Coronation Day 2012

Coronation Day is the anniversary of the coronation of a monarch, the day a king or queen is formally crowned and invested with the regalia.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned as Rama IX, the 9th king of the Chakri dynasty, on 5th May 1950. In the present reign, Coronation Day is observed by a series of religious rites lasting for three days. On the first day, the 3rd of May, there is a Buddhist ceremony at Amarindra Vinichai Hall in the Grand Palace dedicated to the ancestors of the Chakri House, in which scriptures are chanted and a sermon is delivered by a high monk. On the second day, the ceremony consists of two parts – a Brahmanic one and a Buddhist one. The third day is Coronation Day. A feast is given to Buddhist monks and the king is dressed in full regalia. At noon, the Royal Thai Army and the Royal Thai Navy each fire a salute of 21 guns. Later this day decorations are bestowed on officials and civilians who have done meritorious services to the state and society.