December 5 is the King of Thailand's birthday. Preparations for celebrating the king's birthday started weeks ago as parks and other establishments started decorating by putting up lights and flowers and planning special ceremonies. King Bhumibol (also known as Rama IX) is the longest reigning monarch in modern history, having taken the throne over 60 years ago, and is beloved by the Thai people. Most people in this country have never known another king!
Our service at Santisuk on Friday night opened with a tribute to the Thai king, showing slides and a movie clip which showed him walking among the people and serving the country, followed by a patriotic song. There were celebrations around the city (and, no doubt, the country) yesterday as people gathered to honor their king. One of our dear friends, Rung, took a group of Northwestern students and Santisuk youth to the local mall for an orchestral tribute to the king.
I pondered last night while standing on my balcony looking at the silent streets below (while hearing the booms of fireworks in the distance). Seeing the strings of "Christmas" lights around town is very reminiscent of the ways we celebrate our King's birthday at home. It causes one to reflect on the wonderful ways we celebrate Christmas - family gatherings, putting up lights, singing songs, having parties, eating those special foods that only come once a year to celebrate the birthday of a king. Those of us from a democratic nation don't know what it means to live in a kingdom. We love preparing for Christmas because of all the wonderful traditions our families or churches have year after year, and we always look forward to this special time of year.
The Thai people do it simply because they love their king.
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