 Thai etiquettes |  | | Do not disrespect the Monarchy We Thais have a deep and genuine affection towards our King and Queen. When in Thailand, you’ll notice that pictures of their Majesties the King and Queen are ubiquitously displayed in every homes, restaurants, and most public areas. These images serve as personal and unique inspiration for each and everyone one of us. Therefore, please be so kind and don’t do anything that can be construed as disrespectful towards the Monarchy (i.e. mockery in words or actions), as it will be taken as the highest offense and you can end up in jail! (we have a “Lese-Majeste” law here, which have been enforced in the past, though rarely). |  | Do not touch my head! To us, the head is considered the highest and most sacred part of the body. This is the reason why when we “wai” (Thai greeting style), our clasped hands are place closed to our head to show respect. So if you don’t want to start a fight with anyone, please refrain from touching any Thai person’s head….well except of a cute toddler or baby's.
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|  | Dress appropriately at temples When going to a temple, please don’t show too much of your “sexiness”, you can give me a call for that (ladies only please.. LOL! j/k) This is considered disrespectful in many ways, one main reason is because the temple grounds are considered sacred, so it’s not a good way to show respect by wearing hot pants in there. The other reason is because the monks at the temples are supposed to have abandoned the layman’s life, and observe a life of celibacy. Therefore it’s not very nice to go in there and tease them like that (though unintentionally).
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|  | Do not point with your foot On the other end, the foot is considered the lowest part of the body, both literally and figuratively. So how should you behave knowing this?...no, it’s not walking with your hands! (though that would be pretty cool ) You should avoid pointing to anything using your foot. For example when you’re in a shop, don’t point of an item of interest with your foot. This is considered extremely rude and disrespectful. |
|  | Remove your shoes When entering someone’s home, please remove your shoes. Why?...it’s not because the floor of the house is the most sacred area, but because our home is our sanctuary and we like to keep it tidy at all times. OK, I just totally made that up, at least that’s how I view my home. I’m not exactly sure about the origin of this custom, but it makes perfect sense to me not to soil your host’s home with your dirty shoes. In Thailand, not only is it considerate to remove your shoes before entering a home, but it’s also customary to do so…really!
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