The Thai Flag

Symbolism of the Thai Flag

The current official version of the Thai flag is the tricolor flag. Its Thai name is "ธงไตรรงค์" (Thong Trairong), meaning tricolor. The flag consists of three colors represented in five horizontal stripes.

1. The red stripe represents the Thai nation and the individual's belonging to the nation.
2. The white stripe represents the purity of religion, particularly Theravada Buddhism.
3. The blue stripe, which is twice as wide as the other two, represents Rama VI's color and is situated at the center of the flag, symbolizing the monarchy and the king, who is considered the benefactor of the Thai people.

The blue stripe also holds a dual significance, representing Thailand's solidarity with its allies during World War I, namely Great Britain, France, the United States, and Russia, all of which have flags with blue, white, and red colors.

The Thai flag was designed symmetrically to appear identical regardless of its orientation. Historians believe that the inspiration for this flag came during a flood when King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) saw the flag hanging upside down, prompting him to create a new symmetrical flag to prevent such an incident from happening again. This symmetry is considered a symbol of the king's profound wisdom.

History of the Thai Flag

The original flag

In the 17th century, during the height of the Kingdom of Siam's international and diplomatic relations with European powers as well as with Persia, India, and China, the first appearance of a banner was recorded. This flag was entirely red, and historians agree that it was hoisted in honor of a French ship sailing on the Chao Phraya River.

The red color symbolized the aristocracy and was frequently used by envoys of the Siamese king.

The addition of the chakra to the Thai flag

In 1782, Thong Duang overthrew Taksin in a coup d'état, took the name Chao Phraya Chakri, and became Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty, which still holds power today.

The name Chakri combines the words "Chak" and "Tri," the emblems of the Chakra (disk) and the trisula (trident), both weapons of Vishnu with which he defeats evil forces.

Rama I then decided to add the symbol of the chakra to the red flag of the Siamese Empire.

The addition of the white elephant to the Thai Flag

In 1809, Rama II, son and successor to the throne of Siam, owned three white elephants and decided to add a white elephant to the center of the Chakra. The white elephant symbolizes power, dating back to the 13th century and King Ramkhamhaeng. In Hindu religion, the god Indra's mount (vahana) is a white elephant called Airavata, often depicted with three heads.

In 1851, King Rama IV decided to remove the chakra to focus on the overall visibility of the flag and the representation of the elephant.

In 1916, Rama VI altered the appearance of the elephant: it now wears harnesses, stands on a pedestal, and faces away from the mast.

A symmetry issue

However, during an expedition in the northern part of the Siamese empire, when the region was hit by floods, the king saw flags hung upside down. To prevent such an error from recurring, he decided to create a symmetrical flag, with the same design appearing regardless of its orientation. This marked the end of the white elephant, replaced by two white bands.

The white elephant, a symbol of the Chakri dynasty, now only appears on the flag of the Thai navy.

The current version of the Thai Flag

On September 28, 1917, King Rama VI decreed the current version of the Thai flag, with the blue stripe replacing the red one. It became the civil flag, the state flag, the merchant ensign, and the state ensign of the Kingdom of Thailand.

The Thai flag is similar to the flag of Costa Rica, with the blue and red colors inverted.