Celebrations to mark 233rd Anniversary of Bangkok

Bangkok: – The Culture Ministry will organise a series of cultural exhibitions at Sanam Luang from today to Tuesday to mark the 233rd Anniversary of the Rattanakosin Era.

The exhibitions are organised under the theme of showing gratitude for the Chakri Dynasty for founding Bangkok, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said.

Tomorrow there will be a procession to highlight key cultural events under each of the nine reigns.

The 1.5-kilometer procession would commence at Democracy Monument and end at Sanam Luang. Some 2,000 performers will take part in the procession.

Each day, there will be cultural shows detailing Thai performing arts from Ayutthaya to Rattanakosin periods.

To conclude the exhibitions on Tuesday, there will be a khon dance, billed as the world’s largest masked performance.

During the Bangkok celebrations, seminars and talks will feature academic reviews of cultural traditions such as how Bangkok has been evolving, the merit-making at nine Bangkok temples and the monarchy contributions over nine reigns.

There will be a pageant to name cultural ambassadors for each locality.

The ministry, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and 76 provincial administrations will jointly hold a display of Thai cultural products.

Popular Thai dishes like somtam and padthai will be available for tasting. And cooking classes for Thai food will be organised for foreign visitors.

There will stage performances to highlight the evolvement of Thai entertainments in the Rattanakosin Era.

One of the highlights is the kite festival, displaying the fight between Chula and Pakpao kites. The members of the public will be taught how to make a kite and allowed to take their kite home.

A bus tour of Rattanakosin landmarks will be organised twice daily during the celebrations.