Cultural Aspects in Thailand-
Cultural Slideshow
Thailand's culture is rich and comes from a large population of Ethnic Thai people. Buddhism plays a very large role in Thailand's culture there are many other things that help contribute to their culture today.
This map shows economic distribution in Thailand. It shows the different economic activities that make up Thailand's economy. Looking at the map, you can see that agriculture is the largest contributor and rubber is the smallest contributor.
This map came from: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/thailand_1974_econ_activity.jpg |
Values are very important to Thai people. Thai families are usually male dominant but females are highly respected.
-Statistics on Thai people-
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-Statistics and Charts-
This graph shows the life expectancy in Thailand from 1800 to 2013 modeling the entire Thai population. Looking at the graph it is evident that the income per person got larger as the life expectancy per person increased. One reason for the increase of income per person is because people began to take education more seriously allowing themselves to get better paid jobs. Another reason, is that medicine and vaccines available led Thai citizens to being able to live longer life increasing the amount of money one made in their life.
This graph shows the relationship between the child mortality rate and life expectancy reflecting the entire Thai population. When looking at this map, you see that the child mortality rate (children who died per women) decreased as the life expectancy increased. One reason for the increase is the medicine that became available over time for mothers to have when giving birth as well as medicine for newborns. Things in the medicine area began to become more advanced, allowing more lives of children to be saved.
The graph above shows what percentage of the Thai labor force is made up of salaried workers compared to the income per person. You can see a small but increasingly change over time. In Thailand, it is important for family members to work if they are able to. Although women are looked at to complete chores at home, they are also expected to work. In 2003, you can see an increase of income per person compared to the percent of people in the labour forces. More people began to be salaried workers in families, increasing the income per person.
These two graphs above show the change in child mortality between 1953 and 2002. In 1953 there was a fairly high infant mortality rate. The child mortality rate is the amount of children that have died per women. One factor of why the infant mortality rate has lowered since 1953 is because women began to not have as many children because they began to be looked at as an expense and did not help the wealth of the family. Another factor was that the medicine and vaccines for children and women have gotten more advanced in 2002 from 1952.
-Religion in Thailand-
There are many religions in Thailand, but one religion makes up the majority of the country; Buddhism occupies roughly 95%. Religions have all originated from different parts of Thailand. The second largest religion in Thailand is Islam, which is practiced by around 4% of people. Other religions in Thailand consist of: Hinduism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Taoism. Buddhism originated from Northern India and introduced to Thailand by the great Indian Emperor who sent Buddhist missionaries to different parts of the world.
Religion is a very important thing in the Thai culture that is an important part of everyday life. Thailand is classified as one of the “most religious” countries in the world; The map below shows this. For travelers who visit Thailand, there are two main things that catch their eyes. One is the Buddhist temple, which is a very sacred place for the Thai people. Another is the Buddhist monks that are dressed in yellow robes who are seen all over Thailand.
There are four sacred Buddhism places. The first is the birthplace, which is known as Lumbini. Another sacred Buddhism place is the Buddha Gaya in which Buddha attained supreme Enlightenment. The third most sacred place is the Sarnath, the first preached place. Lastly, Kushinagar is a sacred known as the dying place. These four most sacred places are mostly located in India, where Buddhism was originated. Although none of these sacred places are located in Thailand, there are still temples located around Thailand for the Buddhist Thai people.
Buddhism in Thailand has a direct connection to the government. Thailand is the only country in the world in which the kind is a constitutionally stipulated to be a Buddhist and the upholder of the Faith. The Thai people are still allowed freedom of religion because of this. This shows that Buddhism is very important to the Thai people.
Thai people recognize the key role that Buddhism plays in their culture, past and present. Thailand has a strong sense of religion from all the Thai people. Buddhism has been the main driving force in Thai cultural development.
Sources:
Hardy, J. (2008). Buddhism. Retrieved from Hardy, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism.html
Kusalasaya, K. (2006). Buddhism in Thailand, past and present. Retrieved from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/kusalasaya/wheel085.html
Religion.(2002). Retrieved from http://www.hellosiam.com/html/thailand/thailand-religion.htm
Sacred places of Buddhism. (2009). Retrieved from http://indiaing.zening.info/en/buddha/index.htm
Religion is a very important thing in the Thai culture that is an important part of everyday life. Thailand is classified as one of the “most religious” countries in the world; The map below shows this. For travelers who visit Thailand, there are two main things that catch their eyes. One is the Buddhist temple, which is a very sacred place for the Thai people. Another is the Buddhist monks that are dressed in yellow robes who are seen all over Thailand.
