The Gloriously Auspicious Day has returned once again

For the Thai People to share and humbly remain

As loyal citizens in their love and reverence of Her Majesty

The Queen with their unwavering Loyalty.

The  August Twelve gives the sense of love and respect to all Thais

As children of the land become joyously wise

About the love, the care and the mercifulness

Their mothers have for them with immeasurable kindness.

This memorable day, so meaningful in the sense of gratitude,

For Her Majesty’s ceaseless effort to lift the rural people's livelihood.

So many sources of water were protected and preserved.  

The Queen's act of kindness, so vast a forestland is well-conserved.

 By Krajog, Aug. 12, 2009 

My wishes for all the best to all readers on this auspicious Day:

Last night at 8pm, I delightfully watched the TV rerun of Her Majesty’s annual address to all Thai people everywhere and those in the audience of all heads of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Thai government and high ranking civil and military officials. The audience inside and outside the Dusit Dalai Pavilion in the Chita Ladle Palace was estimated at around 16,000 including people representing many private organizations and communities all over Thailand. The TV audience should exceed 35 million watchers.

The Queen wore a light blue dress with mixed styles of fashion. Her blouse was made of a sheer light fabric with long sleeves cut in simple western style but matched very well with her light blue Thai-style silk ankle-length skirt. Her Majesty looked so radius with her healthiness and beautiful facial skin tone while the light shined on her. Her Majesty’s look seems amazingly defying her 77 years of age. No even small marks of wrinkles appear on her face or neck. Her Majesty stood straight up, showing her good physical strength of her back. At her advanced stage of septuagenarian, Her Majesty walked a steady pace in her firm body, not swaying as many septuagenarians do. Her Majesty voice is full and clear in every word, showing her vigor in speech making ability, far different from many aging women.

Her Majesty address to the Thai people yesterday afternoon was made, in a joyful mood with smiles on her face all the time. Her talk about the effort of HM the King to help rural people survive their hardship as farmers in rural areas where soil were in poor condition due to drought and other factors including destructive slash-and-burn farming which depleted rich forestland and destroyed watershed areas. HM the King has started more than 2,000 royal projects to help rural people to cope with difficulties in farming and cultivation of marketable produces. No places have been too difficult for HM the King to reach and get in touch with the real situation with his own eyes.

HM the Queen said that His Majesty always had maps of the locations he was visiting. His Majesty always gave advices to the people and the following local officials on how to solve the problems and make such lands cultivatable. In every trip, His Majesty preferred to drive the vehicle himself even sometimes the trail had to pass a flowing stream with water up to the vehicle floor.

Her Majesty said that HM the King’s health is improving and regularly takes a walking exercise on a daily basis. She seems to be highly satisfied with the progress of Arts and Crafts training projects run by The Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORTS) with two training schools. The first one, established on July 21, 1976, is at Bangsai, Ayutthaya and the second one was in the compound of Chitra Lada Palace in Bangkok. Her Majesty said it’s amazing that young people, boys and girls from the rural areas who are interest in training on traditional Thai arts and crafts can produce many pieces of arts and crafts up to professional standards and as good as the ancient artists had done. Her Majesty also mentioned about the talents of Thai students at school levels and university level who won first prizes in many science Olympics and The World Music Contest in the Netherland, in which a combined marching band of Montfort College and Regina Coeli School, both in Chiengmai, has won two first prizes in school marching band contest. The great honour was the winning of the Top of the World Contest, on last July 28, by Suranari Vithaya School in Nakorn Ratchsima for both the marching and display division. Her Majesty seemed to be deeply impressed by the talents of Thai youngsters in world-class music.

Her Majesty ended her address with a simple “ขอบคุณ ค่ะ” (kob khun ka), with a lovely and delightful voice in a very friendly tone. I felt highly impressed by Her Majesty’s appearance of healthiness and pleasant mood.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s official title is: Somdej Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Phra Boromma Rajini Nath (สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ). All queens during the days of old Siam, shared the last title of Boromma Rajini which means the Queen Consort except Her Majesty Queen Saovabha Bhongsri (later Queen Sripajarindhra Phra Boromma Rajini Nath) and HM Queen Sirikit’s full official title was added with “Nath” after the Queen was appointed by HM the King as the Regent during his ordination as a Buddhist monk in 1956 for 15 days from Oct. 22 to Nov. 5. The word “Nath” in Pali means “dependable”. It was added to title of Boromma Rajini as a mark of recognition of role as “Regent”. HM Queen Sripajarindra Rajini Nath was the first to receive this accolade due to her role as the Regent while King Chulalongkorn took a tour of Europe for the first time in 1897. The title “Somdej Phra Nang Chao” is an equivalent of “Her Majesty”. “Rajini” is a Pali word for “queen”. “Boromma” means “prime” or “major “or “chief”. Only the chief consort of the king would have the title of “rajini”. Other consorts of the king in old Siam would use the suffix “rajdevi” (ราชเทวี) to indicate that they were of lesser rank after the chief consort or queen. Other titles of “Chao Chom” (เจ้าจอม) were used with the consorts of lower ranks.

