we had everything but dick clark

The New Year is the biggest holiday of the year in Thailand. So big, in fact, that they celebrate it three times: Western New Year on Dec. 31/Jan. 1, Lunar New Year, and Songkran. We've passed from 2006 to 2007, from 2549 to 2550, and in February we'll pass from the Year of the Dog to the Year of the Pig.

Needless to say, such an important event calls for celebration. The university's staff New Year party was quite an event. Some pictures:

The appetizer tray, which included very little that Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law could eat.

Members of the office support staff performing a dance together.

A colleague from the finance office performing a traditional Thai dance.

yellow is for monday

I don't think I've mentioned the yellow shirt phenomenon here before. 2006 (2549 by the Thai calendar) was a special year for H.M. the King of Thailand. He celebrated 60 years on the throne, as well as his 80th birthday. He is beloved and revered by Thais, and there was a lot of celebrating. One of the ways in which people showed their support for the King this year was by wearing shirts in the King's color, which is yellow.

In Thai tradition, the day of the week on which a person is born is very important. It's very roughly analogous to an astrological sign. Everybody here knows what day of the week it was when they were born; try asking a roomful of Americans that question. Days of the week are also associated with colors. The King was born on a Monday; Monday is yellow; therefore the King's color is yellow. The Queen of Thailand was born on a Friday, and around her birthday each year the whole city turns light blue. But because 2006 was such a special year for the King, the yellow flags, banners, T-shirts, and other items were in sight all year long, and not just for his birthday.

undercurrent

New Year's Eve in Bangkok was less than festive this year.

Husband, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, and I were here and didn't hear about the bombings until the next morning when we read it in the newspaper.

As before, I'm going to abstain from running my mouth off about a situation I don't fully understand. Opinions? I've got them. But I'm keeping them to myself.