Wai Kru is celebrated in schools and universities all over Thailand at the start of the school year on a selected Thursday in the month of June. It is a ceremony that is steeped in culture and religion. I was able to participate in my first Wai Kru last Thursday. The school was buzzing with excitement and last minute preparations by the students. Walking to my office, I was stopped by a group of my M3 girls who presented me with my very first phuang malai (a small jasmine garland arrangment). They had one for all of their teachers. I've seen these around either being sold in stalls or on street corners, hanging from the taxi's rearview mirror, or drapped over an alter to Buddha. What I learned is that it is given as a small gesture of thanks and respect. I appreciated it--and it smell divine! Later in the day, I was given another garland by more students.
Because our school is so large, the ceremony was held 3 times. I don't know how many times one teacher needs to be a part of the ceremony, but this farang got to do it twice!--including listening to the 20 minute speech in Thai by an 89 year old woman in a warm auditorium. Yay! But I'm being facetious. It was a lovely ceremony that I was honored to be a part of. One boy and one girl were chosen from each class to present beautiful floral arrangements to the teachers. As the students entered the stage they immediately kneeled, walking only on their knees. First stopping to krab to the Buddha and the King, then krabbing to the teachers before presenting us with the flowers. Although there were several hundred, maybe a thousand, people in the room, it felt very personal and very intimate to have someone prostrate themselves to me in that way. Something I'm not used to as a westerner. There was something special about the care that was put into the ceremony and witnessing the respect they have for teachers and the institution of education, and that it involved the participation of the students. A very authentic Thai experience....And then it was back to the real world of incessant talking and copying work.
My M6 students came to sing me a song in Thai about respecting their teachers.
One of my M3 students krabbing me before presenting me with flowers.
Wai Kru ceremony #1. No one told me there was a dress code, and I had to wear this stupid blazer.
