Thousands turn out for Thai royal barge pageantry 

Bangkok — 

Thousands of well-wishers lined the banks of Bangkok's Chao Phraya River Sunday to ticker King Maha Vajiralongkorn thrust a glittering royal barge procession to people his 72nd birthday.

A flotilla of 52 ornately decorated boats, paddled by much than 2,000 oarsmen decked retired successful scarlet and gold, carried the king and Queen Suthida successful enactment done the bosom of the Thai superior to a Buddhist ceremonial astatine Wat Arun, the city's past Temple of Dawn.

The king, officially regarded arsenic semi-divine but who came successful for unprecedented disapproval successful thoroughfare protests successful 2020 and 2021, took his spot connected a century-old royal barge known arsenic the "Golden Swan" to present robes to monks successful a ceremonial marking the extremity of Buddhist Lent.

Royal barge processions day backmost hundreds of years, but are held rarely, saved for the astir important occasions — astir recently, the king's coronation successful 2019.

During the 70-year reign of the erstwhile king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, lone 16 barge processions were held.

King Vajiralongkorn turned 72 successful July, completing his "sixth cycle" successful the 12-year astrological calendar — a milestone regarded by Thais arsenic important and auspicious.

Normally the intricately ornamented barges — their prows decorated with garudas, nagas and different mythical creatures from Buddhist and Hindu mythology — are kept successful a museum.

But connected days of nationalist importance, navy oarsmen successful sarongs, reddish tunics and accepted hats propel them done the h2o to the banging of drums, arsenic perfectly coordinated aureate paddles interruption the waters.

Only 4 of the barges are really deemed "royal," portion the others are officially royal escort vessels.

The barge procession dates backmost to Thailand's 1350-1767 Ayutthaya period. When Bangkok was built much than 250 years ago, kings utilized the boats to question done the capital's web of canals.

As Thailand modernized, the barges fell retired of use, but king Bhumibol revived the contented successful 1957 to observe the 25th period of the Buddhist era.