Thailand Culture Thailand culture consists of about 95% Theravada Buddhism. Other influences in Thailand are Hinduism, the trade with their southeast neighbors such as Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, and the influences of Chinese immigrants. Thai visual art is mainly Buddhist and there are images from different eras in the past and consist of different distinctive styles. Contemporary Thai art is a combination of traditional and modern. The literature in Thailand is influenced by the Indian culture. One of their most notable writings is a version of Ramayana, and is called Ramakien. It is written partly by the Kings Rama I and Rama II and the poetry is written by Sunthorn Phu. There is no drama in the history of Thailand but there is dance. The forms of dance in Thailand is divided into three categories. There is Khon, Lakhon, and Likay dance styles. Khon is the most elaborate and the Likay style is the most popular. There is a form of drama called, Nang, which is a form of shadow play, and it is found in the southern part of Thailand. The music in Thailand is classical, folk, string, and pop so there is a variety for people to listen to. They can choose a style which they enjoy the most. The food in Thailand is famous for having a blend of four fundamental tastes. They are sweet, spicy hot, sour, and salty. The sweet includes sugar, fruits, and sweet peppers. The spicy includes chilies. The sour taste includes vinegar, lime juice, and tamarind. The salty food dishes have soy sauce or fish sauce in them. Most of the Thai dishes contain most of these tastes in them. Some of the different ingredients they use to accomplish this is herbs, spices, and fruit, such as chili, cumin, garlic, ginger, basil, sweet basil, lime, lemongrass, coriander, pepper, turmeric, and shallots. The Thais play football as their main sport but their professional leagues are still in their infancy stage. Other sports are Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and this sport is the most popular spectator sport in Thailand. Their other sport is known as takraw. This sport is much like volleyball but is played with the feet and a light rattan ball. There are several versions of this game with varying rules. The International invitational race of the Swan Boat circuit, usually takes place in November each year. The Thai also enjoy egg rolling and a national pastime. It is mostly played in the rural villages now because there was a shortage of eggs and a famine in the last century. There is much more information about Thailand and their culture online. It is a very interesting country to read about. Articles Environment Newsgroups Usenet Usenet Newsgroups Newsgroups Server Colocation Music Lyrics