Royal Barge Procession

A few weeks ago I was witness to an old Thai tradition steeped in culture, religion and Thailand's monarchy. The ceremony took place on a Monday in Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River and was broadcast throughout the country on all the TV stations. It was held in the afternoon and I actually canceled class so that my students and I could watch. The Royal Barge Procession is a old tradition with its roots tracing back nearly 700 years. As with many early cities and civilizations, Thailand's early cities were located along major rivers. It is speculated that the Royal Barge Procession originated during the Ayutthaya period during the 14th century. It has been held since then, but the ceremony has always been sporadically held. In 1932, as the absolute monarchy became a constitutional monarchy the Royal Barge Procession began a period of decline as monarchical power also declined and it wasn't until 1957 that a Royal Barge Procession was held. The tradition has been successfully revived, in large part due to the popularity of the current king. Since the late 18th century, the ceremony has been associated with the Royal Kathin Ceremony procession. The Kathin Ceremony is the presentation of robes and making of merit in tribute to and support of the monasteries under royal patronage. Over the past 60 years there have been 16 sailings of the Royal Barges, with most occurring on special occasions. This year's sailing was done in celebration of the king's 80th birthday while last year's was held in honor of the kings 60th year on the throne. The procession includes numerous boats with this year's total reaching 52 unique boats and the boats were manned by more than 2,000 oarsmen. The barges usually move down the Chao Phraya River from the Wasukri Royal Landing Place past the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), the Grand Palace and arrives at Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn.

The barges are themselves works of art and are recognized as such. In Bangkok, they are housed and restored in the Royal Barge Museum. Joey and I were able to venture over there while he was in town and caught a close up look at the boats. They were stunning. Here are a few pictures (sadly not my own) of some of the boats.

This first boat is The Royal Barge Suphannahonse and was built in 1911. The bow of the boat was built to resemble a mythical swan, or Hongsa, and is adorned with gold lacquer and glass jewels, with a crystalline ball and tassle dangling from her mouth. It was carved from a single trunk of teakwood and is 46 m long. When the members of the Royal family participate in the sailing, they will sit on board this boat. This year's ceremony didn't feature the King (who was in the hospital) but his son, the crown prince.

The Royal Barge Anantanagaraj was built in 1914 and the w is carved into the 7-headed Nagaraj, the mystical snake-like creature, in gold lacquer and glass jewels.

The Royal Barge Narai Song Suban H.M. Rama IX is the only barge built during the reign of the current king. It was built in 1994 and built in cooperation by the Royal Thai Navy and the Thai Department of Fine Arts and was built to honor His Majesty during his 50th anniversary celebrations in 1996.

This an aerial view of what the procession would like as it makes its way down the river. The whole procession stretches about two kilometers down the river.

Finally, a picture of the Royal boat landing at the pier at Wat Arun.

Take care and I'll be back soon with more!

Ryan