Five stripes, red, white and blue, standing for the nation, the religion and the king, which in 1917 replaced a white elephant.
Every fact about the flag, each with what it means.
Normal flagFIAV symbol: the form of the flag.
CivilFIAV symbol: who may fly the flag.YesIt carries the coat of arms on the cloth.The flag in the words of vexillology and heraldry.
It is a rectangular field with a 2:3 ratio made up of five horizontal stripes, only the middle one of which is twice as wide. The 1979 flag law measures it in parts: six wide by nine long.
Each element and how many of the 1,390 flags in the catalogue carry it. In yellow, the rarest.
Every date in its story, at a glance.
In 1916 King Vajiravudh decided to replace the elephant flag with a simpler design…
A year later, on 28 September 1917, the middle stripe became blue
Thailand was called Siam until 1939
How it was born, how it has changed and what it means.
The flag of Thailand has five horizontal stripes: red, white, blue, white and red. The blue stripe in the centre is twice as wide as the others. In Thai it is called Thong Trairong, which means ‘the tricolour flag’.
Thailand was called Siam until 1939. Its first flag was probably a plain red cloth, used in the 17th century. Over time the kings added their symbols to it, above all the white elephant, a sacred animal linked to royalty.
In 1916 King Vajiravudh decided to replace the elephant flag with a simpler design of red and white stripes that would look the same however it was hung. A year later, on 28 September 1917, the middle stripe became blue. That same summer Siam had entered the First World War alongside France, the United Kingdom and the United States, whose flags are also red, white and blue.
In three centuries the flag went from a red cloth to an elephant and, at the end, to stripes.
17th century
Probably a red flag with no drawing at all, in the times of King Narai.
1782
King Rama I adds a white chakra, a wheel with blades representing his dynasty, the Chakri.
1817
Rama II puts a white elephant inside the wheel.
1855
King Mongkut makes the white elephant flag official. A plain red cloth was not enough to tell Siam apart from other countries.
1916-1917
Vajiravudh replaces the elephant with five red and white stripes.
1917
The middle stripe becomes blue and wider. It is the current flag.
The law does not explain it, but the most widespread reading ties the three colours to the motto ‘nation, religion, king’:
Red
the nation and its people.
White
the religion, above all Buddhism.
Blue
the monarchy. It is said to have been the colour of King Vajiravudh, although sources do not agree on the reason.
According to a much-repeated story, in 1916 the king saw an elephant flag hung upside down during some floods and decided to create one that could not be put on wrong. It is an unconfirmed popular anecdote.
Every day, at 8 am and 6 pm, the anthem plays on the radio, on television and in many public places while the flag is raised or lowered. The custom is to stop and stay still until it ends.
Since 2017, 28 September is National Flag Day, in memory of the day the tricolour was adopted.
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Test what you have read about the flag of Thailand.
Text based on the article “Bandera de Tailandia” from the Spanish Wikipedia, published under the licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources consulted:
Flag image: Zscout370, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
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