My first Valentine greeting postcard

Valentine Greetings from Thailand

10 Mar 2015 | From Film of Thailand 

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

All month of February I was thinking if I would receive any Valentine postcard. But nothing came so I just shrugged that thought off - it is nothing important to begin with. Who would have thought that come March I will receive my first Valentine postcard since becoming a postcrosser. It came from a friend in Thailand, and he wrote and sent the postcard exactly last February 14, 2015. The floral-inspired postcard arrived with a matching floral stamp in the front and some cool Valentine stamps at the back side.

I do not celebrate Valentines - not that I have any reason to do so. But it is quite fun to have received such cards. Even though it came from a close male friend :)

The Thai greeting

Sawatdee

25 Feb 2015 | From Film of Thailand

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

The Thai greeting referred to as the wai consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. The higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect or reverence the giver of the wai is showing. The wai is traditionally observed upon entering formally a house. After the visit is over, the visitor asks for permission to leave and repeats the salutation made upon entering. The wai is also common as a way to express gratitude or to apologise.

The word often spoken with the wai as a greeting or farewell is sawatdi (sometimes romanized as sawasdee or sawatdee). The word sawatdi is usually followed by kha when spoken by a female and by khrap when spoken by a male person. Waiing remains to this day an extremely important part of social behavior among Thais, who are very sensitive to their self-perceived standing in society. Foreign tourists and other visitors unaccustomed to the intricacies of Thai language and culture should not wai someone younger than them except in return for their wai. However, one should always return a wai that is offered as a sign of respect. Corporate wais, such as those performed by convenience store cashiers, can generally be 'returned' with a smile or a nod.

Children in Lisu village

Lisu children

16 Dec 2014 | From Heikki of Finland

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING | POSTCARD SENT FROM THAILAND

It took me weeks before realizing that this postcard was sent from Thailand and not from Finland. I was organizing my postcards per country when I found out that this particular one was actually postmarked from Thailand. The day I received the postcard, I initially thought that the stamp was from Finland.

The Lisu people are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who inhabit mountainous regions of Burma (Myanmar), southwest China, Thailand, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. They mainly inhabit remote mountainous areas. Their culture has traits shared with the Yi or Nuosu (Lolo) culture.

The Lisu are direct descendents of the indigenous semi-nomadic tribes of Tibet. In Thailand, the Lisu village is called Nong Tong, in Mae Hong Son province, near the town of Bangmapah (also known as Soppong) in the picturesque  mountains of North Thailand. The people began settling here only about 80 years ago and the village is now home to about 500 people. Their main livelihood is farming and craftsmanship.

The Lisu can be found all over South East Asia although it is only Thailand and Burma where they dress as colourful as they do known here as the 'Flowery Lisu'. 

A Thai Archaeological Dance

The Sri Vichai Dance

7 Nov 2014 | From Film of Thailand

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Sri Vijayan dance (Srivichai Dance) is a reconstructed dance derived from the archaeological reliefs ruins of the Sri Vijayan Kingdom. This is a very ancient dance which flourished from the 8th through the 13th centuries. Its influence extended all the way from Southern Thailand through the Straits of Malacca all the way to Java. The original dance is believe to be from 1,000 years ago.

The choreography is based on imagess on the great stupa of Borobudo in Central Java and other artifact of the Srivijaya period. The melody was also composed in Javanese style.The colors, black, red, and green are characteristic of Southern Thailand. The head-dress is called a Krabang Naa.

A famous Thai cartoon character

Mamuang

10 Sept 2014 | From Khalil of Thailand

POSTCROSSING SWAP

Khalil asked me for a swap some weeks ago, and sent me this cute postcard featuring Mamuang, a famous Thai cartoon character 

Mamuang was created by cartoonist Wisut “Tum” Ponnimit. Thai audiences have become acquainted with her in the past three years. But she has been in existence for more than a decade since 2003: the year Wisut moved to Japan to learn the language and revel in his fascination with the island nation’s culture. Mainly created so Wisut wouldn’t be starving and penniless in Japan, Mamuang was a cartoon which first appeared in monthly magazine The Big Issue Japan.

Mamuang has become one of the most popular Thai-designed Line stickers, something created with sensibilities and signature touches rather than just as promotional logos. Despite her birth in Japan, Mamuang still has a Thai feel to her, coming from what Wisut has learned about life.

Focusing on happy things, Mamuang was made to be as simple and carefree as possible, unlike previous broody comic series hesheit that Wisut has drawn. Usually consisting of one box, words of wisdom that reflect life are shared through the actions and emotions of this cheerful girl named after a mango.

Source: Bangkok Post

The Town of Umbrellas

Bo Sang Umbrella Festival

29 Aug 2014 | From Film of Thailand

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Bo Sang is a village in San Kamphaeng district in the outskirts of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. The Bo Sang Umbrella Festival celebrates village’s reputation as the community that creates Thailand’s most famous umbrellas made from Saa paper. It is known for its handmade umbrellas and parasols, which are brightly coloured, and often decorated with floral motifs.

At first it was just a profitable hobby that supplemented the villagers’ earnings from the annual rice crop. The festival was conceptualized in 1941 when the production of the Saa paper umbrellas prospered. During the three-day festival, streets are illuminated by lanterns, while hundreds of umbrellas are hung from the rafters and beams of houses and shops. The festival is made colorful and loud with all the music, concerts, pageants, and food. People gather to celebrate Bor Sang’s innovative handicraft skills.

Dances in Thailand

Ram lenuknakhon

12 May, 2014 | From Film of Thailand

FACEBOOK SWAP | POSTCARD SENT FROM THAILAND

Lenunakhon Dance is a folk art of the north-eastern Thailand, Renunakhon. It is a Phu Tai village known for cotton weaving.

Ram thai (Thai dance) is the main dramatic art form of Thailand, and is an integral part of their culture. Thai dance are classified as classical or folk. The two major forms of Thai classical dance drama are khon and lakon nai. In the beginning both were exclusively court entertainments and it was not until much later that a popular style of dance theater, Likay, evolved as a diversion for the common folk who had no access to royal performances. The traditional folk dances of Thailand have their roots both in the indigenous tribal cultures and various colonial influences from Burma and Indonesia. The dances are steeped in the traditions of Asian folk dance and renowned for their graceful choreography.

Sources: Love to know dance, Wikipedia

My first postcard from Thailand

Sawasdee from Thailand

23 Apr, 2014 | From Film of Thailand

FACEBOOK SWAP

"Sawasdee" is how they say "Hello" in Thailand - a friendly and fun-loving, exotic and tropical, cultured and historic country. With great food, a tropical climate, fascinating culture, majestic mountains and great beaches, Thailand is a magnet for travelers the world over.

Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country located at the center of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. Thailand is the world's 51st-largest country. It is the 20th-most-populous country in the world, with around 65 million people. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, which is Thailand's political, commercial, industrial and cultural hub.