Thai Lyrics | Thai Transcription |
ประเทศไทยรวมเลือดเนื้อชาติเชื้อไทย เป็นประชารัฐ ไผทของไทยทุกส่วน อยู่ดำรงคงไว้ได้ทั้งมวล ด้วยไทยล้วนหมาย รักสามัคคี ไทยนี้รักสงบ แต่ถึงรบไม่ขลาด เอกราชจะไม่ให้ใครข่มขี่ สละเลือดทุกหยาดเป็นชาติพลี เถลิงประเทศชาติไทยทวี มีชัย ชโย | Prathet Thai Ruam Lueat Nua Chat Chua Thai,
Pen Pracha Rat, Phathai Khong Thai Thuk Suan,
Yu Damrong Khong Wai Dai Thang Muan,
Duai Thai Luan Mai, Rak Samak Khi,
Thai Ni Rak Sa-ngop, Tae Thueng Rop Mai Khlat,
Ekkarat Cha Mai Hai Khrai Khom Khi,
Sala Lueat Thuk Yat Pen Chat Phli,
Thaloeng Prathet Chat Thai Thawi Michai Cha-yo. |
Listen to Thailand National Anthem .....
English Translations:
Thailand unites its people with flesh and blood.
The land of the nation belongs to the Thais.
Long maintained its sovereignty,
Because the Thais have always been united.
Thais are peace-loving, but no cowards at wars.
Sovereignty will not be threatened,
Sacrificing every drop of blood for the nation,
Long last the freedom and victory of Thailand.
Location
The Kingdom of Thailand lies in Southeast Asia, with Laos and Cambodia to its east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to its south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to its west.
Area: 198,115 square miles (513,115 square kilometers)
Latitude & Longitude: 15 degrees North latitude & 100 degrees East longitude at Thailand's geographic center
Highest elevation: Doi Inthanon, 8,541 feet (2,576 meters)
Map of Thailand
History
Sukhothai Kingdom (1238 - 1378)
Sukhothai was the cradle of Thai civilization, the place where its institutions and culture first developed in 1238. Sukhothai is Situated on the banks of the Yom River, approximately 375 kilometers north of Bangkok.
Under King Ramkhamhaeng The Great (1277-1317), Sukhothai enjoyed a golden age of prosperity. King Ramkhamhaeng is credited with designing the Thai alphabet (traditionally dated from 1283, on the evidence of Pokhun Ramkhamhaeng Silajaruek, an inscribed stone allegedly bearing the earliest known Thai writing). During his reign, the Thai established diplomatic relations with China and acknowledged the Chinese emperor as nominal overlord of the Thai kingdom. King Ramkhamhaeng brought Chinese artisans to Sukhothai to develop the ceramics industry that was a mainstay of the Thai economy for 500 years.
Sukhothai declined rapidly after Ramkhamhaeng's death, Sukhothai's power was then overshadowed by the larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya. And finally Sukhothai was forced to submit in 1378 to the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya.
Photo: Pokhun Ramkhamhaeng Silajaruek, an inscribed stone of earliest known Thai writing.
Photo: These are some of the ancient ruins in Sukhothai.
Sukhothai Historical Park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991.
Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350 - 1767)
The kingdom of Ayutthaya was founded by U Thong, an adventurer allegedly descended from a rich Chinese merchant family who married royalty. In 1350, to escape the threat of an epidemic, he moved his court south into the rich floodplain of the Chao Phraya. On an island in the river he founded a new capital, which he called Ayutthaya, after Ayodhya in northern India, the city of the hero Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. U Thong assumed the royal name of Ramathibodi (1350-1360).
Ramathibodi tried to unify his kingdom. In 1360 he declared Theravada Buddhism the official religion of Ayutthaya and brought members of a sangha, a Buddhist monastic community, from Ceylon to establish new religious orders and spread the faith among his subjects. He also compiled a legal code, based on the Indian Dharmashastra (a Hindu legal text) and Thai custom, which became the basis of royal legislation. Composed in Pali--an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sanskrit and the language of the Theravada Buddhist scriptures--it had the force of divine injunction. Supplemented by royal decrees, Ramathibodi's legal code remained generally in force until the late nineteenth century.
