One of the most impressive parts of Muay Thai Boxing pre-fight ceremony. This graceful dance the fighters perform comes from the warrior traditions where the fighter would honor his lord or king.  Rooted in Buddhism, this dance includes many of the moves from Muay Thai fighting techniques and also honors the fighter’s parents and teachers.  

The first part of the pre-fight ceremony is called the Ta Wai Bung Kom and this is when both of the boxers will kneel in front of the lord or king to pay respect. The next part includes turning in three more direction with each direction representing honoring his parents, teachers and Buddhism. They will have a headband tied around their heads which is called a Mongkol.  It is considered sacred and when the fighter has put it on his head, nothing can touch his head or the Mongkol.  That’s why you’ll see the fighters enter the Muay Thai Boxing ring over the ropes, rather than ducking between them like classic boxers will.  The fighter’s will also have the Pra-jied tied around their arms. Again this is also a sacred item.

After the kneeling and bowing in the four directions the fighters will get up and start the second part of the pre-fight ritual.  This is when they do the slow dance like moves that derive from their fighting techniques.  Each school of Muay Thai Boxing has their own movements for this part of the ceremony, which is called the Ram-muay.  If for some reason the fighters start doing the same movements during the Ram-muay, they’ll cancel the fight because it means they’ve been trained in the same clan or school of Muay Thai Boxing. Two fighters from the same school aren’t supposed to fight each other because they are spiritual brothers.  

The other element of the pre-fight ceremony (and the fight itself) is that traditional Thai music is played to provide the fighters with timing and rhythmic energy.  It also creates a very beautiful atmosphere for the audience and the fighters alike. This print by Jack Birns shows the beginning of a pre-fight Muay Thai boxing ceremony and captures the quiet beauty of the ritual.