‘Wai’ to be officially designated as Thailand’s national identity
The National Identity Committee resolved on Thursday to designate the “wai” – the Thai way of greeting or paying respects – as a national identity, Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said.
Somsak, who chaired the committee’s meeting on Thursday, said that he would later seek a Cabinet endorsement to the resolution so that the “wai” would become Thailand’s official national identity.
Wai, the most common greeting used by natives of Thailand, involves bringing one's palms together while bowing or dipping one's head.
Somsak said on Thursday that ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia accepted this greeting gesture from India through the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism, but Thailand managed to refine it and make the “wai” unique from similar gestures in other countries.
The deputy premier also said that this way of greeting has become more common internationally, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people avoided shaking hands to prevent the spread of the virus.
Somsak said that he expected “wai” to become a popular Thai identity in the same way as the elephant, which was declared the national animal several years ago by a previous government.
“I would like to thank all parties involved in pushing for the ‘wai’ as a national identity. I will bring the National Identity Committee resolution to the Cabinet for endorsement so that the ‘wai’ becomes a national identity,” he said.
Also attending the panel’s meeting at Government House on Thursday were Prime Minister’s Office Minister Puangpet Chunlaiad and former Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat.