By the end of the fourteenth century, Ayutthaya was regarded as the strongest power in Southeast Asia, but it lacked the manpower to dominate the region. In the last year of his reign, Ramathibodi had seized Angkor during what was to be the first of many successful Thai assaults on the Khmer capital. Thai policy was aimed at securing Ayutthaya's eastern frontier by preempting Vietnamese designs on Khmer territory. The weakened Khmer periodically submitted to Thai suzerainty, but efforts by Ayutthaya to maintain control over Angkor were repeatedly frustrated.
The Thai kingdom was not a single, unified state but rather a patchwork of self-governing principalities and tributary provinces owing allegiance to the king of Ayutthaya. These states were ruled by members of the royal family of Ayutthaya who had their own armies and warred among themselves. The king had to be vigilant to prevent royal princes from combining against him or allying with Ayutthaya's enemies. Whenever the succession was in dispute, princely governors gathered their forces and moved on the capital to press their claims.
In 1767, after dominating southeast Asia for almost 400 years, the Ayutthaya kingdom was brought down by invading Burmese armies, its capital burned, and its territory occupied by the invaders.
Ayutthaya Historical Park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991.
Thonburi Period (1768 - 1782)
Despite its complete defeat and occupation by Burma, Siam made a rapid recovery. The resistance to Burmese rule was led by a noble of Chinese descent, Taksin, a capable military leader. Initially based at Chanthaburi in the south-east, within a year he had defeated the Burmese occupation army and re-established a Siamese state with its capital at Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, 20 km from the sea. In 1768 he was crowned as King Taksin (now officially known as King Taksin the Great). He rapidly re-united the central Thai heartlands under his rule, and in 1769 he also occupied western Cambodia. He then marched south and re-established Siamese rule over the Malay Peninsula as far south as Penang and Terengganu. Having secured his base in Siam, King Taksin attacked the Burmese in the north in 1774 and captured Chiang Mai in 1776, permanently uniting Siam and Lanna. King Taksin's leading general in this campaign was Thong Duang, known by the title "Chao Phraya Chakri." In 1778 Chao Phraya Chakri led a Siamese army which captured Vientiane and re-established Siamese domination over Laos.
Photo: King Taksin the Great
Despite these successes, by 1779 King Taksin was in political trouble at home. He seems to have developed a religious mania, alienating the powerful Buddhist monkhood by claiming to be a sotapanna or divine figure. He also attacked the Chinese merchant class, and foreign observers began to speculate that he would soon be overthrown. In 1782 King Taksin sent his armies under Chao Phraya Chakri to invade Cambodia, but while they were away a rebellion broke out in the area around the capital. The rebels, who had wide popular support, offered the throne to Chao Phraya Chakri. Chao Phraya Chakri marched back from Cambodia and deposed King Taksin, who was secretly executed shortly after.
Bangkok Period (1782 - Present)
After the passing away of King Taksin of Thon Buri in 1782, Chao Phraya Chakri, with the new title "Chao Phraya Maha Kasatsuek" ascended the throne under the name Ramathibodi (he was posthumously given the name Buddha Yodfa Chulalok, and is generally known as Rama I). The King moved the capital to the opposite side of the river to the village of Bang Makok (meaning "place of olive plums"), which soon became the city of Bangkok, and established the Chakri Dynasty. Photo: Bangkok Grand Palace
The new capital was located on the island of Rattanakosin, protected from attack by the river to the west and by a series of canals to the north, east and south. Siam thus acquired both its current dynasty and its current capital.
European powers began traveling to Thailand in the 16th century. Despite European pressure and known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country to have never been colonized by a European power. The two main reasons for this is that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 1800s and that it was able to utilise the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. As a result, the country remained as a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonised by the two colonial powers. Despite this, Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions to British trading interests. This included the loss of the three southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states.
List of Kings of the Chakri Dynasty
Buddha Yodfa Chulalok the Great (Rama I) พระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธยอดฟ้าจุฬาโลกมหาราช, 1782-1809
Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) พระบาทสมเด็จพระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 1809-1824
Nangklao (Rama III) พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1824-1851
Mongkut (Rama IV) พระบาทสมเด็จพระจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1851-1868
Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว "พระปิยมหาราช" 1868-1910
Vajiravudh (Rama VI) พระบาทสมเด็จพระมงกุฎเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1910-1925
Prajadhipok (Rama VII) พระบาทสมเด็จพระปกเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, 1925-1935
Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวอานันทมหิดล, 1935-1946
Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (Rama IX) พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวภูมิพลอดุลยเดชมหาราช, 1946-present
Note: The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2007 is called 2550 BE in Thailand.
