In Thailand, Father's Day is celebrated on the birthday of which king?

In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as Rama IX. His birthday was December 5, and the date became Thailand’s Father’s Day as the king came to be regarded as a symbolic father figure for the nation.

Bhumibol was born on December 5, 1927, and reigned from 1946 until his death in 2016. Thai Father’s Day is also connected with national commemoration: December 5 has been observed as the country’s National Day and as a day honoring the late king. Official ceremonies and public tributes continue to mark the date.

The celebration is not based on the birthday of Thailand’s current king, Rama X, whose birthday is July 28. Traditional observances have included presenting canna flowers to fathers and wearing yellow, the color associated with Monday, the day of the week on which Bhumibol was born. Thailand’s Mother’s Day similarly follows a royal birthday, August 12, that of Queen Sirikit.