Theatre and dance culture in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is the capital town of Thailand popularly known as the hub for kingdom’s dance and theatre scene. A complete range of styles and approaches to dance and theatre is usually offered in this capital city. Various classical forms such as the Likay, Lakon Nai and Khon are available at institutions such as the National Theatre and the Chalerm Krung Royal Theatre. Highly contemporary productions are normally offered at theatres such as Patravadi Theatre. Bangkok is the genuine treat if you are interested in real arts.

There are some theatre halls present in Bangkok that should be visited at least once in lifetime.

Chalermkrung Royal Theatre:

This theatre was opened in 1933. Chalermkrung Royal Theatre is also known as Sala Chaloem Krung. The specialty of this theatre is the performances of ‘Khon’. This is a traditional Thai dance of around two hours. An excellent storyline based on aspects of Thai history and ancient Thai myths are carried throughout the dance. Some other Thai performing arts i.e. cinema, etc. are also staged at the theatre throughout the year.

Patravadi Theatre:

This theatre was founded by actress Miss Patravadi Mejudhon. This was Bangkok’s first open-air theatre located on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River. The Grand Palace is situated opposite to it while Wat Rakang is located just next to it. Patravadi Theatre holds regular demonstrations and lectures on the subject of dance and arts. Regular training and workshops are also provided for local students of performance arts. ‘Khon’ and Thai folk dances are a central theme at the theatre.

The National Theatre:

The National Theatre of Thailand primarily shows Thai Classical drama and features performances of Khon. Khon is mainly a drama where players wear traditional Thai masks. The costumes of this drama are very flowery. Lighting is excellent. Your weekend can become extra ordinary with the exhibitions of Thai classical dancing and music in this National Theatre.

People in Thailand

The city of Thailand is a multicultural society. In Thailand you will get many immigrant people like Tai, some Chinese and also Indians. From time immemorial Thai culture, civilization and identity has enhanced by the combined culture of Chinese, Indian, Tai and other community. People call the city’s residents as ‘Thai’. By this name it proves that they are unified in a political sense and also are subjects of Thai nation. The name ‘Thai’ has a cultural and linguistic sense. In Thailand most of the people speak Thai language but they also know other languages as well. Mentions about the first dwellers are there in the prehistory link.

After prehistoric times there were the Mon, the Khmer and other Austro-Asiatic tribes. These can be mentioned as the Lawa, H' tin, etc. Their defining moments are up until 1300 and the arrival of the Tai tribes. The Khmer who established the Kingdom of Chenla and Angkor are described in East Thailand People. It has also been proved that Khmer influence was significant elsewhere as well.

The Austro-Asiatic speakers including the Mon are considered in Central Thailand People and North Thailand People regions. The Mon had separate kingdoms in each region. The other Austro-Asiatic speaking tribes are considered but these were less significant. In North Thailand People are described as the smaller groups of Austro-Asiatic speakers such as the Lawa, H' tin and other hunters and gathers of that region.

The Tai tribes are considered the oldest and the most significant inhabitants in the regions of North Thailand, Central Thailand, South or Southern Thailand and North East Thailand. These regions are relevant in that ethnic diversity and also varied through out the regions of Thailand. Modern Thailand is a modern political nation now. The belief systems, ethnic characteristics, and languages and lifestyles of each of all the tribes are always compared. Between the Tai tribes the points of comparison can be named as script and language including culture, art and architecture style. As between all the other ethnic tribes comparison comes in the language groups, animist and non animist beliefs, monogamous and polygamous cultures, indic script or Khmer based text, spirit beliefs, ancestor worship or not, highland dwellers or lowland farmers, hierarchical and non hierarchical societies, and religion such as Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Muslim, animist, etc.

