Final farewell to a princess
finalfarewellGOODBYE: Smoke rises up over Sanam Luang after His Majesty the King lights the fire for the royal cremation of Her Royal Highness the late Princess Galyani Vadhana.
By Usnisa Sukhsvasti
As Pol Lt Thongchai Wattanakeewong approached the front of the Phra Meru, dressed in his white ceremonial robes and head-dress and seated at the front of the royal victory chariot, he must have felt a combined sense of pride and sorrow.
As the driver of the royal car of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, he was also selected to assume the position of ‘‘driver’’ of the ceremonial royal chariot that carried the royal urn on its final trip. It was his final act of service to the princess he had loyally served in life, and now in death.
It was a royal procession that showed Thai pageantry at its best. Taking its history from the Ayutthaya period, the royal procession began just after 7am when the royal urn was carried from its position of state in the Dusit Throne Hall, Grand Palace compound, to the Phra Meru cremation pavilion at Sanam Luang. Though only a stone’s throw away, the procession took all of four hours, carrying with it all the solemnity, grandeur, cultural and artistic heritage that is the pride of the Thai nation.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to witness the rare procession and pay their final respects to their beloved princess. Many had been arriving since the night before, from Bangkok and upcountry, to find the best location to witness the proceedings. Thousands of reporters and photographers from around the world lined the official press stands to cover the event.
HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the early morning rites at Dusit Throne Hall, and, together with HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, accompanied the royal funeral cortege with the royal golden urn borne atop the three-poled golden palanquin as it travelled along Maha Rat road, Tai Wang road to Sanam Chai road. Here, the royal funeral urn, which dates back to the reign of King Rama I, was transferred to the royal victory chariot drawn by 216 men.
The glistening roofs of the Grand Palace complex provided a stunning backdrop for this last, and longest, stretch of the royal funeral procession. Joined now by members of the armed forces, the prime minister and representatives of eight schools, the procession stretched from the front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Rajini School.
finalfare2Accompanied by the melancholic strain of the Phya Sok slow march, the procession moved slowly and solemnly towards Sanam Luang, turning in on the centre carriageway and stopped in front of the Phra Meru. Here the royal urn was transferred to the golden palanquin once again to circumnavigate the Phra Meru, before being installed within the pavilion.
chariot – typically a vehicle with two wheels and no roof that was pulled by horses in races and battles in ancient times ราชรถ
pride – a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that you get when you, or someone connected with you, have achieved something special ความภาคภูมิใจ
sorrow – great sadness ความโศกสลด ความเศร้าโศก
assume – to officially start a new job or position รับหน้าที่
procession – a line of people or vehicles moving in a slow and formal way as part of an event ขบวน(ราช) รถในพิธี
pageantry – the traditional features of formal ceremonies, for example special clothes, music and decorations ตามโบราณราชประเพณีในพิธีขบวนราชรถ
pavilion – a building or tent at a special ceremony, exhibition or show พลับพลา, ปะรำ, ศาลา
a stone's throw – a very short distance ระยะใกล้แค่เอื้อม
solemnity – seriousness ความเคร่ิงขรึม ความน่าเกรงขาม
grandeur – an impressive quality that a place, object or occasion has ความสง่างาม
heritage – the art, buildings, traditions, and beliefs that a society considers important to its history and culture มรดก ประเพณีที่ตกทอด
witness – to see something happen เฝ้าชม (พระราชพิธี)
rare – not happening very often ที่หาได้ยาก
pay final respects – to go to someone’s funeral or to go to where a dead body is kept to honour the dead person ถวายความเคารพเป็นครั้งสุดท้าย
proceedings – an event or a series of events พระราชพิธี
preside – to be in charge of a ceremony, official meeting, or other event (ทรง) เป็นประธานในพิธี
rite – a traditional ceremony, especially a religious one พิธีกรรม (พระราชพิธี)
funeral cortege – a line of people and vehicles taking part in a funeral ขบวนราชรถ
borne – carried ถือ หรือนำไป (อัญเชิญ ประดิษฐาน)
palanquin – a covered seat carried on poles held parallel to the ground on the shoulders of two or four people, used in former times to transport an important person, especially in East Asia เกี้ยว
reign – a period of time during when a king or queen rules a country ช่วงเวลาครองราชย์
glistening – shining as if wet ที่แวววาว ที่ระยิบระยับ
stunning – very impressive or beautiful ที่ตระการตา
backdrop – everything that you can see behind the main thing that you are looking at ฉากหลัง ภาพเบื้องหลัง
stretch – a straight part of a journey ช่วงที่ขบวนพระราชรถมาตั้งแถวขยายขบวนเป็นแนวยาวบนท้องสนามหลวง
melancholic – affected by sadness ที่เศร้าโศก
solemnly – seriously ที่เคร่งขรึม
circumnavigate – to go completely around something เคลื่อนไปรอบๆ
