Meet Sorrawee Nattee, 20, a university student who was crowned the 12th Miss Tiffany’s Universe in Pattaya, Thailand, on May 16.
The Miss Tiffany’s Universe is an annual beauty contest for Thai transvestites which is broadcast live on National Thai television with an average of 15 million viewers.
The event aims to promote Pattaya as a major tourist destination as well as promoting a positive transvestite image to the local and international public.
Thailand is probably the most social tolerable nation towards transvestites (albeit not legally). I don’t think there’s any other country that came close to being as acceptance as the Thais in this matter.
A Buddhist temple in Thailand, is holding rituals for devotees to ‘die and reborn’.
Everyday hundreds of people would visit the Wat Prommanee temple in Nakhon Nayok, about 100km northeast of Bangkok, to participate in the ritual. The devotees would lie in coffins for a few minutes while the monks chant some prayers… and then rise from the coffins believing that they are cleansed of their past and ready for a new life [more on IHT]
The temple has been running the ceremony for more than three years, and its popularity seems to be ever growing with up to 700 visitors per day during weekends. The attendees would pay 100-180 bath (~ USD3-5) to partake in the ceremony.
Speaking of superstition.
The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3 has premiered on AXN-Asia on September 11.
I know most of the regulars here are not watching this show (or not able to), thus I’m not going to bore you with the details… but will share some Asian cultures and places that are featured in the race instead.
Tuk-Tuk
The race started at the Rama 1 Monument in Bangkok… the first feature that came onto scene was the famous auto-rickshaws commonly known as ‘Tuk Tuk’ in Thailand.
Similar auto-rickshaws can also be found in other South Asian countries, but Thai’s Tuk Tuk is probably the most iconic version. Little known fact though, is that Tuk Tuk was originated from Japan and was brought into Thailand in late 1950s. Most of the Tuk Tuk these days are local made.
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Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is celebrated on April 13-15 every year. The celebration also coincides with the New Year of many other calendars in South and South East Asia, including the Tamils and Sikhs.
People having fun at Songkran Festival in Thailand (Image by
jEdC)
Songkran is traditionally a time to pay respects to elders and to visit the temples. However, the tradition has been overshadowed in recent decades by the ‘throwing of water’ celebration with people roaming the streets with containers of water, water guns, or garden hose to drench each other and passers-by.
The throwing of water is originated as a way to pay respect to people by gently pouring a small amount of water on other people’s hands. It is also meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad things away from the previous year… but obviously it’s all about fun these days.
The water throwing has become a major tourist attraction in Thailand every year, with travellers from around the world joining the water splashing festival.
