THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOAT SHOW OCCURRED ON 9 NOVEMBER 2012 IN BANGKOK ON CHAO PHRAYA, THE RIVER OF KINGS AS A FLOTILLA OF MAGNIFICENT BARGES, THE LAST OF THEIR KIND LEFT IN THE WORLD, SAILED DOWN THE RIVER IN AN AWESOME DISPLAY OF THAI CULTURE AND REVERENCE TO HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL WHICH LEFT THAIS WEEPING WITH JOY AND SHOUTING 'LONG LIVE THE KING!'
Global travellers seeking to
add another masterpiece event their list of lifetime experiences got it on 9 November 2012 when they came to watch the majestic
Royal Barge Procession along the Chao Phraya river, The River of Kings.
One of the grandest spectacles in Thailand and indeed, the world, the
Royal Barge Procession is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty
King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1959. This breathtaking water-borne procession is
reserved for nationally auspicious occasions and has been held only 16 times
during His Majesty’s reign.
This was the 17th time.
The official name of the event is: The Royal Barge Procession
to Present the Royal Kathin Ceremony in a part of The Celebration on the
Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King’s 85th Birthday Anniversary 5th
December 2012.
The main procession was held between 15.00-16.00 hrs. on 9
November but full dress rehearsals by the Royal Thai Navy was held on
2 November and 6 November at 1500.
King Bhumibol, the ninth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, founded in
1782, is the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, and has since 1989 been
the world’s longest reigning incumbent monarch.
Even I, a tourist and non-Thai citizen, admire His Majesty and Her Majesty as much as I revere my Yang DiPertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong.
The Procession involved barges carrying the deeply revered Buddha
image (Phra Buddha Sihing) and members of the royal family to present offerings
of saffron kathin robes, food and other necessities to the monks at Wat Arun
(Temple of Dawn).
Truly a sight to behold, the procession consisted of a flotilla of
52 traditional-style barges arranged in five columns, based on a battle
formation from ancient times. This is made up of four major royal barges —
Suphannahongse, Narai Song Suban H.M. King Rama IX, Anantanagaraj and
Anekchatbhuchongse, ten barges with animal figureheads and 38 smaller vessels.
The five-column flotilla stretches 1,280 metres in length and 110 across. A
total of 2,200 sailors from various units within the Royal Thai Navy served as oarsmen.
The procession took approximately 55 minutes to make the 4.5
kilometre journey down the Chao Phraya
River to Wat Arun, covering the
section from Thonburi Bridge to Phra
Phutta Yodfa
Bridge . The official
ceremony ended at approximately 5.30 pm.
The
royal barges of Thailand are the last of their kind in the world. The last time
that a royal barge procession was organized was on 05 November 2007 for commemorating
His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary.
This year, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the Royal Barge Procession and Royal Kathin ceremony at Wat
Arun on behalf of His Majesty the King.
The Royal Barge Procession
Program
15:00 Hrs: The Royal Barges were moored at the Vasukri Royal Landing Pier.
15:10 Hrs: His Royal Highness
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the Royal Barge Procession
and Royal Kathin Ceremony at Wat Arun on behalf of His Majesty the King. The
Crown Prince then boarded the Royal Barge Suphannahong at the Vasukri Royal
Landing Pier.
15:40 Hrs: The Royal Barge
Procession passed Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall.
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