Culture: Keeping ties to their homeland

Panya, 50, and his wife Nidchada Arampong, 47, wearing traditional Thai dress outside their homes in Papamoa. Photo/Ruth Keber.

The Arampong family moved to the Bay to start a new life, but that has not stopped them embracing their traditional culture.

Panya Arampong and his wife, Nidchada, moved to Tauranga in 2008 with their two children after securing a job at the Port of Tauranga.

They love the New Zealand lifestyle, but next weekend they will be getting back to their roots, and getting drenched at the Songkran Water festival, a celebration of the Thai New Year.

Mr Arampong is helping to organise the day, which will include Thai classical dancing and singing, tuk tuk rides, Thai food and a Miss Songkran beauty contest. Mr Arampong and his family were raised following the teachings of Buddha.

Every Sunday, they visit the Buddhist temple in Welcome Bay, where they give food and pay respect to the two Buddhist monks living there, he says.

Mr Arampong was brought up in a village in the northeast of Thailand with his seven brothers and sisters.

Located 450km from Bangkok, his village, Ban Nadee, was about the size of Hamilton with parts of the village being quite developed, although Mr Arampong was brought up in a more rural area on a rice paddy farm.

"In one year, one family would earn US$1000," he said.

He said farming in Thailand was a hard life with the lack of technology and farmers still having to use hand-driven tools and equipment.

Mr Arampong said his wife, Nidchada, also grew up in the same village and when they were married, a cow and several pigs were slaughtered.

Preparations for the big day started at 3am with the official ceremony starting in the mid-morning.

Mrs Arampong wore a traditional Thai outfit, cream-coloured, and about 500 guests from around the village celebrated the day with them.

Mr and Mrs Arampong have two children. Daughter Natchaya, 22, who is studying back in Bangkok, while their son Worawti, 17, is attending Mount Maunganui College.

Mr Arampong said it was hard to find a good job in Thailand without formal training and he was only able to complete high school himself.

The 2014 Songkran Water Festival will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre on 11th Ave on Sunday, April 13, from 10.30am.

Fast facts about Thailand
Population: 65,002,000
Capital: Bangkok
Area: 513,115 square kilometres (198,115 square miles)
Language: Thai, English, ethnic and regional dialects
Religion: Buddhist, Muslim
Currency: Baht
Life expectancy: 71
GDP per capita: US$7000
Literacy percentage: 96 per cent
Festival embraces original roots