Farang Farang

Kwampenthai refers to “Thainess” and is a word that refers to national pride. According to Pai Nai Ma, “The essence of kwampenthai is love of the nation, religion and king.”

This video shows some interesting tidbits of Thai culture. Enoy!

I don’t know about you but the Boy Scout troop I was in did not do any sort of dance performances. I think it’s interesting to see this kind of cultural difference – how Lord Baden Powell‘s idea has picked up local flavor as it has traveled around the globe but has not deviated in spirit from the original intentions.

I looked further into Thai Scouting and found this page, which states:

Scouting was first introduced in Thailand on July 1st 1911 by King Rama VI. Thailand was the third country in the world to take up Scouting. King Rama VI received his education in England. He was the first Thai monarch to have studied abroad. He graduated at Oxford University and also attended Sandhurst Military academy. He brought back with him many new ideas that he had seen. In Thailand he established the “Wild Tiger Corps” for adults and created a junior branch which continues today as the Scouts. King Rama VI is fondly remembered as the “Father of Thai Scouting” and every year on Scout Day, on July 1st, Scouts pay homage to his image and take part in parades. Thailand is the only country in the world where Scouting was directly founded by a monarch. It is also honoured with being one of the Founder Members of the World Organisation back in 1922.

Scouting appeals to the people of Thailand and receives strong support from the Royal family and government which has facilitated the steady growth and development of the organisation. The present monarch, King Rama IX, is the Chief Scout and under his patronage, Scouting has flourished in Thailand, and continues to develop many programmes to fulfill the needs of its young people and of the country. Thai Scouting has received much publicity due to its impressive work during emergencies. Such work includes taking part in ambulance and first aid teams, helping the Fire Brigade and assisting in flood control.

As a former Boy Scout myself, as well as a lover of Thailand, I found this very interesting. Cool stuff!

This video has some really cool Thai dance. Check it out! The music seems a bit repetitive at first but if you listen closely you can hear variations in it, as well as repeating themes.