Wai khru ram muay ( th, ไหว้ครูรำมวย, , ) is a ritual performed by participants before fighting in

muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

competitions.

Wai khru The ''wai khru'' ceremony ( th, พิธีไหว้ครู, pronounced ) is a Thai ritual in which students pay respects to teachers in order to express their gratitude and formalize the student–teacher relationship. It is regularly held ...

is a universal concept that exists in almost all of Thai performance art - from Thai traditional music to classical

Khon Khon ( th, โขน, ) is a dance drama genre from Thailand. Khon has been performed since the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is traditionally performed solely in the royal court by men in masks accompanied by narrators and a traditional piphat ensemb ...

dance and fighting arts, such as

krabi krabong Krabi ( th, กระบี่, ) is the main town in the province of Krabi (''thesaban mueang'') on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River where it empties in Phang Nga Bay. As of 2020, the town had a population of 3 ...

and Muay Thai. The ''wai'' is a traditional

Thai greeting The Thai greeting referred to as the ''wai'' ( th, ไหว้, ) consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It has its origin in the Indian ''Añjali Mudrā'', like the Indian ''namaste'' and Burmese ...

with the palms together as a sign of respect. ''Khru'' is the Thai form of the Sanskrit word ''

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

'' meaning 'teacher'. ''Ram'' is the Thai word for dancing in classical style, and ''muay'' means 'boxing'. The full term can therefore be translated as 'war-dance saluting the teacher', but Thai speakers generally shorten it either to ''wai khru'' or ''ram muay''. The ''ram muay'' shows respect and gratitude to the boxer's teacher, parents, and ancestors. In the days when boxers fought in front of the royalty, the ram muay also paid respect to the king. Upon entering the ring, fighters circle the ring in a counter-clockwise direction and pray at each corner. They bow their heads at every corner three times in salutation to

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

, and the

sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

of monks. They then commence the ram muay, the movements of which are said to be based on

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

. The ram muay is a personal ritual, ranging from the very complex to the very simple, and often contains clues about who trained the fighter and where the fighter is from. The ram muay is accompanied by music, providing a rhythm to the boxer's movements.

References

External links

The tradition of Wai khru
Thai culture Muay Thai Thai dance Kickboxing terminology Martial arts culture Muay Thai culture {{martialart-stub

See also

References

External links