Top 3 Things I Love About Thailand: 3 – Respect for the King

Although I read about it in tourist guides before I first came to Thailand, it wasn’t until after a month or so living here that I saw how much Thai’s respect the King (and the entire royal family). And despite the political and social problems in Thailand, as well as any negative aspects of being ruled by a monarchy, it is great to see one thing draw all the people together. It is also a great feeling to see everyone celebrate the King and the royal families achievements. The most tangible aspect of the respect for the King is of course the colour yellow, and in particular on Mondays. With Monday being the day of the King’s birth, and associated with the colour yellow, to celebrate the King’s 60th year on the throne in 2006, everyone wears yellow shirts on Mondays. By everyone, I guess that literally means 90 to 95% of the people I’ve seen. It’s a strange but good feeling when you are walking around a shopping centre in a sea of yellow. And it happens every week (although 2006 was the anniversary, Yellow Monday is still running, and probably will be for a fair chunk of 2007). And that perhaps leads to the real reason I love how the Thai’s respect the King: I get to wear yellow at least once a week – I reckon I look good in yellow :)

Created on Sun, 04 Feb 2007, 10:42pm

Last changed on Sun, 04 Feb 2007, 10:43pm