Today in our Speak Thai will be a little bit different. Since we have been teaching you how to speak Thai for a while, today we want to teach you something new that can help you understand this country even more. Today we are telling you a story, a history in fact, about Chulalongkorn Day, what it is and how important it is to Thai people.

First of all I have to tell you where the name “Chulalongkorn” came from. “Chulalongkorn” is the name of our King Rama V, one of our most important kings in our history. What he did is abolish slavery in Thailand and a lot more mostly to modernize this country.

“Chulalongkorn Day” or in Thai “Wan Piyamaharaj” is celebrated on October 23rd each year to commemorate the death of the King. On this day, a lot of Thai people, governors and students will go to the Equestrian Statue at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok to lay thousands of wreaths and pink roses and take part in a special ceremony to pay homage to the memory of the most revered Thai king in recent history. This thing that we Thai do can show the world how much important he is and also the great love and great respect that we have for him.

In case you have a chance to be in Bangkok on the day, don’t forget to be a part of this memorable event. I totally understand if you don’t really get the feeling of Thai people when they talk about their kings with love and respect especially King Rama V. Many people also believe that paying respect to him will bring good luck and prosperity to the person and family. You will be surprised when visiting a Thai house where you often find picture of the King or of the King Rama IX, the present King.