Culture
The Culture of Thailand is greatly influenced by Buddhism. Nearly 95% of Thailand's population is Theravada Buddhist, and others are Muslims (4.6%), Christians (0.7%), Mahayana Buddhists, and other religions. Theravada Buddhism is, therefore, central to modern Thai identity and belief. In practice, Thai Buddhism has evolved over time to include many regional beliefs originating from animism as well as ancestor worship. In areas in the southernmost parts of Thailand, Islam is prevalent. Several different ethnic groups, many of which are marginalized, populate Thailand. Some of these groups overlap into Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia and have maintained a distinctly traditional way-of-life despite strong Thai cultural influence. Ethnic Chinese also form a significant part of Thai society, particularly in and around Bangkok. Their successful integration into Thai society has allowed for this group to hold positions of economic and political power. or you can down load it HERE ....
Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors is an essential part of Thai spiritual practice. Thais have a strong sense of hospitality and generousity, but also a strong sense of social hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Thais will bow to their feet of their parents or grandparents to honor them. In addition, the elders always rule in family decisions or ceremonies.
Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is the national sport in Thailand and its native martial art. It reached popularity all over the world in the 1990s. Although similar martial art styles exist in other southeast Asian countries, few enjoy the recognition that Muay Thai has received with its full-contact rules allowing strikes including elbows, throws and knees. Association football, however, has possibly overtaken Muay Thai's position as most widely viewed and liked sport in contemporary Thai society and it is not uncommon to see Thais cheering their favourite English Premier League teams on television and walking round in replica kits. Another widely enjoyed pastime, while not a sport per se, is kite flying.
The standard greeting in Thailand referred to as the "wai" (Thai: ไหว้), consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. Taboos include touching someone's head or pointing with the feet, as the head is considered the most sacred and the foot the dirtiest part of the body. Stepping over someone, or over food, is considered insulting. However, Thai culture as in many other Asian cultures, is succumbing to the influence of westernization and some of the traditional taboos are slowly fading away with time.
Books and other documents are the most revered of secular objects - therefore one should not slide a book across a table or place it on the floor.
Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is "rice", particularly jasmine variety rice (also known as Khao Hom Mali) which is included in almost every meal. Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice and Thais domestically consume over 100 kg of milled rice per person per year. Clearly, rice is an important part of Thai culture. Over 5000 varieties of rice from Thailand are preserved in the rice gene bank of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in the Philippines.
Thai Money
The official currency of Thailand is baht (Thai: บาท, symbol ฿, code THB). The baht is divided into 100 satang (สตางค์). Image | Value | Obverse | Reverse |
| 25 satang | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Wat Mahathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat |
| 50 satang | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai |
| 1 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok |
| 5 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Wat Benchamabophit, Bangkok |
| 10 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | Wat Arun, Bangkok |
| 20 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | H.M. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) |
| 50 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | H.M. King Mongkut (Rama IV) |
| 100 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | H.M. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) |
| 500 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | H.M. King Nangklao (Rama III) |
| 1000 baht | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej | H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) |
Fruit of Thailand (ผลไม้ไทย)
Banana / กล้วย (gluay) 
Thailand has many varieties of banana most of which are available all year round. Simply peel and eat. When eaten fresh they are deliciously sweet. Ideal for fruit shakes or punches. Delicious deep fried or flambeed with brandy for desert. | Custard Apple / น้อยหน่า (noi-naa) 
The two varieties, "Fai" and "Nahng" are both heart-shaped and when fully mature, have a creamy flesh that is sweet and scented. The fruit can be eaten by cutting it in half and using a spoon to eat the flesh, discarding the seeds and skin. In season from June to September. |
Dragonfruit / แก้วมังกร (kaew-mung-gon) 
| Durian / ทุเรียน (too-rian) 
This spiky fellow is considered to be the King of Thai Fruits and a gourment delicacy. It has a sweet taste with soft, creamy golden flesh and an extremely pungent aroma, in season from June to July. |
Grapes / องุ่น (a-ngun) 
Both red and green species of grapes growing in Thailand are sweet and delicious whether eaten fresh or drunk as juice. In season from September to April. | Guava / ฝรั่ง (Farang)
This fruit bears the same name as that used to describe a non-Asian person in Thailand. Hard as an unripe apple, with a somewhat tart taste, the guava is best eaten with pinch of salt and sugar. In season all year round. |
Jackfruit / ขนุน (Ka-noon)
 Huge and sticky, the jack-fruit has concealed within it hundreds of fleshy pieces with a distinctive, sweet taste,. Extracting the segments is always left to the vendor, as it is such a tedious job. In season all year round.
