National Children’s Day has been celebrated in Thailand since October 1955, following the proclamation of the Universal Children’s Day on 20 November by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954. The first National Children’s Day was celebrated in Thailand on 03 October 1955. In 1963 the date was changed to the second Saturday of January (because October is in the rainy season) and has been observed ever since.
Known as Wan Dek in Thai, Children’s Day is celebrated to give children the opportunity to have fun and to create awareness about their specific role towards the development of the country. It has become custom for the Prime Minister to give a slogan for the day, with this years slogan being “Unity, knowledge, with wisdom, maintenance of Thainess and interest in technology”.
If you are lucky enough to be in Phuket or Thailand this coming Saturday, 14 January, you will notice lots of Thai families on outings with their children, with many government offices being opened for them to visit for free.
There is a Thai saying that states, “Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, the country will be prosperous.”