Koh Lanta Culture Articles by hotelATM 2008-09-01T07:07:37+00:00 hotelATM http://hotelATM.com/info/about.htm no-reply@hotelATM.com tag:kohlanta-hotels.com,blog-6 3 1 25 Sea Gypsies tag:kohlanta-hotels.com,blog-6.post-2313 2008-09-01T07:07:37+00:00 The nomadic Chao Lay (Sea Gypsies) arrived on Koh Lanta more than 500 years ago with their unique language, matriarchal social structure and animist belief system. People of Koh Lanta tag:kohlanta-hotels.com,blog-6.post-2314 2008-08-31T08:07:37+00:00 Koh Lanta is home to three very distinct cultural groups – the Chao Ley (Sea Gypsies), Thai-Muslim people and the Thai-Chinese. All share the innate Thai warmth that is locally known as 'the Koh Lanta charm'. They have lived together in peace and harmony for hundreds of years in mixed communities around the island. Rong-Ngeng Dance tag:kohlanta-hotels.com,blog-6.post-2311 2008-08-29T08:07:37+00:00 For a true local cultural experience, you might watch a Rong-Ngeng dance. The Rong-Ngeng dance is a folk dance of the Sea Gypsy people living on the islands of the Andaman Sea and on Koh Lanta. It borrows from western old style dance and the accompanying music is played with violins, the Arabian drum and Chinese gongs. It includes Ramana (Raman Drums) and Malay language songs.