Yesterday was the queen's birthday, which means two things. First, yesterday was Mother's Day, and second, today we have the day off in her honor. Last night there was a big ceremony and celebration at the Grand Palace downtown. I went to an afternoon church service and then out to dinner with friends. They had the ceremony on the TV's at the restaurant and at one point they started passing out candles to all the patrons at the restaurant. They were the little hand-held kind like what you would use during Silent Night at a Christmas Eve service.
So when everyone on the stage and in the crowd at the palace lit their candles, we also all stood and lit ours (restaurant employees included). There was a small stage at the restaurant for live music and several well dressed people (employees?) stood on the stage with their candles. We stood and sang the king's anthem along with the TV, and then another royal song I didn't recognize. And at one point in the song we all lifted our lit candles in the queen's honor.
It was a nice little surprise to get to watch and participate in a Thai cultural moment. We just don't get that kind of stuff in the US!
No comments:
Post a Comment