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The coronation of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej took place on
5 May 1950.
His Majesty is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty. On 5 May of every
year, the Thai people rejoice and express their affection and loyalty to
him by organizing a celebration on his coronation day.
Prior to the reign of King Rama IV (King Mongkut), there was no coronation
ceremony in Thailand, there was only private ceremony held by high ranking
officials to celebrate their Royal Regalia and positions in the 6th lunar
month. A coronation, however, took place for the first time when King Rama
IV was crowned on 15 May 1851. King Mongkut thought that the Coronation
was an auspicious occasion but thought that it would be dificult to
explain the meaning of the coronation day to his subjects in detail, he
thus called this day as a "ceremony to commemorate the Royal Regalia" but
was quite similar to that of a coronation. On that day (the 13th of the
full moon in the 6th lunar month), following day monks were invited to
have meal at the Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall in Grand Palace.
During the reign of the present king, the ceremony is performed for three
days. The first day falls on 3 May in which the following ceremony will be
performed; the king performs a merit-making ceremony at the Audience Hall
of Amarindra in dedication to the deceased kings while Buddhist monks
chant, give a sermon and perform a requiem on the royal ashes of the
deceased kings. On 4 May, the Coronation Ceremonies begin with the
proclamation of the Coronation Day read by the Chief of Brahmin priests
followed by an evening chanting performed by Buddhist monks. Finally, 5
May is the actual date of the ceremony in which food is to be offered to
monks and followed by a celebration of the Royal Regalia. At noon the Army
and Navy fire a 21-gun salute in honour of the king. On this day, His
Majesty the King also presents the royal decorations to the people who
have made a valuable contribution to the country.
http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event/coronation/
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