Thailand Land of SmilesThe Royal Family | Thailand Land of Smiles http://thailandlandofsmiles.com Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:04:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Long Live the King & Happy Fathers Day http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2011/12/05/long-live-king-happy-fathers-day/ http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2011/12/05/long-live-king-happy-fathers-day/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:36:11 +0000 Talen fathers birthday 84th king majesties celebrate enjoyed concerts http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/?p=7990 The King of Thailand

Today King Bhumibol  Adulyadej and all of Thailand will celebrate his 84th birthday. Celebrations will take place all over Thailand in honor of his majesties birthday which is also fathers day. There will be fireworks, concerts and all manner of events for everyone to enjoy.

May the King’s birthday be wonderful and fathers day be enjoyed by all. Stay safe and have a great holiday.

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80c05c1e967be8c748e0d66ae7c5b673 (38.107.179.236) ]]> http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2011/12/05/long-live-king-happy-fathers-day/feed/ 2 A Birthday Fit for a King http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/12/06/birthday-fit-for-king/ http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/12/06/birthday-fit-for-king/#comments Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:45:35 +0000 Talen concert birthday kings candles king adulyadej fathers father concert birthday kings candles king adulyadej fathers father http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/?p=5038 King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

Yesterday was the King of Thailand’s birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej turned 83 and celebrations were held across the country in his honor. As the King is seen as the father of Thailand it’s fitting that on the the Kings birthday fathers day is also observed. Many businesses are closed for the day and it’s a time to relax and enjoy your family.

In many ways the Kings birthday is much like the fourth of July in America, families and friends gather together and enjoy good food, fun, concerts and fireworks all in the name of the King. The largest celebrations take place in Bangkok where thousands turn out to honor the king and huge crowds gather to see and hear the kings birthday address. It truly is a sight to see even if only from a television screen.

Living in Pattaya there was no shortage of fun to be had on the Kings birthday/Fathers day. I was officially adopted as a surrogate father for the day by several close Thai friends whose fathers were far away in other provinces.

Concert for the King Concert for the King 2 Concert for the King 3

We enjoyed a great Thai BBQ with what seemed like a few thousand other people then spent the night at a special concert for the King on Pattaya 3rd road. The concert grounds were filled to capacity with happy people both young and old to help celebrate the  Kings birthday. The air was filled with traditional Thai music while dancers took the stage in beautiful costume and the crowd danced and cheered.

Lighting candles for the King Lighting candles for the King 2

Around 11pm candles were lit for the king as prayers were said and then the night sky broke open with a beautiful fireworks display and more traditional Thai music.

I had a great day and I can only hope the King himself was as satisfied with his birthday as I was.

The video below is from the Kings birthday concert in Pattaya. More videos can be found in the Thailand Video Gallery…Enjoy.

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80c05c1e967be8c748e0d66ae7c5b673 (38.107.179.236) ]]> http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/12/06/birthday-fit-for-king/feed/ 8 Queen’s Birthday/Mothers Day Today http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/08/12/queens-birthdaymothers-day-today/ http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/08/12/queens-birthdaymothers-day-today/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:57:39 +0000 Talen birthday 78th mothers fireworks queen queen celebrating traditional birthday 78th mothers fireworks queen queen celebrating traditional http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/?p=4032 The Qiueens Birthday

Today is Her Royal Highness Queen Sirikit’s Birthday. She was born in the year 1932 and will be celebrating her 78th Birthday today. The Queens Birthday is a national holiday in Thailand and because the Queen is regarded as the mother of all Thai people it is also Mothers Day today.

Traditional Thai GarlandJust as in other countries Mothers Day is a day for Thai people to pay respect to their mothers with small presents and gifts of traditional Jasmine Garlands or white flowers. So, a big Happy Mothers Day to all in Thailand as well.

there will be many festivities around the Kingdom this week celebrating the Queen’s birthday and Pattaya will be hosting the Second Annual Fireworks Contest on August 14,  in honer of her Majesty.

The second Pattaya International Fireworks Contest will take place at Pattaya Beach, in front of Soi 4 on 14th August. Firework teams from 10 countries including China, Japan, Germany, USA and Thailand will compete. There will also be a special Royal Fireworks display to honor Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 78th Birthday along with many side events.

Pattaya International Fireworks Competition

For more information on upcuming events throughout Thailand please check out the Thailand Event Calender.

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80c05c1e967be8c748e0d66ae7c5b673 (38.107.179.236) ]]> http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2010/08/12/queens-birthdaymothers-day-today/feed/ 8 Thailand’s King of Jazz http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2009/02/16/thailands-king-of-jazz/ http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2009/02/16/thailands-king-of-jazz/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:12:09 +0000 Talen http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/?p=1409 Thailand's jazz playing kingHis Majesty King  Bhumibol Adulyadej is known for many things, most notably being the longest reigning Monarch alive. His public works in rural Thailand as well as his national work has helped Thailand find it’s way into the 21st century.

What a lot of people don’t know about the beloved Thai king is his passion for music. His Majesty King  Bhumibol is an accomplished jazz/blues musician that has played his sax with renowned jazz legends such as Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton and Benny Carter. He also jams, as much as time permits these days, with local musicians in Thailand.

The king began his musical studies while at school in Switzerland. Originally playing the trumpet then switching to the saxophone when his mother thought the trumpet to be too strenuous for him.  1946 would be a very good year for the King, not only did he ascend to the throne of Thailand but he also wrote and published  Candlelight Blues,  Love at Sundown and Falling rain which became very popular works.

King Bhumiphol with Benny Goodman circa 1960The king has composed over 48 songs since ascending the throne. He’s penned Waltz’s, Fox Trot’s, patriotic anthems and even a few Alma Maters for several Thai universities. During a speech in the early 1980′s the king described what it was like to write one of his more popular songs ” Falling Rain”.

I became inspired while I was listening to music on the radio,” he said. “I felt the music in my head sounded better, so I turned off the radio and scribbled it down on a piece of paper. I remember that it was in May. People liked that song. They said it was beautiful. I felt overjoyed.

After becoming king he started a new band that played regularly at the palace. In time he set up a public radio station where he and his 14 piece band would perform live every Friday for the public. One of the Kings oldest friends and musical partners,  Manrat Srikaranonda,  describes the King’s style as more of a dixieland or New Orleans style. Manrat concedes that these days they don’t play as much at the palace anymore but they still have regular jam sessions at the King’s summer palace.

King Bhumiphol Playing with The Benny Goodman BandIn 1964, the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna named the king an honorary member,  the first Asian composer to be granted the honor. In 1996 Les Brown and his band of renown recorded several of the Thai King’s compositions but under agreement they can only be played in Thailand. Les Brown himself thought the King was an extraordinary musician saying, “I’m sure if he didn’t have the job he has now, he’d be successful as a bandleader”. Lionel Hampton once said of the King ” He is simply the coolest king in the land”.

Of course this all sounds great but I can hear you asking ” What about the music?”. After searching around for a bit I found the piece below composed in 1946 by the King entitled “H.M. Blues”. The piece is performed by Per-Olav Kindgren and I think it shows that the King of Thailand would have been just as well known as a musician as he is king if circumstances would have permitted. Also below is ” Candelight Blues”, “Love at Sundown” and a short documentary on the Kings music.

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