Thai folkloreThai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large parts of Thai folklore have become interwoven with the wider popular Thai culture. Phraya Anuman Rajadhon (1888–1969) was the first Thai scholar to seriously study local folkloristics. He took copious notes on humble details of his culture such as the charms used by Thai shopkeepers to attract customers.
Thai peopleThai people (ชาวไทย; endonym), Central Thai people (คนภาคกลาง; exonym and also domestically), Southern Thai people (คนใต้; exonym and also domestically), Dambro (ตามโพร), Siamese (ชาวสยาม; historical exonym and sometimes domestically), Tai Noi people (ไทน้อย; historical endonym and sometimes domestically), Thai Siam (ไทยสยาม), are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Thailand. In a narrower sense, the Thais are also a Tai ethnic group dominant in Central and Southern Thailand (Siam proper).
History of ThailandThe Tai ethnic group migrated into mainland Southeast Asia over a period of centuries. The word Siam (สยาม ) may have originated from Pali (suvaṇṇabhūmi, "land of gold") or Sanskrit श्याम (śyāma, "dark") or Mon ရာမည (rhmañña, "stranger"), probably the same root as Shan and Ahom. Xianluo () was the Chinese name for Ayutthaya Kingdom, merged from Suphannaphum city state centered in modern-day Suphan Buri and Lavo city state centered in modern-day Lop Buri. To the Thai, the name has mostly been Mueang Thai.
Dance in ThailandDance in Thailand (นาฏศิลป์, nâat.dtà.sǐn or นาฏกรรม, nâat.dtà.kam) is the main dramatic art form in Thailand. Thai dance can be divided into two major categories, high art (classical dance) and low art (folk dance). The Thai terms for dance, รํา 'ram', and ระบํา 'rabam' derive from the Old Khmer words រាំ 'raṃ' and របាំ 'rapaṃ', respectively. There is an extended influence of ancient Khmer forms on Thai Classical dance and performance.
RamakienThe (รามเกียรติ์, , rāːm.mā.kīa̯n; Glory of Rama; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics, it is a Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Ramakien is an important part of the Thai literary canon. King Rama VI was the person who shed the light first on the Ramayana studies in Thailand, by tracing the sources of the , comparing it with the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana. He found that the was influenced by three sources: the Valmiki's Ramayana, the Vishnu Purana, and Hanuman Nataka (all three are from Hinduism).
Konbaung dynastyThe Konbaung dynasty (ကုန်းဘောင်မင်းဆက်), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma/Myanmar from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in Burmese history and continued the administrative reforms begun by the Toungoo dynasty, laying the foundations of the modern state of Burma. The reforms, however, proved insufficient to stem the advance of the British, who defeated the Burmese in all three Anglo-Burmese Wars over a six-decade span (1824–1885) and ended the millennium-old Burmese monarchy in 1885.
Ayutthaya KingdomThe Ayutthaya Kingdom (ɑːˈjuːtəjə; อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ʔā.jút.thā.jāː), the Empire of Ayutthaya (1569–1767), or the Ayutthaya Empire, was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. European travellers in the early 16th century called Ayutthaya one of the three great powers of Asia (alongside Vijayanagar and China). The Ayutthaya Kingdom is considered to be the precursor of modern Thailand, and its developments are an important part of the history of Thailand.