Royal Barge Procession in Thailand

One of the grandest spectacles in the Kingdom of Thailand is the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya – the ‘River of Kings’. This 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 sixteen times during His Majesty’s reign.

HM King Bhumibol is the ninth ruler of the Royal House of Chakri, a dynasty founded in 1782. He is the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, and has since 1989 been the world’s longest reigning incumbent monarch.

To commemorate HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday anniversary on 5 December 2011, Rear Admiral Apiwat Sriwattana, has announced that the Royal Thai Navy will be organizing a Royal Kathin Barge Procession on 22 October 2011. The event is to mark the visit of His Majesty the King and members of the royal family to a royal temple to present offerings of saffron kathin robes to the monks.

The Royal Thai Navy will conduct a total of eight rehearsals between August 26 and October 7. Two full dress rehearsals scheduled for October 13 and 18.

Officially known as the Praratcha Phithi Phra Yuha Yatra Cholamak (Royal Waterway Procession), the water-borne procession involves barges carrying the Buddha image (Phra Buddha Sihing) and the royal family to present robes to the monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). This marks Awk Phansa, the end of the three-month Buddhist rain retreat in October. During the rainy season, Buddhist monks traditionally return to their temples for what is often called Buddhist lent.

This annual pilgrimage, which usually takes place during the full moon in October and November, is known as Tawt Kathin Luang or the Royal Kathin Ceremony. The religious ceremony is performed in accordance with ancient sacred rituals.

The water-borne royal kathin procession on October 22 will consist 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), eight barges with animal figureheads, and 40 smaller ceremonial barges. A total of 2,098 navy officers from various units within the Royal Thai Navy will serve as oarsmen.

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 12 June 2006 for the diamond jubilee celebrations to mark the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne.

For more information on the Royal Kathin Barge Procession see the web site http://www.tatnews.org/events/events/2011/oct/5511.asp