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!

In case you somehow missed it, here is a video from the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Songkran is the Thai new year. The new year is 2551, which is the time since the Buddha’s life, just as we measure our years against that of Christ. Something interesting about Songkran festivals is the presence of water.

People splash each other with water and it has become quite a sport over the years. The water ritual started off as something much more meaningful, though. The role of water in many rituals, including this one, is symbolic of washing away the old and sullied parts of life so we can properly arrive in the new, glorious time. This is also seen in our own culture in the form of baptism.

Enjoy!

HIV and AIDS have been a serious problem in Thailand for quite a while. The problem has been largely ignored but some social activists, like the one running this hospice, have made great strides forward in bringing the problem to light and helping those who need it.

Wat Rong Khun is an all-white Buddhist temple compound that is currently under construction, begun in 2003 with the artist predicting the whole compound to take 90 years to construct. The coloring deviates from the normal orange, brown, gold and green normally seen in Thai Buddhist architecture. This is really quite a breathtaking video. And just imagine – in 85 years you might be able to go visit it and see the completed compound.

This is a wonderful video that features a Buddhist monk in Chiang Mai talking about Buddhism and the life of a monk. Great stuff and beautifully shot and put together by Kedar Video.