His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana on 27 October 2024 traveled in the Royal Barge Procession for the offering ceremony of the royal kathin robes to the congregation of Buddhist monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) in Bangkok. 

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya and His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti also took part in the royal journey. On this occasion, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister; Mr. Wanmuhamadnoor Matha, President of the National Assembly; and Mrs. Chanakarn Theeravechpolkul. President of the Supreme Court, attended the royal audience at the Wasukri pier.

The Royal Barge Procession was part of the events held this year in honor of His Majesty the King on the occasion of His Majesty’s sixth-cycle (72nd) birthday anniversary, 28 July 2024.

In the procession, Their Majesties the King and Queen were aboard the Royal Barge Suphannahong, which left the Wasukri pier at 15.22 hr and passed beneath the Rama VIII Bridge and the Pin Klao Bridge, heading to Wat Arun. Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya and His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti were aboard the Royal Barge Anekkachatphutchong.

The Royal Thai Navy, which organized the Royal Barge Procession, reported that the procession comprised 52 barges, manned by 2,412 crew members. Among the barges were four principal royal barges: the Suphannahong, or Golden Swan; the Anantanakkharat, or Multi-headed Naga; the Narai Song Suban King Rama IX; and the Anekkachatphutchong, or Innumerable Naga Figures. 

The procession was arranged into five lines with three rows. The total length from the Wasukri pier to Wat Arun is 3.9 kilometers. The chanting of boat songs was also organized during the procession. The boat songs were sung by two naval officers. They consisted of four verse chapters, composed by Rear Admiral Thongyoi Sangsinchai, a retired naval officer. 

Thai kings have undertaken this ceremonial water-borne procession since the Sukhothai period (the 13th century). The royal barge procession originated from a battle formation in ancient times when the king led forces to fight a war. It later developed into one of the royal court traditions to demonstrate the might of the king, taking him to various places where he performed important royal ceremonies, such as the royal coronation ceremony, the royal kathin robe offering ceremony, and the royal cremation ceremony. 

The king sometimes traveled in a royal barge procession to pay homage to the Buddha’s footprint, to lead a procession bringing a major Buddha image from the countryside to be enshrined in the capital, and to receive foreign envoys and dignitaries.