A sea of blue,
illuminated by the soft glow of yellow candles, forms in front of the
stage at Bali Hai pier to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on
her 81st birthday. People throughout the Kingdom turned out in droves to
honor this most remarkable lady on Motherfs Day, August 12.
Staff reporters
Eastern Seaboard residents prayed, made merit, paraded and
helped the needy in honor of HM Queen Sirikit as the area marked her
81st birthday.
National Mothers Day events began early with Banglamung District Chief
Sakchai Taengho leading Chonburi MPs, politicians and residents in a 7
a.m. merit-making ceremony. They gave dried food and rice to 82 monks
then laid the traditional Buddhist tray of flowers, candles and incense
in front her painting, signing their names to a blessings card to offer
their best well wishes and prayers.
Events repeated themselves at 7 p.m. in Pattaya, with Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome this time leading thousands of city workers and residents in a
similar flower tray and prayer ceremony. The event was capped with a
festive fireworks display.
The largest celebrations, however, came on the streets where people
turned out for parades along Pattayas beachfront and in Chonburi.
Chonburi Governor Khomsan
Ekachai leads citizens in offering alms to 82 monks as a royal
dedication on Mothers Day.
Children from Pattayas 11 public schools,
businesses, clubs and other groups decked out in blue shirts marched
down Beach Road around 5:30 p.m., parading from Royal Garden Plaza to
Bali Hai Pier where they waited for the evenings ceremony to begin.
In Chonburi, Gov. Khomsan Ekachai and Culture Minister Sonthaya Kunplome
were the ones leading merit-making donations of dried food to 82 monks.
The rice and other items donated will be passed on to other monks lying
in hospitals in the province, as well as other elderly and poor
residents.
Later that day, the governors wife, Busarawadee Ekachai, in her role as
head of the Chonburi Red Cross with Deputy Gov. Pongsak Preechawit and
Chonburi PAO President Wittaya Kunplome, hosted a blood drive for
National Blood Center Region 3 in honor of HM the Queens birthday.
Birthday celebrations also played out in Sattahip, where Vice Adm.
Chainarong Charoenrak led 2,000 military personnel, area residents and
representatives of 70 civic organizations in a traditional prayer and
candle-lighting ceremony at Prince Chumporn Park. Participants sang the
royal anthem and set off fireworks to celebrate the queens birthday.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
(center) leads citizens in singing the national anthem on Mothers Day.
Elsewhere, Sattahip District Chief Chaichan
Iamcharoen presided over a merit-making ceremony in which dried food was
donated to 80 monks form nine area temples at Sattahip District Office.
Down the road at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Thais and foreign tourists
watched as General Manager Phattanan Khantisukh laid jasmine garlands at
the foot of a painting of the queen. Elephants paraded, dancers danced
and pachyderms Baitoey and Phangyok penned Love is Mother in the sand
with their trunks.
Events concluded with a
beautiful fireworks display.
Maimuang, one of the
smart elephants of Nong Nooch Pattaya, presents a jasmine garland to a
HM the Queen Sirikit image.
Wittaya Kunplome (center),
president of Chonburi PAO, and Busarawadee Ekachai, from Chonburis Red
Cross, visit with citizens donating blood on Mothers Day in Chonburi.
Tawit Chaiswangwong (4th
left), chairman of Pattayas city council, leads administrators in HM
the Queen 81st birthday parade, with (L to R) Manoj Nongyai, Pattaya
city councils deputy chairman, Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon,
Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn, and Sanit Bunmachai, Pattaya city
councils deputy chairman.
Representatives from the
Redemptorist Vocational School take part in the candle lighting ceremony
to honor HM the Queen.
Students from Pattaya
School No. 9 perform a dance in honor of the HM the Queen.
Pattaya Mail staff always
take part in HM the Queens birthday parade.
The Pattaya School No. 11
marching band leads the HM the Queen parade in front of Laem Bali Hai.
