#  >  > Thailand Festivals, Beaches, Scuba Diving and Temples, Tell us Your Tales >  >  > Thailands Festivals and Celebrations >  >  Bangkok Bamrungmuang Road giant swing to be replaced

## dirtydog

*Giant Swing celebrations in August

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will organise a two-day celebration for the new Giant Swing in August, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said yesterday.* 



The new swing - made from six teak trees over 100 years old and felled in Phrae - will replace the old swing that has been scarred by weather for 224 years. 

The red wooden landmark, known in Thai as Sao Ching Cha on Bamrungmuang Road is a national historic site. 

Apirak revealed that the BMA was informed that His Majesty the King had accepted its request to preside over the celebration, which the city initially planned to hold in August at the "Lan Khon Muang" plaza in front of the City Hall. 

The exact date will be determined later. 

The city plans to organise the Giant Swing celebration over two days. The first day will include historical exhibitions and general celebrations, while the second day will be devoted to royal-presiding Brahmin and Buddhist rites plus the Fine Arts Department's Khon drama about the Bangkok Capital City building for the royal audience, Apirak said. 

The BMA will also produce souvenirs for this auspicious occasion with two series of Phra Sao Ching Cha amulets (Phra Sri Sakayamuni and Phra Trimurti), for which the BMA will open for reservations until July 26, when the Maha Buddhapisek ceremony attended by 100 Buddhist monks will be held. 

Other souvenirs include a Giant Swing history book, special edition stamps and Giant Swing miniatures, Apirak said. 

The BMA will also hand out Nakhonthansutra holy water to those attending the celebrations. 
Apirak said the profits made from the souvenirs would help establish the Sao Ching Cha Restoration Fund and hold activities with Phrae.

The Nation

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## dirtydog

*Giant Swing contest launched*

New and vintage pictures welcomed for exhibition to be held at City Hall

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in collaboration with the Federation of Thai Photography Associations is organising a photo contest on the theme of the Giant Swing, one of the city's landmarks located in Phra Nakhon district. The Amazing Giant Swing Photo Contest is being organised in preparation for the unveiling of the new Giant Swing, which has been installed to replace the old one. The celebration will take place later this year.

The photo competition has been split into two categories, new and vintage.

Each contestant can submit as many entries as he likes, and there are no entry charges for either category.

Contestants in the new photo category are required to capture the landmark from different angles. The photos can focus solely on the Giant Swing or include other surroundings.

The entries must be colour photos 12 inches wide and 18 inches high. They can be sent in either digital _ at least six million pixels _ or film form.

Those entering the vintage category can submit colour or black and white 8 x 12 inch photographs of the old Giant Swing or photos that feature the traditional way of life of people around the landmark.

Cash prizes are up for grabs for the winning entries in both categories.

The winner of the new photo category will get a cash prize of 100,000 baht along with a plaque, with 50,000 baht for second place and 30,000 for third.

There are also 20 consolation prizes of 3,000 baht, which will be given along with congratulatory certificates.

For the vintage category, owners of the 100 selected photos will win cash prizes of 1,000 baht each.

The prized entries will be displayed at an exhibition at the City Hall when the new Giant Swing is officially unveiled. All entries will become the property of the organisers and will not be returned.

Entries, which should be sent to the public relations department at the BMA permanent secretary's office or the Association of Photography Business and Photo Hobby Co, close on Aug 15.

For more information, dial 02 803 7570-1, or 02 231 3232.[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B]

New and vintage pictures welcomed for exhibition to be held at City Hall

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in collaboration with the Federation of Thai Photography Associations is organising a photo contest on the theme of the Giant Swing, one of the city's landmarks located in Phra Nakhon district. The Amazing Giant Swing Photo Contest is being organised in preparation for the unveiling of the new Giant Swing, which has been installed to replace the old one. The celebration will take place later this year.

The photo competition has been split into two categories, new and vintage.

Each contestant can submit as many entries as he likes, and there are no entry charges for either category.