Thailand and its different temples

More than seven million visitors visit the city of Thailand every year because of the various attractions such as beautiful temples, great weather, rich culture and history, exotic food and world-renowned sandy beaches. The total population of Thailand is almost sixty million and the total land area is equal to France. The economic expansion is quite satisfactory in Thailand and it is 8 percent to ten percent each year. Mainly this is the reason why Thailand continues to enter the sights of Thailand property investors looking for new opportunities away from the traditional European and Caribbean markets. The domestic economic growth and tourism are the two strong grounds behind the upwardly mobile Thailand property market. It is expected that developments in both areas will contribute to a continuing upward trend in property prices. People buy property in Thailand for various reasons. The reason can be sometimes capital investments or holiday rentals or personal use as a holiday or retirement home. Sometimes people buy property to build temple. But to think in that line people should have proper knowledge about the city.

Foreigners should know about different temples before visiting Thailand. Thailand is a Buddhist country and it is mainly dominated by the Buddhist people. Here Buddha images are held sacred. Sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment even if committed by foreign visitors. Visitors to temples should ensure that they are suitably dressed. Ladies should cover their arms and no short skirts are allowed. Shoes should be removed before entering the temple. While sitting in the main temple building one should sit politely. The Buddhist temples are very auspicious place where Royal families also visit to offer their prayers and also perform religious ceremonies. Phra Kaeo temple is situates inside the grounds of the Royal Palace. You can also see some fascinating paintings and sculptures if you visit the place. In Wat Traimit, 3 meter tall Buddha image is placed. This image is made up of 5.5 tons of solid gold. It was made about 700 years ago in the Sukhothai period but out of the fear of the invading Burmese, the image was covered in plaster. About 40 years ago the image was rediscovered and since then attracts a lot of visitors. Beside these important temples one should also visit Wat Pho, Wat Suthat, Wat Thepthidaram, Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Saket, Wat Ratchanatdaram, Wat Mahathat and the Wat Rakhangkositaram.

Temples in Thailand

The majority of population in Thailand is Buddhist and that is why Buddhism also prevails in the city of Bangkok. Buddhist people are generally religious and may be that is the reason over 31,200 Buddhist temples spread around Thailand. In Thailand temples are known as ‘wat’. They are categorized into two main groups and these are temples which are permitted to carry out religious functions and those which are used only for living quarters for monks. In Thailand you can get a temple in anywhere and everywhere in the country. You can simply go to offer your prayers and “make merit” even if you aren’t a Buddhist. Although most of the other temples share almost similar features, some of the Buddhist temples are there which are architecturally glorious and historically important.

Based on the structural characterization Buddhist temples are classified into two main categories and these are Royal Temples and Common Temples. In Thailand, there are about 200 Royal Temples out of which only six are of the highest grade. When visiting a temple in Thailand, it is polite to seek the permission of the Abbott before taking photographs. You should also take permission before entering any place other than the main area. The permission should be taken from monk or one of the many helpers found in the temple grounds. Normally permission is granted without seeing the Abbott, but your show of respect by asking, will be returned.

If visiting popular temples, such as Wat Phra Kaeo in the Grand Palace grounds, there is no need to seek any permission regarding photography. You just need to follow the instructions if there is anything written about that. Wat Phra Kaeo temple is situated in the capital city of Bangkok. This is commonly known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as because it houses a small two foot jade statue of Buddha which rests upon a huge golden alter.

Sriwittayapaknam School culture in Thailand

Culture in Thai school is not different than any other school around the world. Some of the captivating cultures of Thai school help to make some challenging differences. Some of the simple rules can be mentioned as shoes are not allowed within the school premises. In the annual Wai Kru Ceremony all the students should bow down to their teachers just to show respect towards them. Sriwittayapaknam School, which is commonly known as Srinai, is located in the Samut Prakan City. This school is located at the distance of about 35 kms south of Bangkok. From the sixth floor of this school big container ships can be seen that are heading up the Chao Phraya River to the port in Bangkok. There is no sea at the vicinity so swimming is not possible there.

