National Mother’s Month

National Mother’s Month
Story by Kullwadee Sumalnop
Asking any Thai people what comes first to their minds about the month of August, you might get all similar answers; it’s the month of ‘Mother’s Day’. It is all because August is the birth month of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who is regarded by Thais as the ‘Mother of the Nation’.

Since 1976, for Thai people, August 12 has not only been an auspicious occasion to celebrate the birthday anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen, but also the day on which the entire nation takes the opportunity to pay tribute to her and their loving mothers. On this day, sons and daughters give white jasmine flowers or garlands to their mothers as a symbol of the maternal love. Local Buddhists will go to the temple to give alms to the monks, a good deed done to pay homage to their passing mothers. Public and private organizations will hold many charity activities such as a fund raising for needed mothers and a visit to imprisoned mothers.

Thai people unanimously commemorate this day because of Her Majesty the Queen’s benevolence to all walks of Thai life, especially the poor and the needy in rural areas. Many projects have been created under her initiatives and supervision. In 1956 she became the President of the Thai Red Cross Society. Later on, the ‘Sai Jai Thai’ Foundation was founded to help war veterans and their families.

In 1976, the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT Foundation) was established as an effort to help peasants to earn extra incomes through rural crafts during the non-cultivating season. This foundation not only improves the quality of life of villagers in remote areas but also helps preserve traditional skills.

As many of the foundations are located in the rural areas, some become a tourist attraction. Therefore, this month we will explore two foundations under royal patronage that are well known and frequented by both Thai and foreign tourists.

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
Thailand’s first botanic garden, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden (QSBG) was founded in the early nineteen nineties. It is dedicated for botanical research and conservation and received the honorable royal grant to use HM the Queen’s name as the title of the garden in 1994. Located across the forested area of 2,600 acres at the edge of the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, QSBG now becomes the prime source of Thai valuable plants and biodiversity.

Inside the garden, there is an array of precious flora of the country and five main trails for visitors to explore: the Climber Collection Trail, the Rock Garden Trail, the Arboretum Trail, the Thai Orchid Nursery and the Glasshouse Complex. The best time to visit is around November to February.

The highlight for this visit is probably the Glasshouse Complex that comprises 4 exhibition conservatories which shelters various plant species. The glass houses feature the Rainforest Collection, the Aquatic House, the Cacti and Succulents and the Orchid and Fern House. For young plant explorers, a sketchbook and fine drawing pencils would allow them to deeply appreciate the real natural beauty and be able to remember it in details.

Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center
Founded by Her Majesty in 1984, Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center in Ayutthaya is now under supervision of the SUPPPORT Foundation. The foundation is located on the area of 115 hectare on the east of the Chao Phraya River. It can be easily and pleasurably reached by cruising approximately 2 hours along the river or a one-hour drive from Bangkok. Within its boundary, visitors are given a wide range of the natural and cultural excursions.

The first section is the Arts and Crafts Village and the Training Center where the demonstrations, displays and workshops are exhibited. The items shown here are, for example, handbags, sandals and accessories made of jute and palm leaves, ‘royal-style’ traditional clay dolls, textile products, natural-dyed textiles, weaving, house ware, ceramics and earthenware.

Another place to admire is the Royal Lodge, a Thai architectural heritage featuring a group of Thai-style wooden houses. With elegant simplicity, it is the residence of Her Majesty the Queen and other royal members during their visits to the center.Within the same compound, you can stroll around the Freshwater Aquarium and the Bird Park for a look at the biological diversity in Thailand.

The center is best for seeing and gaining proper knowledge about Thailand’s sustainable development and conservation without the slyly commercial purpose hidden behind. The Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center is a quintessence of this kind of development. Here villagers are trained to create many types of handicraft products for sale, thus adding up their household incomes and preserving national invaluable arts and crafts.

For more information about the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center, contact
TAT Central Office-Region 6
Phone: 0-3524-6076-7
or the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Village, Ayutthaya, Thailand
Phone: 0-3536-6666-7