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The cat, the chicken, and the king: a look at symbols and ritual in the Thai king’s coronation ceremony
- A royal procession lasting more than six hours on Sunday topped off a weekend of sumptuous celebrations
- The entire event is estimated to have cost the country’s government US$31 million, according to media reports
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From gifts of a cat and a chicken to a 7kg crown and a nine-tiered umbrella, Thailand’s coronation ceremonies over the weekend for King Maha Vajiralongkorn were sumptuous affairs loaded with religious, regal and military symbolism.
On Sunday, a royal procession made up of 1,300 people made slow, solemn progress under the scorching sun, an ancient ritual taking place in distinctly modern surroundings, amid office buildings, condominiums and street food stalls.
Finally, at 11.40pm, the procession came to an end, some six-and-a-half hours after it set off, passing once more through the gate of the Grand Palace.
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Thailand’s new king was flanked by his new queen, Suthida, and his eldest daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, both in scarlet army uniforms, marching alongside hundreds of other military personnel.
From atop the royal palanquin, carried by 16 personnel that change every 500 metres, the king smiled down at “his coronation guests” – the hundreds of thousands of Thais dressed in yellow, clutching their smartphones to record this once-in-a-lifetime event.
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