In Thailand, in most of the schools there are two semester exams. Usually there is no mid term breaks. 180-200 teaching days are there in every year. First term starts in May first week and it continues till October first week. The second term starts at November first week. As because Buddhism prevails in Thailand, there is no Christmas leave. At New Year’s time, four to five days leave are there. Second term finishes at February end or March first week. After that the students get two long months summer vacation. The month of April can be recorded as the hottest month and only 70% of students attend school at that time.

In Thailand, some of the teachers and students reach school very early sometimes even before 6 a.m. If the parents of some students are working in Bangkok, he or she reaches school early. The others reach school 7 or 7.30 a.m. The national anthem starts at 8 a.m. and all should be present by that time. Lunch break for kinder garden starts at 10.15 a.m. junior students get lunch break at 11 a.m. while seniors get at 11.30. Most of students go home by 4.45 p.m. The last students are generally picked up by parents by 6 p.m. at the latest.

Newspapers in Thailand

There are numerous newspapers in Thailand. These are basically for mass circulation which covers business, politics, and sensational, etc. All the newspapers are printed in broadsheet format but exceptions are there. These others can be named as tabloids. All the daily newspapers are published in Bangkok except one in Chiang Mai. After publication the papers are distributed all over the country.

The mass circulation dailies can be named as Thai Rath, Khao Sod, Kom Chad Luek, and Daily News. Among them Thai Rath is recorded as having one million circulation. This is also known as the most influential newspaper of the country. This newspaper mainly covers all sensational news regarding accidents, crime, etc. Daily news is also popular and having 900,000 circulation. Khao Sod can be listed in the third position while Kom Chad Luek has the circulation of 850,000. National Multimedia Group is the owner of this paper.

Some of the good daily papers are Thai Post, Naew Na and Matichon. The political stance of Thai post is known as most progressive of all other Thai dailies. Some of the business dailies can be named as Post Today, Krungthep Turakij and Phoojadkarn Daily. The dailies in English language are Bangkok post, The Nation, International Herald Tribune, etc. semi-weekly business newspapers can be named as Siam Turakij, Prachachart Turakij, and Than Settakij. There are two weekly newsmagazines in Thailand and those can be name as Nation Weekend and Matichon Weekly. Two business newspapers are there which are weekly. These are Phujatkam Weekly and Krungthep Turakij Biz Week.

These are the newspapers that make the Thai people aware of the fact what is happening in and around Thailand. Other than these some monthly and other newspapers are there which are distributed throughout Thailand.

Cinema in Thailand

Cinema of Thailand started many years back. In 1897, when king Chulalongkorn came to Switzerland, the whole incident was recorded by Francois Henri Lavancy Clarke. After shooting, the film was brought to Bangkok. There the film was exhibited and the response was very good. After this Thai Royal Family and local businessman start talking interest in film production. They also started organizing some film festivals where foreign films were shown. In 1920, a local film production center was started in Thailand while in 1930 the Thai film industry celebrated its golden age with some of the finest locally produced films. After Second World War, Thai film industry had a revival as by that time they started shooting films in 16 mm. Nonzee Nimibutr, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, etc. are known as new wave directors in Thailand. By 1990 for them and also action hero Tony Jaa, Thai films were appreciated around the world.

In today’s film fraternity awards has taken an important part. Your film is not hit if it has not grabbed any award and that is the usual scene in filmy world. In 1997 Thai film industry organized Thai short film and video festival. In 1998, Bangkok had started organizing film festivals. In 2002, the Tourist Authority of Thailand organized Bangkok International Film Festival and this was a great event. Recently in 2007, Digital Forum was started in Bangkok. This has begun as an outgrowth of Thai video and short film festival. In the same year Phuket Film Festival took place and it has also seen a great success.
In Thailand, the first award was the ‘Golden Doll’. This was given by Tukata Tong magazine. The formal awards were given in the year 1957. At first the awards was designed after Thai classical dancer but later it was remodeled as Phra Suratsawadi who was Thai god of art. Eth Tulaka Tong awards ceremony was stopped after eight years, but again revived in the year 1974. At that time the Association of Entertainment News Journalists organized it. Thailand National Film Association Award is popularly known as Subhanahongsa award.