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Glimpses of the Land of Smiles

-- with words and pictures by --

Hardy Stockmann

"The Wai"^©

The wai, called the handshake of the East
is certainly more than that
a gentle gesture of respect
used by lowly and aristocrat

You join your palms as if to pray
say "sawadee" and smile
which means good day, good night, good bye
for old and juvenile 

When thanking someone you wai too
it's all good manners you know
and when addressing the pooyai*
you wai and also bow

There's one more matter to observe
which is the wai's location
how high or low you hold your hands
depends on your social station 

The student wais high the teacher lower
the Thais know their standing precisely
and if you're not certain where you belong
mid-level will do rather nicely 

And as for the super fastidious
bad hygiene is something inferior
Shake hands and you touch someone's unclean fingers
so the wai they consider superior

 

* pooyai – Elders, Superiors, Bigshot

Copyright © 1997-2001 by Kurt T. Francis and Dennis A. House, except as  noted otherwise.  Materials by Christopher G. Moore, Dean Barrett, Richard K. Diran, and Sonia Pressman Fuentes are copyrighted © by those respective authors.  All rights reserved.  Please see the Copyright Notice for further information.

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