Celebrating "Sawaddee"

Today’s Doodle celebrates sawaddee, the Thai way to greet friends and strangers alike. A custom adopted on this day in 1943, this salutation is presented with a wai: a prayer-like pose delivered in concert with a bow that accompanies the expression of sawaddee. The gesture altogether is meant to convey respect and warmth.

Originally coined by linguist Phraya Upakit Silapasan from the root word, “Svasti,” the Sanskrit word for “blessing” or “well-being,” sawaddee soon became an official part of the Thai vocabulary.  

Known as the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” Thailand is world-renowned for its friendly people and gracious hospitality. Today, sawaddee can be heard across the country—from the idyllic beaches of the south, to the temples of the mountainous north, and everywhere in between—epitomizing the welcoming spirit of Thailand.

Doodler Q&A with Alyssa Winans

Today’s Doodle was created by Doodler Alyssa Winans.
Below, she shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:
 

Q: When did you first learn about “sawaddee”?
Is there anything that resonated with you?

A: I had never encountered sawaddee before working on this doodle, so it was a pleasure to learn about its usage and history. Celebrating the everyday cultural moments is just as important as the rarer ones, so I appreciated the fact that we were doing a Doodle for something so commonly said. 
 

 Q: What was your creative approach for this Doodle? Why did you choose this approach?

A: I explored a variety of approaches but settled on the letters doing the greeting. I thought it would be nice for everyone to receive a greeting from their homepage throughout the day!
 

 Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?

A: I referenced traditional Thai patterning and architecture for the border design and color palette.
 

Q: Are there any technical tricks you used to create this Doodle that you can share with young artists?

A: Animation can be time-consuming, so to save time I was able to repurpose one animation across each letter by doing a little resizing!

 Q: What do you hope people will take away from this Doodle?

A: I hope people will be charmed when greeted by an unexpected gesture and want to learn more about the history behind the phrase.

Early concepts and drafts of the Doodle