Chulalongkorn Day is a holiday on October 23rd in Thailand commemorating the great King Chulalongkorn, otherwise known as Rama 5. He is considered one of the greatest kings of the country and reigned during mid to late 1800’s and early 1900’s. One of the King Chulalongkorn’s greatest achievements was to save Siam from colonization, a fact that makes Thais proud to this day.
King Chulalongkorn also abolished slavery. It was common practice at the time for poor individuals to sell themselves into slavery. King Rama 5 knew of the civil war and bloodshed the U.S. went through in order to abolish slavery and vowed not to have a repeat of this in his own country. So in 1874, the King lowered the buying out price of first generation slaves born in 1867 and then had them all freed by the age of 21.
The king also introduced democracy to the country. He was the first Thai monarch to send princes to study overseas. They encountered republics like France and constitutional monarchies like the United Kingdom and brought these ideologies back to Siam where it was implemented.
This year, Chulalongkorn Day falls on a Saturday. As is common practice, holidays that fall on a weekend will be substituted on the following Monday, meaning Thais (and many expats in Thailand) will be enjoying a three day weekend this fall.
What do Thais do on a long weekend? Many will travel back to their home provinces and spend time with their families. Others will head out to nearby beaches, like Hua Hin, Koh Samed and even further out like Phuket and Krabi. Others might enjoy the sights and sounds of Khao Yai National Park or bask in the natural environment and historical significance of the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi. Others might head all the way up north to Chiang Mai! Which all means Bangkok might just be a little more deserted than usual. Which also means good-bye traffic!
What will you do this weekend?
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