Wai kru
ไหว้ครู
Pre-fight ritual in muay thai in which a fighter pays respect to teachers, parents and ancestors. It is followed by the ram muay dance.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Wai kru (ไหว้ครู) means “greeting to the teacher”: wai is the Thai greeting with palms pressed together, kru is teacher. Before a muay thai fight the fighter walks the ring along the ropes and bows in the corners or “closes” the ropes with a hand. Then the fighter kneels and bows to the ground three times. The ritual is accompanied by live sarama music, played on the pi chawa oboe, drums and ching cymbals. The fighter wears a mongkhon on the head. Wai kru is followed by the ram muay dance, so the two are often jointly called wai kru ram muay. In Thailand it is a regular part of a fight and is also performed at fights abroad.