There are four sacred Buddhism places. The first is the birthplace, which is known as Lumbini. Another sacred Buddhism place is the Buddha Gaya in which Buddha attained supreme Enlightenment. The third most sacred place is the Sarnath, the first preached place. Lastly, Kushinagar is a sacred known as the dying place. These four most sacred places are mostly located in India, where Buddhism was originated. Although none of these sacred places are located in Thailand, there are still temples located around Thailand for the Buddhist Thai people.
Buddhism in Thailand has a direct connection to the government. Thailand is the only country in the world in which the kind is a constitutionally stipulated to be a Buddhist and the upholder of the Faith. The Thai people are still allowed freedom of religion because of this. This shows that Buddhism is very important to the Thai people.
Thai people recognize the key role that Buddhism plays in their culture, past and present. Thailand has a strong sense of religion from all the Thai people. Buddhism has been the main driving force in Thai cultural development.
Sources:
Hardy, J. (2008). Buddhism. Retrieved from Hardy, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Buddhism.html
Kusalasaya, K. (2006). Buddhism in Thailand, past and present. Retrieved from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/kusalasaya/wheel085.html
Religion.(2002). Retrieved from http://www.hellosiam.com/html/thailand/thailand-religion.htm
Sacred places of Buddhism. (2009). Retrieved from http://indiaing.zening.info/en/buddha/index.htm
-Slideshow Captions and Sources-
Thailand Cuisine
Rice cultivation played a significant role in Thailand's history as it allowed more settlements in this area per resources and food being available in large amounts that could feed groups of people. Rice is still a major crop in Thailand and was the first crop to be cultivated in this region. Rice is also apart of many main dishes and many popular meals from Thailand. There are two main types of rice that are cultivated: dry rice, primarily grown in the North/North East region, and wet rice, mainly grown in irrigated fields among the central plains and the southern region.
Food can have symbolic meaning for some families during certain holidays or celebrations. "Golden threads" are an example as it is thought to bring good fortune to those who eat it; "golden threads" are "a thin layer of egg or noodles wrapped around small pieces of food" (Food in Every Country, 2014). Meals ending with fruit are typical of a daily meal where meals ending with sweet desserts, such as bananas with coconut milk, are typically served for special occasions. Egg rolls are also popular food items for holidays and celebrations.
Typically there are three meals in a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as plenty of snacking in-between. Dinner is the main meal of the day and may consist of many different dishes to balance out all the different flavors and cooking methods. Soup is usually served with dinner and rice is usually served on each person's place while the other dishes prepared are brought out for people at the table to help themselves to.
Food can have symbolic meaning for some families during certain holidays or celebrations. "Golden threads" are an example as it is thought to bring good fortune to those who eat it; "golden threads" are "a thin layer of egg or noodles wrapped around small pieces of food" (Food in Every Country, 2014). Meals ending with fruit are typical of a daily meal where meals ending with sweet desserts, such as bananas with coconut milk, are typically served for special occasions. Egg rolls are also popular food items for holidays and celebrations.
Typically there are three meals in a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as plenty of snacking in-between. Dinner is the main meal of the day and may consist of many different dishes to balance out all the different flavors and cooking methods. Soup is usually served with dinner and rice is usually served on each person's place while the other dishes prepared are brought out for people at the table to help themselves to.
Recipe for Pad Thai (Most famous noodle dish)
Ingredients
-12 ounces of Pad Thai noodles -8 cups cold water -¼ cup olive oil -1 Tablespoon garlic, chopped -16 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (with the veins taken out) -2 ounces firm brown tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes -2 eggs, beaten -¼ cup crushed unsalted peanuts -3 Tablespoons fish sauce -2½ Tablespoons rice vinegar -1 Tablespoon sugar or 1½ Tablespoons honey -2 teaspoons paprika -½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper -3 ounces fresh bean sprouts -¼ cup leeks, cut into 1½ to 2-inch-long shreds |
Procedure
1. In a large bowl, soak noodles in cold water 45 minutes. 2. Drain in a colander (special bowl with holes for draining) and set aside. 3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. 4. Add garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 1 minute. 5. Add shrimp and tofu and sauté 1 minute. 6. Add eggs and stir 30 seconds. 7. Add noodles, peanuts, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, paprika, and red pepper and stir constantly for 3 minutes. 8. Remove from heat and transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with bean sprouts and leeks and serve. *Serves 8 to 10 Recipe directly received from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Spain-to-Zimbabwe-Cumulative-Index/Thailand.html |