The old tradition for the king to have several wives at the same time ended in the reign of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) as many old traditions became out of date with the rise of democratic system after 1932 changeh of government system from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy.

 HM Queen Sirikit’s bloodline on the maternal side goes back to the second reign of Chakri Dynasty while the paternal side to the fifth reign. Her Majesty’s mother, M.L. Bua Kitiayakara was the fourth generation in the House of Snidwongse. Her great-great-grandfather, Phra Worawongthur Phra Ong Chao Nuam, or Pince Nuam, was the 49th son of King Phra Buddha Lertlahnapalai (Rama II), one of Thailand’s great poets who created the classic “Khone” masked play Ramakien based on Indian Epic of Ramayana. Prince Nuam was industrious learner of knowledge who made friend with Christian priests from a missionary who came to Siam to establish Christian community in Bangkok during the early days of the second reign. He learned modern medicine from some members of the missionary and got enough knowledge to work as a court physician. He was later promoted to the rank of senior princes with the title of Krom Luang Wongsathirajsnid, recognized as the ancestral head of the House of Snidwongse.

Her Majesty’s maternal grandfather, Gen. Chao Phya Wongsanuprapan (ม.ร.ว. สะท้าน สนิทวงศ์) was the third generation of the House of Snidwongse. He was sent to Denmark by King Chulalongkorn to study at Danish Military School in 1882 at 16 years old. He spent 11 years in Denmark before finishing his military training and came back to Siam in 1893 when he was 27. He served in different military positions and reached the post of Commandant of Military School in 1899 and was assigned to establish the General Staff College. He also subsequently served as minister for different ministries involving in agriculture, civil engineering, communications and commerce from the fifth reign to the seventh reign. His residence on Krung Kasem Road, near Hua Lam Pong Station, was later used as one of a well-known girl school, Sai Panya School, named after Chao Phya Wongsa’s father, Mom Chao Sai Snidwongse, a son of Prince Krom Luang Wongsathirajsanid.

Her Majesty’s paternal grandfather, HRH Prince Kitiyakara Varaluksana, Prince of Chanthaburi was the 12^th child of King Chulalongkorn (the fifth reign). He was one of the first four young Siamese princes who were sent to Europe to be educated in different fields of modern knowledge. He later graduated in Oriental Studies, majoring in Pali and Sanskrit languages from Balliol College of University of Oxford.

 The Queen’s father, HSH Prince (Mom Chao) Nakkhatra Mangkala Kittiyakara, was the third son of HRH Prince of Chanthaburi. and was educated in Britain and France. After finishing his study for Baccalauréat degree in France, he went to École Spéciale Militaire de Saint Cyr. He served briefly as a sergeant in French Army after finishing his military training at St. Cyr and returned to Siam in 1920. He was commissioned as a lieutenant to serve in the King Vajiravudh’s Royal Guard Regiment. In 1929, he was promoted to a full colonel rank and served as Asst. Chief of Staff and secretary of the Kingdom Defence Council.

Following the 1932 change of government system to constitutional monarchy, he resigned from his military service to serve at the Foreign Ministry. His first assignment abroad was First Secretary at Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. but after two years in foreign service, he resigned to work on Thai Studies. In early 1946, he was back into foreign service again and was appointed by King Ananda Mahidol as minister at the Thai embassy in London. He was reassigned to work in Denmark and France in the same rank. His last foreign post was Ambassador to the Court of St. James. He retired from his foreign service in 1950 and came back to serve as member of the Privy Council during the early years of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign. He was also promoted to the rank of senior prince with the rank of Phra Worawongsethur (HRH Prince Nakkhatara Mangkala Kittiyakara) and two years later in 1952 he was exalted to HRH Krommuen Chanthaburi Suranath, the first of the Krom rank for senior princes and princesses. But in early 1954, he succumbed to liver failure and passed away at 55. 

May the Lord Buddha Kindly Grant Her Majesty Blessings for All the Best in Health, Happiness and the Joy of Life on her 77th Bithday!

Happy Mother Day to All Mothers!