The Thai people absolutely love, love, love, their King. And no one celebrates the Thai King’s birthday better than the Thai people. December 5th is a very important day for the Thai people, it was the 87th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or King Rama IX, the world’s longest reigning monarch. As shown in my pictures, there was a huge celebration in Hua Hin, which is where the King resides. He is currently in poor health, due to age, and was in Bangkok during his celebration. However, most cities hold a ceremony to show their respect.
There were 9,999 cupcakes all beautifully decorated for the King. I spoke with an older Thai woman about why there were 9,999 and not 10,000 or 999 or 99, or… well, you get the point, and I learned that the number nine is a lucky number. It is said to bring good luck and prosperity. I tried to learn more about why everyone was wearing yellow and what people were doing on stage, but my Thai language skills aren’t quite capable of such a conversation…yet.
There was a very long firework show right after the entire crowd sang. There were two songs. I’m not sure what either of them were, but it was such an awesome thing to witness. I suppose it’d be like listening to the National Anthem for the first time at a baseball game. It was loud, passionate, and it really made me sit back and appreciate my adventure. I have a video clip that shows the singing. It’s not great footage, but you can try to visualize it on a larger scale. Oh, during one of the songs, there was a little girl, maybe 4, singing at the top of her lungs a few people away from me. ADORABLE! I love Thailand!
