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Thailand is a nation that is full of all kinds of colourful festivities and celebrations. One particular occurrence that will definitely take your breath away is the Royal Barge Procession.

Pornrapee 2560, Royal Boating Ceremony, Bangkok, Thailand 20121106-551 5399, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Beginning

It is not entirely clear when the first royal barge procession took place, but it is widely believed to have been sometime in the 14th century during the Ayutthaya Period. There are many accounts from foreign visitors during this time of grand processions featuring ‘200 boats’.

Modern Processions

There is no concrete date when these processions take place, but are instead used to mark special ceremonies and occurrences. During the reign of the late King Rama IX, a total of 16 royal barge processions were conducted.

Major and Minor Processions

Depending on the occasion, the scale of the procession would change. Major processions are arranged into five rows while minor processions are much smaller in scale and feature less variety where barges are concerned as well.

Route

The procession goes along the Chao Phraya River, commencing from the Wasukri Royal Landing Place and concluding at Wat Arun. This route is quite popular with Bangkok cruises and if you arrange one from an entity such as Anantara Cruises during the time of the procession, it’ll be an experience you won’t forget.

Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life. Google+

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