Lifestyle in Ayutthaya

There are a lot of things to discover in Ayutthaya from its archaeological ruins, artifacts, advance technology and waterways, economic and trade, lifestyle, culture, etc. I will be focusing my discovery on the lifestyle in Ayutthaya.

OLD CUSTOM

The people of Ayutthaya practiced a unique custom which believes that the head is the most honorable part of the body. This custom believed that the highest place is the most honorable. They would put their hat on top of a pole to keep it high instead of putting it on the floor. Nowadays some of the old customs are still alive, such as this custom.

I found this culture interesting because there is a popular tourism site in Wat Mahathat, which is Buddha head entangled in tree roots. It raises me a question, how will the people who believe in that custom feel to this statue? Will they feel uneasy because it is a Buddha's head and located near the ground, or they didn’t feel anything because it is a statue?

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GAMBLING AND POLYGAMY

The lifestyle in Ayutthaya has already practiced polygamy. Though, only some rich men marry several women. When they have more than one woman, the first one was the “great woman” and the rest were inferior in status. The great woman in other word is the true wife, on the other hand, the others who are inferior had to obey her.

It wasn’t just polygamy but also gambling. Gambling was a big problem as they could give their children or minor wife in slavery to pay for their debt. If they don't have anything to sell, they will end up to go in slavery.

Gambling and polygamy remain up until now, although they did not give away their children or wife in slavery anymore. However, these are a poor practice of cultures

From these two facts, we could understand that there is no equality yet in Ayutthaya’s society. Men have more power than women, from the fact that rich men can marry several women. The minor women will act as a slave for the great woman, and as a slave if the man gives them away for his debt.

Gambling and polygamy remains up until now, although they are banned and illegal. We can't just continue this culture, we have to strive for something to be better. It may be because it was a big problem it affects those who live there. They could assume that gambling or polygamy is a normal thing because they grew in this society. There's a high chance that they end up practicing these culture, and this cycle will not stop.

Reference:
http://www.asienreisender.de/depictionofsiam.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_Kingdom
https://wikitravel.org/en/Ayutthaya
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Mahathat_(Ayutthaya)
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576
https://www.ayutthaya-history.com/Temples_Ruins_MahaThat.html