The Grand Royal Barge ProcessionPrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
The grand Royal Barge procession is back, marking the Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the throne. It’s certain to be one of the grandest events staged in Thailand in recent years. Monarchs and heads of states from 29 nations from around the world will be joining Their Majesties the King and Queen as royal guests. The Grand Royal Barge Procession is being organised by the Royal Thai Navy and is set for June 12, 2006.
The Royal Barges of the Kingdom of Thailand are the last of their kind in the world. One of the kingdom’s grandest spectacles, the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River, the ‘River of Kings’, is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty King Bhumibol in 1959. This breathtaking water-borne procession is reserved for nationally auspicious occasions and has been held fourteen times during the His Majesty’s reign.
A Royal Barge Procession to anyone who hasn’t seen one might not sound like a grad affair but that is not the case at all. We usually think of a barge as a flat bottom scow that carries cargo, and is either pushed or pulled by a tug boat. Not a very romantic image.
But let not the name be misleading. The term “barge” in this case is a misnomer, for these Thai Royal Barges are nothing like the word “barge” described in dictionaries. The Royal Barges of Thailand are not “flat bottom scows for carrying cargo” but instead beautifully crafted works of art seen no where else in the world, except perhaps, those that at one time in history were Cleopatra's barges on the Nile River.On this occasion, a new royal barge procession boat song has been specially composed for the event. The 45-minute long boat song provides accompaniment as the barges proceed gracefully along the river. The poetic composition describes His Majesty’s contributions to the country, the beauty of the royal barge procession and the beauty of the country.
The Royal Thai Navy will conduct a dress rehearsal on June 9. It will be open for public viewing. The flotilla will assemble at 17.00 hrs. The principle barge will be positioned at the Rama VIII Bridge section of the Chao Phraya River.
The royal barge procession will depart from Wasukri Pier and cruise 4.5 kilometres downriver to Wat Arun — Temple of Dawn. The procession is scheduled to arrive in front of the Royal Navy Institute, where the light-and-sound show will be presented, at 19.30 hrs. The river will be closed to boat traffic during 17.00 -20.00 hrs on June 9 and 12.
It will be possible to observe the procession from both banks of the Chao Phraya River. However there will be no additional lighting after dark.
The best vantage point for viewing the full formation of the Royal Barge Procession in all its splendour will be from on board the Riverside III cruise ship docked by the Royal Thai Navy Institute and the section of the Chao Phraya River at the Bank of Thailand. Tickets for both these locations are now available for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The Royal Barge Procession is, in deed, a grand pageantry, certainly Thailand’s most colorful and prestigious ceremony. As seen from afar, the Royal Barges in the procession make a splendid show, their gold-leaf figureheads jutting out into the wind, their bright red and orange coloured canopies amidships catching the rays of sunlight, but even more remarkable are these splendid vessels when seen up close.
The major barges, including the one that carries the king, are kept in a boathouse on Klong Bangkok Noi, not far from where canal empties into the Chao Phraya. In 1972, this old boathouse was renovated and became The National Museum of Royal Barges, under the direction of the Fine Arts Department. But this is no ordinary museum; it’s more like a workshop where teams of artists and artisans painstakingly tend the barges.
The boathouse, cum museum, is an amazing large shed, yet it can house no more than eight boats at any single time. The others in the fleet are scattered around Bangkok at various docks and shipyards. Before arriving at the museum, the Royal Thai Navy was responsible for repairs and maintaining the barges as being sea worthy, and while at the museum the Fine Arts Department restored the artwork, the painting and gilding, while the Royal Household bureau had the responsibility for the interior decorations of the barges
Barges in the boathouse are maintained in long berths, and raised high above water level. Individual berths are connected by a network of walkways that makes working on the barges much easier. From morning to night, workers are everywhere around the barges, some climbing high on scaffolds, others at water level applying paint and trim to the hulls.
The most beautiful barge of them all, and the largest, is the King’s Suphannahong Royal Barge. With its golden swan figurehead, it is often referred to simply as the Golden Swan Barge; it first appeared in chronicles of the Ayutthaya period. She measures 49.17 metres long, 3.15 metres wide and weighs 15 tons. What comes as a surprise, among many surprises, is that she is hewed from a single tree, except for the figurehead of the golden swan, making it the largest dug?out in the world
Suphannahong requires a 77-man crew, all dressed in naval attire: 54 sturdy oarsmen and two steersmen, with two officers, one fore and another aft. In addition there is one standard bearer, one signalman, one chanter and several royal insignia bearers. When in motion on the river, the silver and gold paddles are raised in the air at the end of each stroke, controlled by a rhythm keeper who taps the butt of his silver spear on the deck in time with the chanting of ancient boat songs. The large 'tassel' which swings from the beak of the golden swan, according to tradition, signifies that the King is aboard the barge.
The second-most important in rank to the Supannahong is the Anekchatphutchong Royal Barge, first built during the reign of King Rama IV. The present one was launched in 1914. The third is the impressive Anantanagaraj Royal Barge, with its seven-headed Naga figurehead at the bow. The throne amidships is the Kanya type with masterful wood carvings trimmed in gold around the outline. It is used to carry the monastic robes and the elaborate floral offerings to the monks at Wat Arun. The Anantanakaraj, as well as the Suphannahong and the Anekchabuchong, is manned by 54 oarsmen and has a full compliment of crew with officers, signalman and standard bearer.
During World War II, the barges had suffered severe damage during the bombing of Bangkok. But after his return from school in Europe, the King went to see the barges in their dry dock on the Bangkok Noi canal. Noting their frightful deterioration, His Majesty ordered their complete restoration, and decided to revive the ancient tradition of the Royal Barge Procession, for auspicious occasions. Artisans and craftsmen under the direction of the Fine Arts Department spent the next years repairing the damage.
The first Royal Barge Procession of the present reign took place on May 14, 1957, as part of the 25th century celebration of the Buddhist Era, with 39 barges in the flotilla, for the King's Katin Ceremony at Wat Arun. The Barge Suphannahong carried an image of the Lord Buddha; the Anantanakaraj carried the Holy Scripture; and the Royal Escort Barge Anekkochatbhuchong carried a group of Buddhist monks. And now we have another Royal Barge Procession June 12th. Don’t miss it.
Next week I will take readers to Spain, but to a special Spain —to Ernest Hemingway’s Spain.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. Dear Mr. Stephens, My wife and I plan to visit Thailand, and in reading up on Thai culture and history we learned that the Thais use a different calendar than used in the west. Will this be a problem for us? Henry Sims, North Carolina
A. Dear Henry, It’s true, the Thais do use a different calendar but don’t let that worry you. The western calendar is also used. However, for your information here is the Thai calendar:
The official Thai calendar is calculated from the beginning of the Buddhist Era in 543 BC. The year 2000 AD is therefore 2543 BE. The year is subdivided into 12 months, the same as the Roman calendar. This year it is 2549. —HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
