May 1st is celebrated as วันแรงงาน (wan rææŋ-ŋaan) or Labour Day in Thailand and many other countries every year. The full name of the day is วันแรงงานแห่งชาติ (wan rææŋ-ŋaan hæ̀ŋ châat). Let’s practice your Thai by learning more about this holiday. In Thailand, วันแรงงาน (wan rææŋ-ŋaan) is considered a holiday for บริษัทภาคเอกชน (bɔɔrisàt phâak ʔèek-ka-chon) … Read more
บุหรี่ไฟฟ้า (burìi fay-fáa), or e-cigarettes in Thai, has become a serious topic of debate in the Thai parliament. The debate concerns whether Thailand should legalize them. One side sees e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to บุหรี่ธรรมดา (burìi thammadaa) traditional cigarettes; the other side argues that they pose serious health and social risks. This article will … Read more
Since Halloween has just ended this year, this month’s newsletter is going to be about the five most well-known Thai ghosts in Thai culture. Do not worry, these ghosts are the most well-known ones, not the scariest ones. Do Thais celebrate Halloween? A few times I have got this question. For us, วันฮาโลวีน (wan haaloowiin) … Read more
สงกรานต์ (sǒŋkraan) Songkran is known as the Thai New Year. But what does this word actually mean? Let’s find out! Table of Contents Songkran doesn’t exactly mean Thai New Year The word สงกรานต์ (sǒŋkraan) Songkran is a borrowed word from Sanskrit. The original term is Sankranti (सङ्क्रान्ति), which mainly means transference. You can see other … Read more
I’ve just been back from ขอนแก่น (Khon Kaen) and กาฬสินธุ์ (Kalasin) provinces in อีสาน (Isan) or Northeast of Thailand. I had a good experience and had something to share with you. I visited พิพิธภัณฑ์ ไดโนเสาร์ (phíphítthaphan daynoosǎw) or Dinosaur Museum in กาฬสินธุ์ (Kalasin). The museum’s official name is พิพิธภัณฑ์ สิรินธร (Sirindhorn Museum). While I was … Read more
การสะเดาะเคราะห์ (kaan-sadɔ̀-khrɔ́) or purification rituals are the rituals in Thai temples that some Thais participate when they visit Thai Buddhist temples. The ancient Thai people had a belief in supernatural, holy spirits, ghosts, etc. regardless of religion. Since we believe in something we do not see, the purification rituals have become a part of our … Read more