The Passing of the Princess
You may have heard in the news that HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, the older sister of the King of Thailand, died on January 2 at the age of 84 after a 6-month battle with cancer. It has been interesting to note the impact her passing has made on the Thai people.
Many people are currently wearing black and/or white to show respect. Some people will do so for a period of 15 days, but if I understand correctly, government workers will wear these colors for 100 days, the set period of mourning for the Princess.
It is amazing to me how quickly clothing shops make specific colors available, depending on the occasion.
Up until just a few days ago, set up at various public places were tables where people could go and sign their condolences. I happened upon such a station at Seacon Square, a mall not far from where I live.
Closer up
Business women in black at the Times Square Mall in Bangkok
One of the girls from The Well dressing in honor of HRH (her royal highness)
A couple students from one of my English classes with their black and white outfits
If you do a google search, you will find many stories regarding this topic. Below is one site from The Nation, one of Bangkok's English newspapers.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/hrh2008/read.php?id=503