Thai Traditions

Many countries of the world enjoy their traditions. Some countries carry out these traditions for tourists only. These are the type of tourist traps I try to avoid. But what I do enjoy is watching a country carry out their traditions for themselves. Thailand does a lot of that and I always love to see their traditions play out in their dress, dances and festivals

On a self drive in the far western part of the country I came across a traditional festival. I'm not even sure what it was even about as it seems these happen so often in their country. I love the western part of the country because it is not tourist infested. So when I come across traditional dress I know it's not a tourist trap but something the locals enjoy.

How many can you put on your head? I wonder how many times those bowls fell on the ground before she learned to walk across the bridge like that,

It's nice to see the traditions passed down to the young. This girl looks to be around 14 or so and participates. Imagine getting teenagers to participate in family traditions here!

This girl was kind enough to participate in a photo op dressed in Thai tradition. I tipped her with some candy she was happy to receive. I never give children money for reasons I'll discuss in a longer post. Many children ask for money in these countries I visit, however, this child did not.

Old and young all participate together in traditional Thai dances. It really is quite a beautiful dance. I was very honored to be present for it.

I was the only foreigner there that I saw. This was not a tourist area. I felt a little intrusive as I was dressed in my typical western clothes. But nobody seemed to mind.

I'll leave you with a video I took of the dance:

I'm very respectful of the traditions of people. I know how important they are as it gives a sense of identity and belonging. I'm always happy to be involved even if it's only with my camera.