Today marks Her Majesty Queen Regent Sirikit’s 76th birthday which is also known as Mothers Day in Thailand. Mothers Day and Fathers Day are celebrated on the birthday’s of the King and Queen.

Queen Regent Sirkit was born on August 12th 1939 to  Colonel Mom Chao Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakorn and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakorn. She was named Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakorn. The title “Mom Rajawongse” means that she is a child of a Mom Chao the most junior class of Thai princes and descended from royalty. Her grandfather, HRH Prince Kitiyakorn Voralaksana Prince of Chandaburi, was the son of King Rama V. Her grandfather was the older brother of HRH Prince Mahidol of Songkla, Who was King Bhumibol’s father.

The Queen met her King while both were studying abroad in Switzerland. They became close after the Prince was injured and hospitalized following a motorcycle accident and the Queen visited him Daily. They were engaged in Lausanne, Switzerland in November of 1949 and were married the following year when the king returned to Thailand to take up his Royal Duties.

Today everyone will be wearing blue in honor of the Queen’s Birthday. Every day of the week in Thailand is assigned a color and the Queen was born on a Friday which is signified by blue.

The Queens Birthday not only represents Mothers Day in Thailand but it is also a national holiday and all banks and government offices will be closed. There will be many celebrations throughout Thailand in honor of their Queen who is well loved and revered in the rural areas as well in the Muslim south due to her work promoting tolerance and understanding of the Muslim Minorities in Thailand.

Happy Birthday your Majesty!

In case you might be wondering what color your day of the week is:

Sunday – red
Monday – yellow
Tuesday – pink
Wednesday – green
Thursday – orange
Friday – blue
Saturday – purple

Technically this post is early by American time but Thailand is 12 hours ahead of us.