Should you arrive in Thailand on a Monday, you will be met by millions of yellow shirts. Why? Yellow is the colour of the Thai King, who together with his wife may well constitute the world’s most revered monarchy.
Being the longest-ruling monarch of the world still alive, the Thai King reached 60 years on the throne in 2006 — an event that was celebrated by several million Royal-revering Thais, confirming King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s practically endless popularity in the country.
Prince Bhumibol was born in the US on 5 December 1927. When his father died, his mother chose to move with the young Bhumibol and his older brother and sister to Switzerland. There, Bhumibol became interested in science and eventually studied engineering. When his brother, Ananda, who was coronated the King of Thailand at a very young age (Rama VIII), tragically died the title was passed on to the then only 18-year-old Bhumibol (Rama IX).
King Bhumibol was born on a Monday, the day of yellow colour. Sirikit, who became the Queen of Thailand when she married King Bhumibol in 1950, was born on a Friday, the day of blue colour. This is why yellow is the colour of the King and blue the colour of the Queen — explaining why millions of Thais wear yellow shirts on Mondays. Another sign of the immense popularity of the Thai Monarchy include the special “King” hymn that is played before every movie shown in a Thai theatre.
The popularity of the Thai King and Queen has deep roots; it has often been pointed out that King Bhumibol is the King for the Thai people, not only of the Thai people. The honouring title of the “Development King” originates from his extensive efforts at helping its people finding food. Over the last 50 or so years, more than 2,000 Royal projects have been realised, often aimed at introducing and promoting novel small–scale farming techniques.
Lastly, King Bhumibol’s notion of “Sufficiency Economy” has received widespread recognition. The concept is quite close to central Buddhist values, in the sense that you are urged to know what you are doing, be truthful and consistent, choose a midway avoiding extremes, be careful and show insight when making decisions, and accumulate a reserve against chocks.
