pattaya127 Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 http://www.thaiweb.co.th/wai.htm : "Wai" says it all! The Thai "wai" is the equivalent of handshake, bow or tip of the hat in other countries and more. Each "wai" says a slightly different thing, depending on the occasion and social status of the people involved. When a person "wais" he or she puts the palms together, placing the fingers at chin level and bowing a bit. A "wai"-ing is also a wordless way to say 'Sawasdee" (Hello or Goodbye) and 'Thank you.' Thais use this gesture a lot. A Thai 'wais" a Buddha image, a religious shrine, a monk and a person of high status. Exactly who and when to 'wai" is, however, strictly a matter of social etiquette learned from childhood. Thais never 'wai" a waitress, a servant, a chauffeur, a taxi-driver or strangers they meet on the street, no matter how respectable looking they may be. On the other hand, it is polite to "wai" a doctor as you enter his office, a teacher at a school, your Thai friend's mother and father, a government official or the managing director of a company. A "wai," like a smile, does you a lot of good if you do it at the right time. It wins the affection of the people who receive your wai and creates an atmosphere of goodwill for both of you. Usually, you can expect the other person to return your "wai." But if that person is someone of very high social status he may not return it but simply smile and nod. Buddhist monks do not return your "wai." Ale King and members of the Royal Family do not "wai" their subjects except monks. A "wai" is also used when a person feels that simply saying "Thanks you" is not enough to convey his heartfelt gratitude. "Wais" are not for equals. You don't "wai" your friends unless you want to be funny. You don't "wai" very small children even if they do so to you first. A "wai" is tricky for visitors to Thailand to master. But try to observe how and when Thais do it. ------------------------------ http://www.thaistudents.com/thebeach/thaiwai.html : (comes with pix) The Thai sign of salutation or mutual recognition is to raise both hands, joined palm to palm, lightly touching the body somewhere between the face and chest. The higher the hands are raised, the greater is the respect and courtesy conveyed. The person who is inferior in age or rank in the social scale of precedence initiates such a movement of the hands and the person receiving the salutation immediately recipocrates. The Thai salutation may be rendered while sitting, standing, walking or even lying in bed during illness. In rendering a salutation while standing to a most respected person who is sitting, one, as a decorum of good manners, will stoop or bend the head at the same time. When taking leave, the departing person will offer a salute in the same manner, followed in turn by a corresponding salute of the other person. Such a salutation is called a wai in Thai, and is often seen in Thai society. A monk, by virtue of his holy saffron robes, does not return the wai to a layman, however old or great in rank, not even to the king. The appropriate way for a monk to respond in such a situation is by a gesture of acknowledgement either by speech or a facial expression of goodwill. When to wai The question of when to wai and how to wai is learnt from the earliest days of childhood. It comes naturally for a Thai, but is a problem for the visitor. A wai is not only reserved for greetings and farewells, but for a manner of other reasons too. When a person is receiving anything from a senior, he will raise his hands as a wai to the giver as a polite gesture of thanks before or after receiving it as circumstances demand. When someone is asking someone's pardon or favour, one usually makes such a wai too. During a Buddhist sermon, monks and lay persons will sit respectfully with their hands to chest level in a wai. A group of students passing their teacher at school will come smartly to attention and wai and bow with almost military precision. On buses and in taxis passengers wai sacred places and revered statues of past kings as they pass by. Even the drivers quickly take their hands off the wheel for a quick wai to a shrine put up to protect road users. Who to wai The best advice to farang (westerners) in Thailand is that unless you receive a wai first, stick to the handshake with men and a polite smile with women. As you spend more time in Thailand you will soon learn some important rules: Do not wai servants, labourers, children and other people of an obviously lower social status than yours. If you receive a high wai, reply with a lower wai. The safest people to wai are monks and the very old (but not if they are your servants or street vendors!). The appropriate deference position is shown by lowering the head and body, not by raising the hands. Remember, a wai is not a "hello". How to Wai Children are taught at a very early age how to show the proper respect to their seniors. They are drilled in both the home and at school to perform the wai correctly. For a foreigner, it is best to bring your hands up so that your thumbs are at about nose level. You might also like to bend forward slightly depending on how much respect you want to show. One final thing to remember is that the raising of the hands to wai and the lowering of the hands to a normal position should never be done with a sharp movement but rather in a more or less graceful manner such as in slow motion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Everyone, I appreciate all your inputs. The "wai" is lot more complicated than I ever expected. My initial worry was....if I "wai", I might offend some cause I'm doing it wrong or cause I'm not Thai. If I don't "wai", I might offend some just cause I didn't when I was suppose to. When in doubt, I'll play safe and not "wai" except to the obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whosyourdaddy Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 JUst wai when you feel like it. In the worse case the locals may get a laugh out of it. No harm done. In the most likely scenerio , locals will be happy you are trying their culture and will appreciate your efforts and politeness. Yes you may not be perfect in timing, height of hands and length of holding the hands but who really cares. Nobody will. Enjoy yourself Although I have taken actual courses on wai-ing and thai customs and I never seen anyone offended by someone wai-ing. Just the same I have never seen anyone offended by people smiling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 whosyourdaddy said:<snip> Just the same I have never seen anyone offended by people smiling. Ever been to New York City? Ever met my former wife? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2004 Report Share Posted May 23, 2004 whosyourdaddy said: Although I have taken actual courses on wai-ing and thai customs and I never seen anyone offended by someone wai-ing. Just the same I have never seen anyone offended by people smiling. Do you mind sharing some info on this "wai' class ? Where,cost,etc....... Khun_kong: Never been to NYC,but i do know that the city is well known for rude locals. As for your x-wife ? Pls do tell ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whosyourdaddy Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 It was about 5 years ago. A culture class through my place of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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