The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne (Thai: งานฉลองสิริราชสมบัติครบ ๖๐ ปี พ.ศ. ๒๕๔๙;) were the celebrations held throughout Thailand in 2006 to celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne. The celebrations were arranged by the Royal Thai Government with Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister, and joined by representatives of other monarchies.
King Bhumibol selected one of twelve designs presented by the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture to be the official emblem for the celebrations. The emblem selected was designed by department artist Somchai Supphalakamphaiphon.
There are several symbols in the emblem. The centerpiece is a cypher of the king's name in golden yellow, the colour of Monday, his day of birth. The cypher is set on a blue background, which is a royal colour. The device is encircled with diamonds, which symbolise wise men, important authors, craftsmen, the sacred white elephant, graceful women, vigorous soldiers, and public servants.
The Royal Regalia that circumscribe the device: the Great Crown of Victory surmounts the throne, flanked by a sword and a yak's tail whisk; under the throne is a pair of royal slippers. These five objects are used in coronation ceremonies, which were last used during the king's coronation on 5 May 1950.
The bottom of the emblem features a pink ribbon with the name of the celebrations inscribed in gold. The two ends of the ribbon are held by the monkey god Hanuman, the devotee and leader of Rama's army in the Ramakien, and Garuda, the Hindu god Vishnu's vehicle. The green and gold colors in the background represent the fertility of the land.[1]
The king endorsed the royal programmes during the periods of June 2006 as follows:
| Date | Time | Ceremony | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 8 June | 17:00 | The merit making royal ceremony in dedication to the royal ancestors | Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall | |
| Friday, 9 June | 09:00–17:00 | The letting of the public paying of homage to the royal ancestors | Phra Thep Bidon Hall, Wat Phra Si Rattanasatsadaram | |
| 10.00 hours | The homage paying royal ceremony in dedication to the royal ancestors. Thai:พระราชพิธีบวงสรวงสมเด็จพระบูรพมหากษัตริยาธิราชและเสด็จออกมหาสมาคม (Phra ratchaphithi buangsuang somdet phra burapha maha kasattriyathirat lae sadet ok maha samakhom). King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit lit candles in front of the worship items, paid homages to the Buddha Images, presented the commemorative fans to the 10 high ecclesiastic monks, rested on the throne, vowed adherence to the Buddhist sermon. | |||
| King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit holding the grand audience. After that, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave the royal reply speech.[2] [3] | Balcony of Anantasamakhom Throne Hall | |||
| Saturday, 10 June | 17:00 | The 60th Year on Throne Anniversary Royal Celebrations:
| Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall | |
| Monday, 12 June | 16:00 | King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, as well as members of the royal household, welcoming the visiting monarchs | Anantasamakhom Throne Hall | |
| 18:30 | The monarchs inspecting the Royal Projects Exhibition and the Royal Barge Procession ( | The Royal Thai Navy's Auditorium, and Ratchanawikasapha (Royal Thai Navy Hall) | ||
| 19:30 | The Opening Ceremony of the Exposition of Royal Honorification on Development | Royal Thai Navy Conference Hall | ||
| Tuesday, 13 June | 19:30 | Royal Banquet | Borommaratchasathit Maholan Hall, Grand Palace |
The royal ceremonies were broadcast in their entirety nationwide by The Television Pool of Thailand through every general television channel at the dates and times listed.
Thais wore royal yellow tee shirts to celebrate (although in some organisations it became mandatory), and as the main celebration period of 9–13 June approached, shirts bearing the celebrations' special emblem rapidly sold out. The Ministry of Commerce ordered another 500,000 shirts to meet demand, and many people still wore yellow shirts weeks after the celebrations ended.
Also popular were orange rubber wristbands, similar to the Livestrong wristbands, inscribed "We love the King."
Photographs of the ceremonies are also popular. The Bureau of the Royal Household set up a photo lab specifically to fill orders for official images, and on Bangkok's streets there are vendors selling copies of the photos of the king and visiting royals.[4] Also, newspapers such as the Bangkok Post and The Nation reported brisk sales of commemorative publications.