Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
Wai Khru Day, which this year falls on June 11, is a special time when students officially pay homage to their teachers in several meaningful ways.
Read the following story to learn more about the four common offerings given to teachers on Wai Khru Day.
Dok ma kuea or pea eggplant flowers, represent modesty. When the flowers are fully grown, the blossoms face downwards toward the ground. That represents the way that students should gently take a bow or modestly show respect to their teachers.
DISCIPLINARY LESSON
Kao tok, or popped rice, is made from rice grains that have been softened by being soaked in water for many hours. The rice is later roasted until the white rice grains inside poke out of the chaff.
Symbolically, the rice grains represent students, while the water refers to the gentleness of teachers. The process of roasting represents the strict discipline that teachers also sometimes need to enforce.
WISDOM AND PERSEVERANCE
Dok kem, or Ixora flowers, have a sharp edge, which symbolises the sharp minds and intelligence of students.
Ya praek, or burmuda grass, is a durable type of grass that can survive in hot and dry conditions. This implies that exemplary students should persevere with their studies in class if they want to be successful later in life.
Exercises
Read through the story. Then, decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.
1. Burmuda grass is a fragile type of grass.
……………….
2. Ixora flowers have a sharp edge.
……………….
3. Wai Khru Day this year falls on June 25.
……………….
4. Pea eggplant flowers represent honesty.
……………….
Vocabulary
- chaff (n): the outer covering of the seeds of grain such as wheat, which is separated from the grain before it is eaten
exemplary (adj): providing a good example for people to copy
