Sadet Praphatton: Recreational Activities of Siamese Court Elites during the Reign of King Chulalongkorn

Abstract

This article aims to study Sadet Praphatton, a personal account of a recreational journey during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. The analysis focuses on the cultural meaning of certain recreational activities. Siamese elites adopted Western recreational practices to implement the emerging concept of civilization. Sadet Praphatton includes description of various recreational activities and entertainment: photography; cooking and eating; experiencing exotic places, things and people; watching performance; engaging in conversation with commoners; self-disguise, and welcoming events. These recreational journeys enhanced the status of Siamese elites as distinguished from people of other social groups. Such recreational journeys per se were a new recreational activity exclusively consumed by the elites.