BANGKOK — A sister of His Majesty the King on Tuesday released a seasonal greetings card written in Thai and Chinese to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 25.
In the card published online by the palace, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn wrote 鼠兆丰年, or shǔ zhào fēngnián, meaning “Many rats bring a good harvest,” in reference to the zodiac Year of the Rat in Chinese calendar. She added a Thai translation next to the phrase.
The 64-year-old princess appeared to be making a wordplay to a common Chinese idiom 瑞雪兆丰年, or ruì xuě zhào fēng nián, which means “A timely snow promises a good harvest.”
Palace-run store Phufa said today it would be selling red polo shirts emblazoned with the slogan and a drawing made by Princess Sirindhorn. The shirts will be available at a booth in front of Tien Fah Foundation during the Chinese New Year fair on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26, the store said.
Proceeds will go to an initiative that helps impoverished children in the countryside, according to Phufa.
In September 2019, Princess Sirindhorn received a medal of friendship from President Xi Jinping in Beijing to celebrate her efforts to promote Chinese culture and relations between the two nations.
