Wai Khru

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Wai Khru ( Thai : พิธี ไหว้ครู - Phithi Wai Khru , "Wai-Khru ceremony") is a traditional ceremony in Thailand . It serves to show the teachers (Khru) his respect (Wai) .

General

The wai ( Thai : ไหว้ ) is a traditional gesture that is common in Thailand. It is both an act of greeting and a sign of special thanks or apology .

The words of Ernest Young, which he wrote over 100 years ago in his book "The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe", still apply in the 21st century:

The term "Khru" (Thai: ครู - teacher ) is a title in Thailand that demands the highest respect from both parents and students. It is shown both in private and in public. In ancient Siam , education for all people outside the royal family could only be obtained in the monastery . Monks were the teachers, as is usually the case today. It seems that when the ministry passed from spiritual dignitaries to lay people, part of the atmosphere of veneration associated with the priesthood was also transmitted.

Wai Khru in schools and universities

Wai Khru ceremony 2009 at the Wachirawit School, Chiang Mai

In Thai schools and universities, the Wai Khru ceremony is performed once a year at the beginning of the new academic year .

date

There is no fixed date, but the ceremony usually takes place on a Thursday (Thai: วัน พฤหัสบดี - Wan Paruehat ), as this day is traditionally associated with the planet Jupiter (Phra Paruhasabodi) (Thai: พระ พฤหัสบดี , [ pʰrá pʰárʉ́hàtsàbɔːdiː ] - short Phra Paruhat [ pʰrá pʰárʉ́hàt ]), is associated. Phra Paruhat is the chaplain of the deities and teacher of Indra. Phra Paruhat was probably adopted from India a long time ago, where Brihaspati (Bṛhaspati; Devanagari: बृहस्पति) is the name of a deity from the Rigveda . He is the personification of piety and religion.

procedure

First the royal hymn ( Phleng Sanrasoen Phra Barami ) is intoned, then some sutras are quoted by the students . The rector can also light a few incense sticks at a kind of altar . Then each student walks past the teachers sitting in a row, greets them with a respectful wai and hands them a small bouquet of flowers that had been prepared the day before.

Traditionally, certain types of flowers are preferred, such as the flowers of the aubergine (Thai: มะเขือ , Solanum melongena ) or the dog-tooth grass Cynodon dactylon (Thai: หญ้าแพรก - Ya-phraek, also: Bermuda grass). The eggplant is taken because the branches with the blossoms bend down, like a respectful student bows to the teacher. The Bermuda grass stands for patience and perseverance, because it looks withered, although it is in full bloom.

At many schools and universities it is common for students to only approach their teachers on their knees. They bow to the teachers in the traditional way (Thai: กราบ - Krab ) by touching the floor with “the five limbs of the body”: the forehead, the two palms of the hands and the two knees.

Wai Khru Ram Muay

Before each fight of the traditional martial art of Thailand, the Muay Thai Boran , both fighters move in the ring to a special music, which is voiced by a small ensemble of musicians with classical instruments. The music continues throughout the fight. This dance (Thai: รำ - Ram ) is called "Wai Khru Ram Muay", it is supposed to honor the trainers of the fighters and show them respect. In a broader sense, the fighters show respect for his family, religion, sport in general and the “spirit of struggle”.

More ceremonies

The ceremonies given to teachers by musicians, actors and dancers are particularly elaborate.

literature

  • Phya Anuman Rajadhon: Thai Traditional Salutation . The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 4th ed. 1990, (Thai culture; Vol. 14)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ernest Young: The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe. A Description of Old Siam . A. Constable 1898; reissue: Oxford Asia Paperbacks, Singapore 1986 (2nd ed.), ISBN 0-19-582557-8
  2. ^ Heinrich Zimmer: Indian Myths and Symbols . Diederich's Yellow Series, Düsseldorf 1981, ISBN 3-424-00693-9
  3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from January 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ http://cultureandreligionofthailand.blogspot.com/2007/09/wai-khru.html ( Memento from November 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )

Web links