Southeast Asian countries attract many tourists from year to year. Interest in the culture and history of the region is growing worldwide. One of the most famous countries in Southeast Asia is Thailand. This state is located between the peninsulas of Malacca and Indochina. Learn about it will help the flag of Thailand.
What does the banner look like?
Previously, the kingdom of Thailand was called Siam and had a completely different symbolism. Now the king is still at the head, but the legislative power belongs to the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the national assembly, respectively, the political system is somewhat different. The modern flag of Thailand is a canvas of rectangular shape, on which there are five multi-colored stripes depicted horizontally. On the upper and lower edges - stripes of red color, in the center is blue, made twice as wide as the extreme ones. Between them is white. The flag of Thailand has a name that sounds like “Tong Triirong”, which can be translated from Thai as “tricolor flag”. Width refers to the length of the panel as 2 to 3.
Adoption history
The first official emblem and flag of Thailand appeared in the nineteenth century. The cloth was approved in 1855. Then the flag looked like a red rectangle with a white chakra and a white elephant on it, symbolizing royal power. The chakra is otherwise called the Buddhist wheel and is directly related to the religious beliefs of the Thais. The elephant is a sacred animal in this country.
The second version of the flag was adopted on September 28, 1917. Then the state was still called Siam, however, the cloth has already acquired a look similar to the modern flag. Thailand (photos of streets with state symbols of those times have survived to our time) used the banner, which consisted of the same stripes, but only the central one was red and there was no blue on it at all.
Color meaning
On the modern panel there is a blue color, which was not previously. It was added to the flag of Thailand in order to recall Friday. The fifth day of the week is associated with the birth of the king, who is considered Rama Six. In addition, according to some versions, blue symbolizes a connection with the Entente. The red stripes on the flag indicate the people of Thailand in all their historical identities. The first symbolizes the popular religion. Considering that blue is a symbol of royal power, the Thai tricolor embodies the unofficial motto of the state, proclaiming the unity of the people, religion and king. The flag of Thailand is very similar to the flag of Costa Rica, but the meaning of each color in these two symbols is completely different.
State emblem
The modern symbol of Thailand is Garuda. This is a god of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, which symbolizes solar energy. In Thailand, Garuda is also a sign of royal authority. Heraldic traditions in the country began to develop under the rule of Rama the Fifth. He visited Europe in 1897 and saw the coats of arms there. After that, he decided to acquire his own, properly designed. So the first version of the coat of arms appeared. She depicted the main royal regalia, the Great Crown of Victory, under which were located a round shield and a trident, symbols of the Chakri dynasty. On the sides of the crown were depicted multi-tiered umbrellas symbolizing royal dignity. They were held by two heraldic lions. In the background was a royal ritual mantle with a bow and chain. They formed the ceremonial order of Chulochomklao. Such a coat of arms was used until 1933, when it was replaced by Garuda, who represents the country to this day.