Yellow
is the color this month in honor of the King's 60th year on the throne, making him the longest reigning king in the world. (In Thailand, every day of the week has a color. Yellow is the color of monday, the day on which the King was born.) There was recently a five day holiday to celebrate. The city was chaos as swarms of people, including royalty from around the world, flocked to Bangkok for the ceremonies. I stood amongst a sea of yellow t-shirts, underneath a sky of yellow fireworks, with admiration as thousands of Thais lit yellow candles and sang a song for their King. Coming from a country divided by party politics where the leader is viewed by citizens as an equal (if even that), it was of stark contrast to observe this kind of unity and reverence. The monarchy here seems better described as a family institution than a political one. The King is referred to as a father and people love, respect, and feel bound to him as such. The Bangkok Post commented, "Those who have never felt it will find it hard to understand, like those who are orphaned from birth, unfortunately, can never feel and thus cannot understand the love and bond between children and parents."
posted by janel_renee @ 5:25 AM
3 Comments:
The Bangkok Post sounds right up your alley.
Wow, suddenly you're in Thailand.
This is kind of out of nowhere, but can you get me some sort of souvenir that has to do with Muay Thai? I'll pay for it and everything; I just really want a sweet authentic piece of Muay Thai memorabilia.
i got your back ray.
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