Living in various countries around the world has provided me the opportunity to not only learn a variety of cultures but understand the inherent national pride that often accompanies. I found that every country shares a level of national pride among its citizens through the support of its distinct traditions, culture, language, architecture and governance. Thailand is no exception.
It seems the older the country, the more deeply-rooted its culture. Hence Canada, a relatively young country since its confederation in 1867, is somewhat limited in current tradition. Not so in Thailand/Siam that is claimed to have been founded in 1238. In what we now know as Thailand -- first termed by the Portuguese by the way -- we learn that inhabitants occupied the land for thousands of years. In fact, according to my research:
The area that we know as Thailand today was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, starting with the Kingdom of Funan around the first century until the Khmer Empire. Indian influence on Siamese culture was partly the result of direct contact with Indian settlers and included the bringing of Buddhism to the area.
Every country, regardless of age, has its national symbols. I don't know of a country that doesn't have a flag, anthem, currency, statues along with some semblance of governance and military. The national flag of Thailand, for instance, was designed and adopted in 1917. The colors are said to stand for
nation-religion-king, an unofficial motto of Thailand where the color red represents the land and people, white for religions and blue for the monarchy.
While I was in the neighborhood in north Bangkok waiting for my flight to Malaysia from the airport in that part of the city, I decided to stop in at the
Philatelic Museum. In all candor, I had to look up the word
philatelic when I first saw it advertised to know what to expect when going to the museum. Turns out
philately (/fɪˈlætəliː/ fi-LA-tə-lee) is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Apparently
philately involves more than just stamp collecting, for it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. Good to know. Unfortunately it was a national holiday and the museum was closed but I found examples of Thai stamps on the Internet instead.
The country's postal system supports national symbols with visual representation of the country's culture and heritage. The stamps found here, for instance, display the national flag and national flower of Thailand. The
cassia fistula flower has a long history, coming from India and chosen particularly to support the Thai royalty by its color.
It's amazing just how many ways one country can be unique in comparison to other countries around the world, and then advertise these differences through various means!
