Cabinet Sets Holiday for Main Cremation Day
Thailand's Cabinet has designated Wednesday, December 16, 2026, a special government holiday for the royal cremation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother. The main ceremony is scheduled for 4.30pm at the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang in Bangkok, following the procession carrying the royal funerary urn at 7am.
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The Cabinet approved the holiday on November 10, one day after Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspected preparations. The royal ceremonies will run from December 15 to 19, with rites at the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang, followed by the interment of royal ashes at two temples.
The decision gives government personnel a holiday on the central day of the five days of ceremonies, allowing them to attend or follow the proceedings. The Public Relations Department and the Television Pool of Thailand have permission to broadcast the ceremonies live throughout December 15 to 19.
The Government Lottery Office has also moved its draw scheduled for December 16 to December 17. The location will remain its drawing building on Nonthaburi Road in Mueang Nonthaburi district, Nonthaburi province.
What the Holiday Covers
December 16 is the date specifically designated as a special government holiday. The ceremonial programme extends across five days, but the Cabinet decision identifies the day of the cremation itself as the additional holiday.
The announcement concerns the government holiday calendar. Arrangements for private workplaces, banks, public attendance, access to the ceremonial grounds and traffic restrictions were not specified in the announcements described here. People making work or travel plans will need the relevant notices from their employer, service provider or the authorities responsible for the venue.
The Programme from December 15 to 19
The ceremonies begin at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace on December 15. They then move to Sanam Luang for the procession and cremation before returning to the Grand Palace for rites involving the royal relics.
The scheduled stages are:
- December 15, 5pm: A royal merit-making ceremony at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, ahead of the cremation.
- December 16, 7am: The royal funerary urn is conveyed to the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang.
- December 16, 4.30pm: The royal cremation ceremony takes place at Sanam Luang.
- December 17, 8am: The royal relics are collected at the crematorium. The royal relics and royal ashes are then conveyed to the Grand Palace.
- December 18, 5pm: A royal merit-making ceremony for the royal relics takes place at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall.
- December 19: The urn containing the royal relics is enshrined at Phra Wiman in Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall. The royal ashes are to be interred at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram and Wat Bowonniwet Vihara.
The programme places the procession and cremation at different times on December 16. The 7am movement of the urn begins the day's principal public ceremonial sequence, while the cremation ceremony is scheduled for the late afternoon. The two scheduled starts are nine hours and 30 minutes apart.
Merit-making is a Buddhist religious observance involving acts intended to generate spiritual merit. In this programme, the December 15 observance precedes the cremation, while the December 18 ceremony concerns the royal relics after their collection.
The final rites also distinguish between royal relics, which will be enshrined in the palace, and royal ashes, which will be interred at the two named temples. The ceremonies therefore continue for three days after the cremation itself, with different destinations and purposes for the remains.
Sanam Luang Preparations Remain on Schedule
Anutin inspected the preparations at Sanam Luang on November 9. Construction of the royal crematorium and the surrounding structures was proceeding according to the planned timetable, with work continuing on decoration, installation and landscaping.
The crematorium is the central structure for the December 16 ceremony. Preparations also cover the surrounding ceremonial grounds, where sculptures, boundaries and planting form part of the planned setting. Completing the main building is therefore one part of a wider programme of work.
The four-faced Brahma spire has been completed and is ready to be installed at the top of the crematorium. Its installation is part of the preparations ahead of the ceremonial raising of the Nine-Tiered Great White Umbrella of State, a royal emblem positioned above the structure.
Anutin instructed the committees responsible for different parts of the preparations to coordinate closely. His directions called for orderly arrangements, proper conduct, observance of ancient royal traditions and the highest royal honour throughout the ceremony.
Traditional Craftsmanship Shapes the Ceremonial Grounds
Fine Arts Department craftsmen are decorating the royal crematorium with intricate patterns cut from gilded paper. The designs follow ancient artistic traditions, bringing detailed ornamental work to the structure as preparations move toward completion.
The Support Foundation and the Office of Traditional Arts have installed sculptures around the crematorium and within the Ratchawat fence, the ceremonial boundary around the grounds. The work involves both decoration of the crematorium itself and sculptures placed within the surrounding landscape.
Workers are also completing the planting with the species designated in the landscape plan. The progress described during preparations places several tasks at different stages: sculptures are already installed, the spire is complete and awaiting installation, and decorative and planting work is continuing.
These details show what remains to be assembled before the ceremonies begin. The completed components must be brought together with the surrounding structures and grounds so the venue is ready for the procession, cremation and collection of royal relics on successive days.
Lottery Draw Moves Back One Day
The Government Lottery Office has rescheduled the draw originally set for December 16, 2026, to December 17. The change moves the draw away from the day of the royal cremation at Sanam Luang.
The office will use its usual drawing building on Nonthaburi Road in Mueang Nonthaburi district. For people following that lottery round, the practical change is the date: the draw takes place one day later, at the same venue.
The revised draw date falls on the day scheduled for the collection of royal relics at Sanam Luang. The lottery adjustment therefore concerns the main cremation day rather than the entire period of royal ceremonies.
Live Coverage Across All Five Days
Royal permission has been granted for the Public Relations Department, working with the Television Pool of Thailand, to broadcast the ceremonies live from December 15 to 19. The permission covers the full ceremonial period, including the religious observances before and after the cremation.
The broadcasts will allow people away from the ceremonial venues to follow the proceedings. Viewers planning to watch the principal events on December 16 should note both the 7am procession and the 4.30pm cremation ceremony.
The schedule also gives viewers specific times for the opening merit-making ceremony on December 15, the collection of relics on December 17 and the merit-making ceremony on December 18. The programme concludes on December 19 with the enshrinement of the royal relics and interment of the royal ashes.
Key Points
- The Cabinet approved December 16, 2026, as a special government holiday on November 10.
- The royal ceremonies are scheduled for December 15 to 19.
- The royal urn procession begins at 7am on December 16, with the cremation ceremony at 4.30pm at Sanam Luang.
- Construction and decoration of the crematorium and surrounding grounds are proceeding according to schedule.
- The December 16 lottery draw has moved to December 17 at its usual Nonthaburi venue.
- The Public Relations Department and Television Pool of Thailand will broadcast ceremonies live across all five days.
