Yesterday I saw the greatest occasion of Thai Royal in Chao Phraya river. This Thai royal barge rehearse celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the king’s accession to the throne. The procession dates back 700 years and is enacted only on occasions of great national importance. The king sat under a rich awning on his own barge, a 46m-long craft constructed from a single teak trunk, which took pride of place at the centre of the parade. Dozens of other ornate boats, manned by more than 2,000 oarsmen wearing elaborate traditional uniforms, made up the rest of the column. In keeping with the tradition which dictates that no citizen should stand above the king’s person, the authorities asked spectators to remain at ground level and kept the bridges spanning the river clear of traffic. The royal party was taken to a temple, where the king presented special robes to the monks - a ceremony symbolising the end of the monsoon season. Read more…