Thailand Festivals and Events 2010

On the occasion of His Majesty the King’s birthday, members of the three armed forces, namely the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy, and the Royal Thai Air Force, hold the annual oath-taking ceremony and the Trooping of the Royal Guards, often referred to as the Trooping of the Colors, in honor of His Majesty the King.

Organized by the Office of the Supreme Commander, the ceremonial parade of the Royal Guards takes place at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok. The event is scheduled for December 2 each year, three days prior to His Majesty’s birthday, December 5. The parade of Royal Guards is meant to show the loyalty and discipline of the Thai military.

For more than 60 years, because of His Majesty’s dedicated hard work, foresight, and wisdom, Thailand has achieved much in terms of economic growth, general well-being of the people, and security of the country.

In gratitude for all he has done, the Thai Armed Forces join the ceremony, when soldiers from every unit in the three services come together as one to take the oath of allegiance and march past Their Majesties the King and Queen and members of the Royal Family during the ceremony. Members of the three services and the Royal Guards also take this opportunity to humbly offer their best wishes to His Majesty the King on his birthday.

Upon their arrival, Their Majesties the King and Queen inspect the guards in an open car and proceed to the royal pavilion. Each year, the area around the ceremonial site is usually packed with people who come to see their monarch and the marching of the Royal Guards in their bright and colorful uniforms complete with plumed hats.

The firing of colored flares is the signal for the Guards to begin their march into the Royal Plaza. After the Supreme Commander offers birthday wishes and presents a tray containing flowers, incense sticks, and candles to His Majesty to pay tribute to him, His Majesty addresses the Guards. The Commander of the Combined Guards Unit leads the cheer “Long Live Their Majesties the King and Queen,” to be followed in unison three times by all Guards.

The Royal Guards, the King’s own bodyguards, were first established in 1868, the year King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, ascended the throne. In the past, the ceremonial parade of the Royal Guards was performed occasionally, at the order of the Royal Thai Army. The first ceremony of taking the oath of allegiance and the parade of the Royal Guards on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s birthday took place on 5 December 1961. Later, it is performed every year and has become one of the most colorful events in Thailand to mark His Majesty the King’s birthday. (The Government Public Relations Dapartment)