| Lychee / ลิ้นจี่ (lin-chee) 
In season from April to May, the lychee originates from China. Press the fruit lightly with your fingers to break open. The meat at its best is deliciously sweet and juicy. Avoid the small seeds. |
Longan / ลำไย (lam-yai) 
The longan is a popular northern fruit. It is small and reddish brown. Slit the skin, remove it and enjoy the delightfully sweet flesh. In season from May to July. | Lancet / ลางสาด (lang-sat) 
The dark brown and thin shell is easily cracked by a squeeze between thumb and forefinger. Every bite of translucent meat is delightful with sweet taste and juice. Watch out for the hard stone. Grown in the North of Thailand. In season from May to July.
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Mango / มะม่วง (ma-muang) 
The Thai mango is the best. There are several varieties that can be eaten green or ripe. When ripe, its flesh is sweet, juicy and pleasantly gragrant. To eat, peel the skin off and slice the fruit. There is a large stone in the center. The best time for mangoes is from March to June. | Mangosteen / มังคุด (mang-koot) 
The mangosteen is small and globular with a thick purple skin. It has delicious, sweet, white, fleshy segments inside, and is considered to be a delicacy. Open with a sharp knife cutting around the middle. Available from May until September. |
Papaya / มะละกอ (ma-la-gaw)  This long, cylindrical fruit can be eaten when green, in a spicy Thai salad called "somtam" or ripe with a twist of lemon when the fruit is firm, sweet and orange. Peel, remove seeds and cut into pieces. Available all year round.
| Pineapple / สัปรด (sappa-rot) 
Pineapple is a refreshing tropical fruit enjoyed by people all over the world. Thailand is currently the world's largest producer of fresh pineapple and also canned pineapple. |
Pomelo / ส้มโอ (som-o)  This large green, thick skinned, globular fruit is like a cross between a grapefruit and an orange. To eat, peel skin off and remove the tough, white fibrous parts, then separate into segments. Plentiful from August to November.
| Pomegranate / ทับทิม (tub-tim) 
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Rambutan / เงาะ (ngaw) 
The rambutan season is from May to September. To enjoy its crunchy, sweet flesh, simply break open the skin, but watch for the large stone in the center. | Roseapple / ชมพู่ (chom-poo)
 With the different varieties of Rose Apple; some have bright green skin some have pink skin. They are different in sizes, although they all have white interior and the same flavor. Cut in half-remove seeds. Add sugar & salt to bring out the flavor. In season from March to May.
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Sapodilla / ละมุด (Lumoot)
 Sweet, but somewhat pungent in taste, the sapodilla is most usually eaten with other fruits as a cocktail. Avoid the hard brown seeds inside.
| Tangerine / ส้มเขียวหวาน (som-kiew-wan) 
In season from September to February. Break the fruit into two pieces, peel the skin off and remove the fibrous filaments. It is commonly used for making orange juice or can be eaten fresh. They are very juicy and deliciously sweet. |
Watermelon / แตงโม (tang-mo) 
Watermelon is one of the most popular and widely available fruits in Thailand. Found in familiar ruby red and some lemon-yellow colors. Sweet and refreshing chunks of watermelon are an essential part of nearly every fruit platter. In season all year round, though March is the peak season. | Young Coconut / มะพร้าวอ่อน (ma-prao-on) 
With a straw you can sip straight from the sheel the natural and healthy fresh fruit juice. The scrape out with a spoon the soft white flesh from inside the shell. In season all year round. |
Zalacca / ระกำ (ra-gum) 
The zalacca has a thin red-orange skin over a sweet, but tart fruit inside taste. | |