Contestants in the new photo category are required to capture the landmark from different angles. The photos can focus solely on the Giant Swing or include other surroundings.

The entries must be colour photos 12 inches wide and 18 inches high. They can be sent in either digital _ at least six million pixels _ or film form.

Those entering the vintage category can submit colour or black and white 8 x 12 inch photographs of the old Giant Swing or photos that feature the traditional way of life of people around the landmark.

Cash prizes are up for grabs for the winning entries in both categories.

The winner of the new photo category will get a cash prize of 100,000 baht along with a plaque, with 50,000 baht for second place and 30,000 for third.

There are also 20 consolation prizes of 3,000 baht, which will be given along with congratulatory certificates.

For the vintage category, owners of the 100 selected photos will win cash prizes of 1,000 baht each.

The prized entries will be displayed at an exhibition at the City Hall when the new Giant Swing is officially unveiled. All entries will become the property of the organisers and will not be returned.

Entries, which should be sent to the public relations department at the BMA permanent secretary's office or the Association of Photography Business and Photo Hobby Co, close on Aug 15.

For more information, dial 02 803 7570-1, or 02 231 3232.

Bangkok Post

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## dirtydog

*King to preside at Swing*

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has received confirmation from the Royal Household Bureau that His Majesty the King will preside over a royal ceremony to inaugurate the renovated Giant Swing, an informed source from the authority said yesterday.

The ceremony is scheduled for 5pm on September 12 at the site of the landmark in front of the BMA headquarters. Public activities to celebrate the inauguration will also be held from September 11-13, the source said.

BMA officials will dis-cuss details of the celebration with the Royal House-hold on Thursday. Celebra-tory activities to be proposed by the city administration include Buddhist and Brahmin rites on September 11 and 12.

Their Majesties the King and Queen will arrive at the venue at 4.30pm on September 12 to perform religious rites at the Great Brahma Temple and at

Wat Suthat Devararam for the blessing of the inauguration. Entertainment featuring traditional music and stage performances will then begin at 6pm, the source said.

The BMA will also hold panel discussions on the

history of Bangkok and the Giant Swing on September 13 as part of the celebrations. 

The Nation

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## dirtydog

*RED PILLARS RETURN
Three days of celebrations to welcome new Giant Swing*

 Bangkok will celebrate the new Giant Swing, two red wooden pillars, in style next week.

Their Majesties the King and Queen will preside over the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday at 5pm. The city will present Their Majesties with a set of Phra Sri Sakyamuni amulets and a replica of the Tri Murati deity.

City people will be treated to a variety of traditional music and cultural performances, including the Jo Louis puppet theatre, khon mask dance and sepha chanting, during the three-day celebration which starts on Sept 11.

No swing or lo chingcha ceremony will be held during the celebration. But members of the public can get a glimpse of the swing in motion from old photos at an exhibition.

Winning entries in the Giant Swing photo contest will also be on display.

The city administration began the restoration project in 2003 as the old structure showed signs of wear.

The city found the Giant Swing's condition to be beyond repair and a panel responsible for the restoration project decided to replace all of it.

Altogether six gold teak trees, more than 20 metres tall, were brought from three forest reserves in teak-rich Phrae province for the project in May last year with permission from local administration bodies and local communities.

According to forestry officials, each tree was nearly 200 years old.

The tree trunks were processed by a wood-working firm in Ayutthaya province. The work was completed and brought to Bangkok for installation late last year.

The original swing has been refurbished several times. A fire which damaged the Giant Swing in 1947 prompted the government to consider demolishing the structure. However, the plan was rejected by the public. The last major work was done on the swing in 1959.

The Fine Arts Department registered the Giant Swing as a national heritage item, on Nov 22, 1949.

The legs of the swing were last changed in 1972. The old Giant Swing that was removed from the site last year is now kept at the nearby Devesatan Shrine.

The city administration said the new Giant Swing, if well-maintained, should last 100 years.

In 2005, the Giant Swing, together with Wat Suthat, was suggested as a future UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Bangkok Post

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