A rehearsal of the Royal Barge procession on Oct. 17, 2019.

BANGKOK — The upcoming Royal Barge procession on Chao Phraya River was postponed by nearly two months, a government official said Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam that the ritual, which would be presided over by His Majesty the King and the Royal Family, is now set to take place on Dec. 12 instead of Oct. 24 as initially scheduled. Wissanu cited strong tides in the river as a reason for the postponement.

“The royal procession will still go ahead, and it’d still be a grand, beautiful event,” Wissanu told reporters. “But we have to consider the appropriate conditions of currents and weather.”

The announcement came just a week before the event was due to take place. The navy was also conducting a full-scale rehearsal of the procession on Chao Phraya River earlier today.

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Another rehearsal scheduled for Oct. 21 will go ahead as planned, Wissanu said.

The procession, which will feature up to 52 elaborately crafted river barges and 2,200 seamen, is part of year-long celebrations of King Vajiralongkorn’s coronation.

Other related royal events are His Majesty the King’s visit to Chinatown on Dec. 6, and His Majesty’s inauguration of a winter-themed fair at Royal Plaza on Dec. 8, Wissanu said.