60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej

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The King and Queen appear on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Royal Plaza, Bangkok on June 9, 2006, marking 60 years since the king's accession to the throne.
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The King and Queen appear on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Royal Plaza, Bangkok on June 9, 2006, marking 60 years since the king's accession to the throne.

The 60th anniversary celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne of Thailand are being held throughout 2006 to great pomp and circumstance.

Events got under way in April, with rehearsals for a procession of royal barges on the Chao Phraya River, involving 52 royal barges and 2,082 oarsmen. Several rehearsals were held, leading up to the actual ceremony on June 12 that was attended by the King and Queen and royals from 25 countries.

There are also fireworks displays, banquets, art and photographic exhibitions, performances of dance and music as well as the production of Mahajanaka, a story written by the King and adapted into a musical theatre work. Virtually every event in the Kingdom at this time is somehow tied into the 60th anniversary celebration.

The wearing of royal-yellow T-shirts to celebrate the occasion is de rigueur, and as the main celebration period of June 9-13 approached, shirts bearing the special emblem for the celebration rapidly sold out. The Commerce Ministry ordered another 500,000 to meet demand. In the weeks that followed the celebration, many people still wore their yellow shirts.

Also popular are orange rubber wristbands, similar to the Livestrong wristbands, that say "We ♥ the King."

Photographs of the ceremonies are also popular. The Royal Household Bureau has set up a photo lab specifically to fill orders for official images, and on Bangkok's streets there are vendors selling copies of the photos of the king and the visiting royals. [1] Also, newspapers such as the Bangkok Post and The Nation report brisk sales of commemorative publications.

Contents

[edit] Special emblem

The emblem for the 60th Anniversary Celebration of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne.
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The emblem for the 60th Anniversary Celebration of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne.

A special emblem for the 60th anniversary was designed by Somchai Supalakumpaiporn, an artist in the Royal Household's Fine Arts Department. It was chosen by the king from 12 designs that were submitted from four of the department's artists.

There are several symbols in the emblem. The centerpiece is an abbreviation of the king's name in golden yellow, the color of Monday, his day of birth. The abbreviation is set on a blue background, which is the color of the monarchy. It is encircled with diamonds, which symbolize wise men, important authors, craftsmen, elephants, graceful women, soldiers and courtiers who serve the monarch.

The Royal Cipher is depicted on a throne and surmounted by a crown. On the sides are a sword and a yak's tail whisk. Under the throne is a pair of slippers. These five objects are used in coronation ceremonies, and are the same as those used in the king's coronation in 1946.

The bottom of the emblem features a pink ribbon trimmed with a gold inscription, "The Sixieth Anniversary Celebration of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne BE 2549." The two ends of the ribbon are held by the monkey god Hanuman, Phra Ram's vehicle in the Ramayana, and a garuda, the Hindu god Vishnu's vehicle. The green and gold colors in the background represent the fertility of the land. [2]

[edit] Special holiday

On June 9, a special national holiday, hundreds of thousands of people wearing royal-yellow T-shirts and waving royal-yellow flags packed Royal Plaza. Many had camped out overnight, hoping to glimpse the monarch.

At 10:11 am, the King and Queen and other members of the royal family arrived at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall to pay homage to past Siamese kings:

Hundreds of thousands of Thai people wearing royal yellow shirts pack Royal Plaza on June 9, hoping to catch a glimpse of the king.
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Hundreds of thousands of Thai people wearing royal yellow shirts pack Royal Plaza on June 9, hoping to catch a glimpse of the king.

The crowd gave a deafening cheer of "Long Live the King".

The crowd erupted into cheers again when the King appeared at 11:24 am on the balcony, marking the third time during his reign that he has appeared there to greet the people. The Royal Anthem was sung. The King received blessings from Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who read a statement on behalf of the royal family. Caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the presidents of the Senate and the Supreme Court also read statements of well wishes.

The King then made a brief speech, in which he stated in part:

   
“
 I am thankful for the well-wishers and the way they have acted in unison. I feel heartened by unity and would like to remind all about some underlying principles to guide Thai citizens in joining together to preserve and develop their country to new heights of prosperity. First, everyone should show kindness and compassion to ensure the mental and physical well being of one another. Second, people should strive to cooperate for the mutual benefit of oneself, others and the country. Third, everyone should uphold honesty and observe rules and traditions with impartiality. Fourth, everyone should adhere to righteous thinking and act reasonably. If Thai citizens think and act in an agreeable and constructive manner, then the country will surely thrive. [3] [4]
   
”

[edit] The Royal Barge Procession

Main article: Thailand's Royal Barge Procession

Performed by the Royal Thai Navy on the Chao Phraya River, the Royal Barge Procession is a ceremony that pays tribute to Thailand's past, recreating the pageantry of the ancient Siamese war fleet and celebrating the Thai people's connection to the land and water. It involves 2,082 oarsmen and other crew on 52 barges that are paddled by poetic, synchronized movements.

The Nation's special section "Wonder on the Water", details the royal barges.
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The Nation's special section "Wonder on the Water", details the royal barges.

The procession on June 12 was the 15th time the rite had been performed for the monarch. It had also been performed in:

  • 1957 to mark the 25th century of the Buddhist Era.
  • 1982 for Bangkok's bicentennial.
  • 1987 for the king's 60th birthday.
  • 1996 for the 50th anniversary of accession.

The king himself did not participate in the actual ceremony, but watched from Royal Thai Navy Headquarters on the west bank of the river, along with the 25 heads of state or their representatives who came to Thailand to join the celebration.

From early morning, thousands of spectators crowded the banks along the route, from Wasukri Royal Pier to Wat Arun. The procession started at around 5:30 pm.

