Pierre Balmain Figure Honored in Royal Gongtek Ceremony for Queen Mother
The Grand Palace held a traditional Buddhist merit-making ceremony for Queen Sirikit, with elaborate paper offerings including a replica of her villa and a figure of fashion designer Pierre Balmain, who created many of her iconic garments.
On April 23, the Grand Palace hosted a traditional gongtek ceremony—a Mahayana Buddhist merit-making ritual—honoring Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, with Their Majesties the King and Queen in attendance alongside royal family members. The ritual, conducted by Chinese Buddhist monks and rooted in traditions dating back to King Rama IV's reign, involves the burning of symbolic paper offerings such as houses, vehicles, and possessions, believed to provide comfort and prosperity in the afterlife.
Chinese monastic communities nationwide collaborated using traditional paper craftsmanship to create elaborate offerings reflecting the Queen Mother's life and legacy. Among the most impressive creations was a detailed replica of Chitralada Royal Villa complete with palace attendants, police guards, and court officials represented by 17 carefully dressed paper figures. A particularly striking detail was the inclusion of a paper figure of Pierre Balmain, the legendary French fashion designer who created many of the Queen Mother's iconic royal garments.
The offerings extended beyond the villa to include a royal vehicle with driver, symbolic gold and silver treasuries, mountain-shaped gifts, and ceremonial wealth chests. Additional paper garments replicated the renowned Thai silk outfits associated with the Queen Mother, celebrating her legacy as a cultural icon and patron of Thai textiles. The ceremony demonstrated both spiritual devotion and cultural continuity, highlighting over 150 years of Chinese Buddhist monastic presence in Thailand under the royal patronage.
