held on full moon night every November.The list of Thailand festivals includes the Chiang Mai Flower festival, Bangkok China Town festival, The River of Kings festival, Pattaya festival, Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Visakha Bucha festival, Thailand Grand Sales festival, Candle festival and others.
Thailand Clothing
Women wear knee-length or short skirt with a matching top or blouse. Many women also prefer to wear long wrap around skirts with a floral print top. Traditional Thailand clothing is mainly manufactured in raw silk. Hand made Thailand silk has gained popularity all over the world for its smooth touch as well as of high quality.In the present times, most of Thai clothing is western in design and outlay. In Bangkok and in the big cities, people have opted for western clothes keeping traditional Thai clothes behind. On certain special occasions, the traditional Thai clothes are worn.
Men in Thailand also have traditional clothing style. Men dress in the traditional style on very special occasions, other wise they prefer to put on western clothes. Their traditional dresses are also made of silk and are like one-piece suits with a wide belt. Other types of dresses that are popular with Thai people are colorful batik sarongs, fisherman’s pants and trousers and vests made of cotton.
Thailand Music and Dance
The traditional Thai music was purely oral in culture. The traditional music of Thailand have no written notational styles. The music is also comparatively new when compared to its counterparts in Asia. Thai music is assumed to be not more than 600 years old. The first historical evidence of Thai music was found during the reign of the Ayuthaya kingdoms around the 14th century. The development of Thai classical music reached its nadir during the Bangkok period of Thai history. Music flourished in Thailand during the 18th century. Contemporary Thai music is a harmonious blend of the old and the new genres of music.
Thai dance can easily be categorized into two segments: high art, which includes classical dances and low art, which focuses mainly on folk dance forms.
There are three distinctive parts of Thai classical dance drama namely, Khon, Lakhon and Fawn Thai. Khon dances are very stylized with traditional dance forms and brightly colored masks. Lakhon dances usually depict folk stories and are performed by a group. Typically related to the folk music of a particular region of Thailand, is the Fawn dance. It has a typical flavor of its own.