The New Year Cards Given by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Two Decades

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the New Year cards of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej given to his people. The study indicates that although the cards consist of short text, the value of the content and the literary aesthetics are as high as those of his other long works. His Majesty the King created the cards annually since 1988, except for the year 2005. The content of the cards derives from his literary works and the country's contemporary situations, with the addition of his advice on various topics: happiness comes from positive thinking, doing good deeds, and caring for others, wisdom is the result of efforts, there are always solutions to all problems, speaking wisely leads to success, and collaboration for joint benefit can solve the nation's problems. The cards are written in both prose and verse. The literary art comes from the use of simple words, rhymes, repeated words, figures of speech, idioms and the sense of humour.