Today is an auspicious day in Thailand for all Thai people. Today is the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year in the 21st Century which translates as 09 09 09. The number nine in Thai is “gao” which sounds similar to another word which means to “move forward”. Tata Young has chosen today to launch her new album. A new Thai horror movie will also be released today. Some Thai companies will launch new projects today, couples will get married and pregnant women in hospital will be trying to have their baby delivered today.
The number 9 has always been a lucky number for Thai people with some people spending a lot of money to get lottery tickets with the number 9 or even number plates with a 9. Nine monks are often invited to important ceremonies. It is also an auspicious time to do things or start a new enterprise. Many ceremonies start at 9.09 a.m. or 9.29 a.m. just to get the number nine in the time.
In honour of H.M. The King, all Thai people across the kingdom, came together today at exactly 9:09 a.m. to sing the Royal Anthem and other songs dedicated to H.M. The King. At Sriwittayapaknam School, all classes were suspended in the morning for the students to go down to the playground. There they lined up in rows to wave the yellow royal flag and to sing songs to praise his name. If you missed it this morning then I guess you get a second chance tonight at 9.09 p.m.
The only thing that I don’t really understand is why the whole country had to come to a standstill today when it is not really 2009 in Thailand. This is the Christian calendar and in Thailand they use the Buddhist calendar. It is actually 2552 which is widely used by everyone in Thailand. You rarely see “2009” being used apart from when naming the “Big Flu of 2009”. Not long ago, this wasn’t even the ninth month of the year as the Thai government only declared January to be the first month in 1941. But that doesn’t seem to worry them.
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