Chulalongkorn Day, AWC CLOSED

Also known as Piyamararaj Day, this National Holiday in Thailand is held annually on October 23rd. (If October 23rd falls on a weekend, the holiday will be observed on the following Monday.)

The day commemorates King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who passed away on October 23rd 1910. He is remembered as the king who introduced many social and political reforms that helped to modernise Siam including the abolishment of slavery.

In his youth, Rama V was taught English and Western customs by Anna Leonowens. The memoirs of her time in the Siam royal court was retold in the book, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The book was the basis for the popular Broadway musical and film, The King and I.