The barges themselves are ornate craft, with intricate, gilded ornamentation, and exquisitely carved bow figures that depict characters from the Ramayana, such as Hanuman, Garuda as well as the Naga.

The official barge of state is the Narai Song Suban King Rama IX, which bears the Garuda, the seal of the monarch. It is 44.3 meters long and is crewed by 50 oarsmen.

Most of the barges in the fleet date back to the Rattanakosin era, though they were damaged in a bombing raid during the Second World War. After the war, Bhumibol Adulyadej ordered their renovation. They are patterned on warships that carried King Narai from Lopburi to Saraburi in the 17th century. That fleet was burned in the sacking of Ayutthaya in 1767.

Among the largest of the barges is the Suphannahongse. It has a carved figure of a golden swan on its bow. The boat measures 45 meters in length, 3.17 in width. She carries 50 paddlers as well as two steersmen, a pair of officers fore and aft, a flagman, a signalman, a chanter and seven regalia bearers.

Other main barges are the Anatanagaraj and the Anekajatibhujonga. Arranged in five columns, the larger craft keep to the middle of the procession, surrounded by smaller vessels.

As the barges proceeded down the river, going neither too fast nor too slow and seeming "as if they will float off into heaven," a chanter performed a three-verse song in praise of the king, specially composed for the occasion. The rhythm of the chant, accompanied by drums, bugles and a conch shell, helps keep the oarsmen in synch.

The whole ceremony lasted about one hour.[5] [6]

[edit] Grand Banquet

On June 13, royalty from 24 nations took part in a banquet at the Grand Palace. It was the first official function in the new Rama IX Throne Hall, an extension of the Chakri Throne Hall built by King Chulalongkorn.

The dishes served were prepared mostly from products of a number of King Bhumibol's royal projects that were set up to help the country’s rural poor. The meal was prepared in a the new throne hall's kitchens. The menu included a remoulade of horse crab and crayfish, roast veal, steamed rainbow trout and apple Charlotte with lavender ice cream for the royals. A buffet was also prepared for the 1,000-strong entourages and staff.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn welcomed the royals as they entered the throne hall to be received by King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit, who stood at the end of an ornate, carpeted room.

The king thanked the royal guests. "The historic assembly of royals from around the world should enhance friendship and relationships between our monarchs as well as our countries," he said.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, whose 39-year reign made him the most senior among the visiting royals, spoke on behalf of the foreign royalty.

   
“
 We are here to express our profound esteem for the personal qualities enriched by Your Majesty, and so enrich it. The 60 years [of your reign] are not just 60 years in the history of Thailand, they are in so many ways the history of our times.
   
”

Following the royal anthem, the sultan then led a toast in honour of King Bhumibol.

The function concluded the two days of celebrations with visiting foreign royals. Twenty-five royals took part in the two days of ceremonies. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates departed before the banquet after attending official functions earlier in the day. [7]

[edit] Visiting royalty

Monarchs or their representatives from 25 countries joined the festivities on June 12 and 13. After the two days of ceremonies, some the foreign royals were to continue individual schedules with royal visits and tourism at other destinations around Thailand.

Among them, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia visited Phuket to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, as well as attend to royal duties. [8]

[edit] List of visiting royalty

[edit] Monarchs from 13 countries

[edit] Royal consorts, queens or high-ranking members of royal families from three countries

[edit] Crown princes from seven countries

By the end of 2006, the crown princes of Bhutan and Tonga had become kings of their countries.

[edit] Members of royal families from two countries

[edit] Monarchs unable to attend from three countries

[edit] "Prince Jigme"

Main article: Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck#Popularity in Thailand

At age 26, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, crown prince of Bhutan, was the youngest of the visiting royals. The Thai press dubbed him "Prince Charming"[10] and he is popularly referred to as "Prince Jigme" (จิ๊กมี่), although he is informally addressed in Bhutan as Prince Namgyal. A controversial poll run by the polling center at Assumption University, Thailand listed Prince Namgyal as the most popular of the visiting royals, but the poll was withdrawn out of fears the results would cause harm to foreign relations. [11] The popular Internet forum, Pantip.com, was flooded with postings about Prince Namgyal, among them a photo of the prince with a woman, which sparked a probe by the Department of Special Investigation.[12]

[edit] UNDP award

On May 26, 2006, in one of the first ceremonies to mark His Majesty's 60 years on the throne,United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented the King with the United Nations Development Program's first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award, calling the monarch the world's "Development King" in recognition of the King's "sufficiency economy" philosophy and hundreds of royal rural development projects in the areas of irrigation, education, drug control and medical care. The ceremony was held at Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Nation "Royal Household Bureau to sell jubilee celebration pictures", June 20, 2006.
  2. ^ Keenapan, Nattha (June 9, 2006). "A symbol of greatness," International Herald Tribune/ThaiDay (print edition)
  3. ^ The Nation (June 10, 2006), "King of Hearts"
  4. ^ The Nation (June 10, 2006), "HM the King calls for unity, kindness, compassion"
  5. ^ "The wonder on the water", special section, The Nation, print edition, June 12, 2006.
  6. ^ "Royal Barge Procession celebrates Thai king's reign", Thai News Agency, June 12, 2006.
  7. ^ "World royalty salute Thai Monarch King Rama IX at Royal Banquet", Thai News Agency, June 14, 2006
  8. ^ Phuket Gazette, "Swedish royals give grants to tsunami kids", June 19, 2006.
  9. ^ Bangkok Post special section, "A Royal Celebration", June 7, 2006
  10. ^ The New Paper, "Red hot Prince Charming", June 21, 2006.
  11. ^ The Nation, "Abac backs down on poll on royals", June 22, 2006.
  12. ^ ThaiDay, "DSI sweeps into action over Jigme photograph", June 28, 2006.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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