Re: King's birthday info

"On 8 Sep 2005 19:30:43 -0700, "Sandy Cruden" <scruden@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote/and/or quoted:
"
>It's good to have your smiling face back again Daniel.
>
>HM The King's birthday is a special day for all Thais, and in our house
>as well. Every year we have the same routine, We join in with the rest
>of our soi in the lighting of the candles and the singing of the Saan
>Sirn, after that is done my two sons ( 8 & 12) take me by the hands and
>lead me into the house, they sit me down and then kneel on the floor in
>front of me they kraap(prostrate) 3 times in the Thai fashion and then
>recite a little speech about how much they owe me and how much they
>love me, they give me a little present, a hand made Father's day card
>and some flowers, I'm not normally an emotional person but on that
>evening...........................................
>
>Sandy
>Huay Khwaang

yes, k sandy
very moving indeed
well, my kids are already working overseas and married
i suppose on that evening, i just have to imagine your kids kraap to you;-)

on the subject of the candle ceremony in bkk, i forgot to point out that in
the south, esp sungai kolok , the ceremony is done in the MORNING in front
of the police station, at the flags raising (very unusual on this day) (two
flags ) first, the national flag, then the king's flag.

in front of the station a sea of people lines the streets
as the royal flag rises to the top,
the Phleng Sansasoen Phra Barami starts from the front group, then it rolls
on to the next street, next, next , next............
Kha Wora Phutthachao,.......
Kha Wora Phutthachao,
Kha Wora Phutthachao,
Kha ..
there is no lead singer, no conductor,
it just looks like some invisible hand is conducting
the candles lighted, wax dripping into the ubiquitous 7-11 iceream plastic
cup.... where formerly we have to cut 10 cm sq cardboards
the most moving part:
the front group has finished the last Thawai Chai, Chai-Yo.
second street Thawai Chai, Chai-Yo.
Thawai Chai, Chai-Yo.
Thawai Chai, Chai-Yo.

.....Chai-Yo.
..... Chai-Yo.
....... Chai-Yo.
the best endless drum roll ;-)
the last time i attended was 1999

i cant be up till after 2007

here is a bit of what malaysia says of th flag:

http://thestar.com.my/news/list.asp?file=/2005/6/19/focus/11229068&sec=focus
Sunday June 19, 2005
Passion over the Thai anthem

Thai Takes
By A. Asohan

A COUNTRY?S national anthem can galvanise and unite a people;
unfortunately, debates over it can divide a people just as well.

Just as Malaysia is looking at measures to instil a greater appreciation of
its national anthem among its people, Thailand has been looking at ways at
promoting patriotism.

Indeed, some of Malaysia?s proposed measures could have been a leaf out of
Thailand?s book: Cinemas play the anthem before every movie, and it is
aired over PA systems at various public places via all
government-controlled media channels every day at 8am and 6pm.


INTUITIVE PRIDE: Debate over having different versions of the anthem has
led to a national self-examination by the Thais. ? Picture by A. ASOHAN
The Thai people don?t have to be told to stand at attention at those times
.... they just do it. But this seemingly spontaneous respect was borne out
of legislature ? a law enacted in 1939 and which remains in effect to this
day threatens jail for anybody who does not stand at attention when the
anthem is played.

The law seems to have served its purpose ? the Thai people do it
intuitively now, many unaware that they could be arrested for not doing so.
Still, over the last couple of years, debates over the national anthem have
slowly crept to the fore, fuelled by a suggestion to improve the national
anthem in June 2002.

That suggestion was made by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, once dubbed
by US-based Newsweek magazine as ?The New Mahathir?, referring to former
Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who coincidentally pushed
for a more upbeat version of Negara Ku.

Thaksin?s suggestion led to a National Identity Promotion Office (NIO)
version of the anthem; a Cabinet resolution in December 2003 required
government agencies and state enterprises to play only this version.

Then last year, Thailand?s Defence Ministry, in a move to make the anthem
more ?appealing? to the younger generation, asked entertainment giant GMM
Grammy to create six new versions.

The first version would be for official use; the second for formal and
semi-formal events; the third for ballroom dances; the fourth was to be
used in secondary schools and universities; the fifth version for children;
and finally, the sixth for the elderly.

The idea of having different versions of an anthem may seem anathema to its
role as a unifying factor, and for non-Thais, difficult to even
contemplate. But the fact is, Thailand already has two anthems ? the Royal
Anthem and the National Anthem.

It is the Royal Anthem that is played in cinemas while the National Anthem
gets the twice-daily broadcast.

Furthermore, throughout its relatively long history, Thailand has gone
through a number of anthems. The idea of having a national anthem first
came from King Chulalongkorn after an 1871 visit to Singapore, where God
Save the Queen was played as part of the welcoming ceremony in the
then-British colony.

The first, Jom Raj Jong Charoen (Long Live the King), was derived from a
British anthem and proved to be unpopular. The second, Bulan Loy Luen
(Moving Moon), was composed and written by King Rama II, and stayed in
force until 1888, when Russian musician Pyotr Schurovsky composed music for
lyrics written by Prince Naris.

This third national anthem, Sansoen Phra Barami (A Salute to the Monarch),
remained until a 1932 coup brought an end to the absolute monarchy in
Thailand, or Siam, as it was then known.

The coup leaders decided it was time for a new anthem to symbolise Siam?s
new identity as a constitutional monarchy, and Chart Mahachai became the
fourth national anthem, but it was shortlived and a fifth was introduced
that same year and rewritten into a sixth version in 1934.

In 1939, when the country?s name was changed from Siam to Thailand, the
seventh and current national anthem Phleng Chat Thai was introduced.

The original third anthem, 1888?s Sansoen Phra Barami, is now the Royal
Anthem.

The Defence Ministry?s proposal for six versions raised a hue and cry not
just from the public, but also from other ministries and government
agencies. Culture Minister Uraiwan Thien-thong opposed the new arrangements
recorded by GMM Grammy.

?Changing the national anthem is a matter of concern to all Thais ? not the
private affair of a particular entertainment company,? she said.

Some Thai academics even questioned whether the current national anthem,
with its ethnocentric emphasis, was suitable for a multicultural Thailand.

Architect and historian Sumet Jumsai pointed to some of its lyrics:
Thailand comprises the Thai blood and race; it is the People?s State which
belongs to the Thai race in its entirety ? it preserves its entity by its
pure Thai (blood) and unity.

?? It is simply racist,? Sumet told The Nation newspaper.

The multiple-version issue hasn?t been officially resolved yet, but the one
who opened that particular can of worms may be the one to close it too.
Late last month, Thaksin said he was categorically opposed to the idea of
having more than one version of the national anthem.

?A country should have only a national anthem with a single melody and
intonation widely approved by its people. So should Thailand,? the prime
minister told reporters.

A. Asohan is editor of the Asia News Network (www.asianewsnet.net) in
Bangkok


http://thestar.com.my/archives/2005/6/19/focus/n_pg29anthem.jpg

happy father's day to all fathers in thailand







cheers
pluto
.

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