BANGKOK — As the anniversary of Rama IX’s death and his cremation ceremony draws near, Thai social media feeds have gone black as netizens mourn the late monarch.
From tweets about the impending rites to colorless profile pictures, netizens in one of the world’s most social media-addicted countries are sharing their personal mourning with an online audience as the month of mourning gets underway.
Read: People Share Music, Meals and Memories of Late King
As of Wednesday, one of the top trending hashtags was #crematorium, which people used to share photos of the funerary pyre under construction along with posts mourning the late king. Many tagged photos of themselves paying homage to the late monarch at the Grand Palace or through related content with #KingBhumibol.
Facebook’s custom frame feature allowed users to add “I Was Born in the Reign of Rama IX” to their profile pictures or a black ribbon by web designer Thongchai Insrithong.
“Not only am I happy that a lot of people are using it, but also that so many people are mourning and loving Rama IX,” Thongchai wrote online Monday.
It comes nearly a year after netizens first took to social media to express their reactions to the the news that King Bhumibol had died Oct. 13, 2016, at 88.
Almost a year that I’ve been there for my King💛 #KingBhumibol pic.twitter.com/zhiljLNyMo
— beauttnsy (@ebeauteiei) October 2, 2017
@Ebeauteiei reflects on her visit to pay homage at the Grand Palace.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ0Hf0-HTIG
Instagram user Bitchberry hashtags #KingBhumibol in a photo of her paying homage at the Grand Palace.
User We_love_kingbhumibol posts a photo of the crematorium up close.
She is my smile
.#ฉันเกิดในรัชกาลที่๙ #รัชกาลที่๙ #KingBhumibol #QueenSirikit #Thailand #love #CyranoDesign #CyranoForKing9
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๓ ต.ค.๖๐ pic.twitter.com/YmH19HQ5Oz— Salinee (@Salinian) October 3, 2017
In Remembrance
Of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
1927 – 2016#KingBhumibol01.10.2017 pic.twitter.com/EDbo62zPXa
— Tang Siripatra. (@TangSiries) October 1, 2017
@Salinian and @TangSiries tweeted some of their Rama IX fan art.
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