You’d be forgiven if you thought that King Chulalonghorn Day, the anniversary of the death of King Rama V, one of Thailand’s most revered great Kings of Thailand, was only about ceremonial events.
Certainly our civic leaders have been showing their respects to the memory of Rama and attending the many monuments at places such as Rajabhakti Park or at schools, temples and government buildings where statues or other visual representations of his life and times provided a focus for merit making ceremonies.
However other less formal activities have involved hundreds of volunteers taking part in activities which have included cleaning, landscaping and maintenance of community facilities for an improvement in the environment. They’ve been following the sentiments offered by the Phetchaburi Provincial Governor who has says that “the volunteer spirit commemorates the royal grace of King Chulalongkorn.”
The most visible examples have been tree planting and roadside cleaning in Phetchaburi or giving the Hua Hin Railway Station a big ‘spring clean.
The spirit of a great king was remembered throughout the region by those who wanted to show how they too want to make a difference to the community, even in the most humble but heartfelt way.
