Northern Thailand - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 953

homes to encourage the guardian spirits to bring good fortune to the site. Food, drink and
furniture are all offered to the spirits to smooth daily life.
Roughly 95% of the population practises Buddhism, but there is a significant Muslim
community, especially in southern Thailand.
Arts
Classical central Thai music features an incredible array of textures and subtleties, hair-
raising tempos and pastoral melodies. Among the more common instruments is the Ъèe, a
woodwind instrument with a reed mouthpiece; it is heard prominently at Thai boxing
matches. A bowed instrument, similar to examples played in China and Japan, is called
the sor . The ra ́ ·na ̂ ht e ̀ hk is a bamboo-keyed percussion instrument resembling the Western
xylophone, while the klo ̀ o·i is a wooden flute. This traditional orchestra originated as an
accompaniment to classical dance-drama and shadow theatre, but these days it can be
heard at temple fairs and concerts.
In the north and northeast there are several popular wind instruments with multiple reed
pipes, which function basically like a mouth-organ. Chief among these is the kaan, which
originated in Laos; when played by an adept musician, it sounds like a rhythmic, churning
calliope organ.
The best example of modern Thai music is the rock group Carabao, which has been
performing for more than 30 years. Another major influence was a 1970s group called
Caravan. It created a modern Thai folk style known as pleng pe ̂ u·a chee·wi ́ t ('songs for
life'), which features political and environmental topics. In the 1990s, a respectable alt-
rock scene emerged thanks to the likes of Modern Dog and Loso.
On an international scale, Thailand has probably distinguished itself more in traditional
religious sculpture than in any other art form. Thailand's most famous sculptural output
has been its bronze Buddha images, coveted the world over for their originality and grace.
Temple architecture symbolises elements of the religion. A steeply pitched roof system
tiled in green, gold and red represents the Buddha (the Teacher), the Dhamma (Dharma in
Sanskrit; the Teaching) and the Sangha (the fellowship of followers of the Teaching).
The traditional Thai theatre consists of dance-dramas using either human dancers or
puppets to act out the plot. Kŏhn is formal masked dance-drama depicting scenes from the
Ramakian (the Thai version of India's Ramayana ) and originally performed only for the
royal court; la ́ ·kon is a general term covering several types of dance-dramas (usually for