Birthdays in Thailand
Who has a birthday today, put your hands up! Happy birthday to you 🙂
What do you do for your birthday?
In Thailand, as a Buddhist, Thais like go and make merit at the temple or donate some money and things to the others. Some people like to do actions which symbolize their feelings; they can set birds free as we believe that this will help us feel refreshed, or can make a merit of a turtle as we believe that we will have a long life as turtle do. Also, often we will set fish free, as we believe that our life will become calm and cool as a fish in the water.
Nowadays, there are some parts of Thai Culture that have been adapted from the West, such as having a birthday cake, a birthday party, and the traditional birthday song. Thais wish somebody “happy birthday” by saying “สุขสันต์วันเกิด /sùk sǎn wan gә̀әt/” and we still sing the happy birthday song in English.
Thai Birthday Vocabulary
Birthday วันเกิด /wan gә̀әt/
Happy birthday สุขสันต์วันเกิด /sùk sǎn wan gә̀әt/
Make merit ทำบุญ /tam bun/
Donate บริจาค /bɔɔ-ri-jàak/
Set birds free ปล่อยนก /bplɔ̀ɔi nók/
Set turtle free ปล่อยเต่า /bplɔ̀ɔi dtào/
Set fish free ปล่อยปลา /bplɔ̀ɔi bplaa/
“สุขสันต์วันเกิด /sùk sǎn wan gә̀әt/ to everyone who has a birthday today!
Jang
Thai Language Teacher
