Thai people have been buying and wearing pink shirts in unprecedented numbers ever since their King Bhumibol Adulyadej left the hospital in an electric wheelchair, last week, wearing a baby pink blazer and shirt.
The monarch had been hospitalized for three weeks due to a colon infection and weakness on the right side of his body. Thousands of his subjects and fans had gathered outside the hospital, cheering and waving flags, to wish him well. Since his 60th anniversary on the throne, celebrated in 2006, Thais have worn yellow shirts every Monday — the monarch`s day of birth — as yellow represents Monday in the Buddhist tradition.
The King is turning 80 on December 5th this year, and astrologers have determined pink, represening the plant Mars, to be an auspicious color for this important birthday. It is meant to bring His Majesty strength. A royal emblem using pink among other colors has been specially designed. Since the emblem came out, pink was already on the up and up but it was the king`s recent choice of outfit which truly inspired a new national fashion trend. Sales of pink shirts increased by 60 percent from one day to the next.
Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose name means “Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power,” is truly a revered figure. Having reigned since 1946, he is the world’s longest-serving current head of state and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history. Although King Bhumibol Adulyadej is a constitutional monarch, he has made several interventions into the country`s politics and is credited with facilitating Thailand’s transition to democracy in the 1990s. A billionaire, he uses some of his money to fund development projects. Many Thais consider him a semi-divine figure.
While Thailand`s pink craze may appear innocuous, fortune tellers warn that chaos could reign if everyne wears the color of the planet Mars on the same day. The country is due to hold a general election in December.
This article was published Wednesday, November 14, 2007.
