Adding Color to The Week, Thai Style

Adding color to the week, on Mondays, Thais simple love to wear yellow. This is no mere fashion statement but, instead, is a charming, and very Thai, way the people have chosen to express their deep respect for, and devotion to, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, especially in celebration of last year's 60th anniversary of his reign and his 80th birthday 5th of December.

In Thai tradition, yellow is customarily the color of Monday, and His Majesty the King of Thailand was born on a Monday. Similar to Western tradition, the days of the week in Thai are named after "god" planets, each of which is associated with a particular color, and ancient belief holds that it is auspicious for Thais to wear the color of the day.

In the past, for example, generals would dress their soldiers in the appropriate color of the day they would go into battle in order to raise morale. As a sign of respect, an assurance of good fortune, it goes: Sunday = Red, Monday = Yellow, Tuesday = Pink, Wednesday = Green, Thursday = Orange, Friday = Blue and a last Saturday = Purple.

The gods of the days are for Sunday the god Surya representing the Sun, for Monday the god Chandra, representing the moon, for Tuesday the god Mangala representing the planet Mars, for Wednesday is the day of Lord Budha representing Mecury, for Thursday the god Brihaspati representing the planet Jupiter, for Friday the god Shukra representing the planet Venus, and for Saturday the god Shani representing the planet Saturn.