Grieving Thais clad in black mourned on Bangkok’s streets or at viewing areas around the nation Thursday as elaborate funeral ceremonies were held for King Bhumibol Adulyadej followed a year of mourning. Before dawn, 63-year-old Somnuk Yonsam-Ar sat on a paper mat in a crowd opposite the Grand Palace in Bangkok. But Bhumibol, who spent much of his early life in the West, opted to be put in a coffin, with the royal urn placed next to it for devotional purposes. The funeral is by design an intensely somber event, but also rich in history and cultural and spiritual tradition. “I want to be here together with a group of people who dearly love their king,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times October 26, 2017 05:22 UTC