Does a Wai say it all? 
Does a Wai say it all?
Bangkok Post’s senior business
reporter, Boonsong Kositchotehana, in a report today, raises the
possibility that the famous Thai Wai is now part of the standard
greeting on most airlines serving the 10-member Asean region.
“Passengers
stepping on to Indonesian or Malaysian planes can no longer assume that
a welcoming “Wai” reflects the cabin attendant’s Thai origins, or the
carrier’s link with Thai companies.
No.2 (Inside)“Airlines
including the long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X, Malaysia’s AirAsia,
AirAsia Indonesia and, most recently, Garuda Indonesia have all
embraced Thailand’s iconic greeting of respect or simply “hello”,
“thank you” and “goodbye” as a standard greeting for passengers.
“The
Wai’s globalisation started, earlier this year, with the Malaysia-base
AirAsia X and AirAsia, before the Indonesian flag carrier introduced
the gesture, last June.
“The management of these airlines may
have been impressed by how the cabin crew of Thai Airways International
(THAI) have used the custom for nearly 50 years as a personal touch.
“But
these airlines believe they are not copying Thai greetings. In their
view, Thais cannot claim an exclusive right to the gesture, which they
see as a regional tradition.
“Scholars believe the Wai came to
Thailand via India’s Hindu culture. The Wai closely resembles the
Indian “namaste”, the Cambodian “sampeah” and the Lao “kub”.
“In
Indonesia, Wai-like gestures are in use in various parts of the
country, including Java, where Hinduism and Buddhism have been or still
are practised.
“Historically, in Malaysia and Brunei the gesture
was used to convey thanks, or salutations to a patron, or higher
personage, with the level of the hands raised in accordance with the
rank or caste of the individual to whom it was addressed.
Nevertheless,
in none of these countries has the Wai become a national symbol or been
deeply ingrained in tradition as it has been in Thailand.”
Source: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2009/08/does-a-wai-say-it-all/#more-6897
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