Culture Ministry Honors King Rama IX with Buddhist Ceremony
The Ministry of Culture organized a Buddhist chanting ceremony and almsgiving to honor King Rama IX on Wan Wannamaharaj Day. Held on October 9, 2026 at Wat Phra Ram 9 in Bangkok, the event featured senior officials, monks and members of the public. Similar merit‑making activities were carried out in all 76 provinces nationwide.
The Ministry of Culture held a Buddhist chanting ceremony and merit‑making almsgiving to honor King Rama IX on Wan Wannamaharaj Day. The event took place on October 9, 2026 at 08:00 at Wat Phra Ram 9 Kanchanaphisek in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district, with Phra Thep Wachirasunthorn, abbot of the temple, presiding over the monastic side and Deputy Permanent Secretary Yutthika Isarangkoon Na Ayutthaya representing the Ministry of Culture. Officials from the Culture Ministry, government staff, media and the public attended.
Yutthika Isarangkoon Na Ayutthaya explained that October 13 each year is Wan Wannamaharaj, a name bestowed by the current king meaning ‘the great ninth‑reign monarch’, to recall the benevolence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who devoted his life to the people's happiness and the nation’s stability. The Ministry of Culture, through the Department of Religious Affairs, coordinated with government agencies, private sector, religious organizations and networks to hold merit‑making activities nationwide. In Bangkok the ceremony included almsgiving, chanting and a dhamma talk in the temple’s ubosot, while the 76 provincial culture offices organized almsgiving, chanting, observance of precepts, Dhamma practice, volunteer public‑service work, exhibitions recalling the king’s virtues and activities upholding the monarchy as suited to each locality.
She added that the event gives all Thais a chance to express loyalty and gratitude, to learn about the king’s royal works, initiatives and speeches, and to apply the sufficiency‑economy philosophy in daily life, upholding morality, volunteerism and building a harmonious, supportive society.
