Mom and Pop Shop Nong Hin Thailand
If Thailand was a wheel then I think its fair to say that Thai village life would be the hub of that wheel. With over 75% of Thailand’s population living in rural areas, the Muban(village) represents a microcosm of Thai society, its beliefs and values.
Thai villages tend to be close knit communities whose occupants share and receive mutual aid, security, religious and moral guidance along with leadership and a sense of purpose. These shared responsibilities seem to go a long way towards satisfying that very basic of Thai needs, not to be alone. It seems to me that there are three main sources that help satisfy these community needs. These is family life, moral and spiritual guidance from the village temple and leadership and arbitration from the Phu Yai Ban(village headman).
While Thai village families are supportive to each blood relative they also accept non-family members into the fold creating even bigger support units. Respect for ones elders and people perceived to be in authority are also core values. A sense of community can also be found in the way villagers often address each other using the term, Phi, which in English would equate to brother or sister. Suggesting perhaps that everyone in the community is valued.
In Thailand it is common for extended families to live in the same dwelling, where grandma and granddad seem to coexist happily alongside their children, in-laws and grandchildren. Village children are treated well and even if a family is very poor they are usually well cared for, with large chunks of the family budget being spent on such things as school uniforms. Other villagers, who tend to be protective and generous to children in generally, will often give their time to care for the children of working parents who are not at school or in the care of the extended family.
Away from the family the other centre of Thai village life is the Wat or Thai temple with the Abbot and other Buddhist monks playing an important part in the spiritual and moral guidance of the villagers. While the Wat provides a centre for religious devotions it is also similar to a community centre where all manner of things take place such as games for children, music concerts and it even doubles as a movie theatre on some occasions.
The very existence of the Wat and clergy also depends heavily on the villagers who provide funds for building it in the first place, its subsequent upkeep, daily food for the monks and other essential items.
The other main source of non-religious guidance and support in a Thai village comes from the Pu Yai Ban. The village headman has a pivotal role in providing and maintaining village infrastructure, but is also there to settle disputes and other issues that are outside the scope of family and religious life. A good headman provides leadership to the community in general.
So is Thai village life a bed of roses?
In my opinion its not, many folk have little money, work is often seasonal and families are frequently fragmented as people try to earn a living in the larger cities and towns, supporting their families in the village by sending money when they can. Some of those left behind drink to excess and gamble which often leads to debt and the inability to repay monies borrowed from loan sharks.
That said the first place that most Thais will head to at times like Songkran(Thai New Year) is their home village, where they know they will always be welcome as part of the community.
Whatever the hardships, two cultural traits always stand out for me personally, these are, the generosity of people you come across in a Thai village and their ability to have fun.
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