BANGKOK: Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother (pic), who died on Oct 24, 2025 championed Thai music and performing arts, reviving the traditional masked dance-drama khon through patronage, costume restoration and modern productions.
Her Majesty has always been deeply committed to preserving, reviving, transmitting, developing and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage in music, traditional dance and folk performances.
She supported both domestic and international cultural exhibitions, with particular focus on the traditional dance form “Khon,” a priceless treasure handed down by ancestors. Her Majesty dedicated herself to ensuring that Khon remained a cultural legacy for the nation.
She provided patronage to the Khon performances and personally funded the restoration of the Khon costumes by the Fine Arts Department to enhance their beauty.
Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother also issued royal guidance for the preservation and development of Khon performances beginning in 2003. She encouraged the study of Khon makeup to ensure it was beautifully unique, created refined costumes following ancient styles, and developed the performances to suit modern society.
The royal Khon performances began in 2007 with the debut of the Ramakien episode "Phromas" in celebration of the 80th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the 75th birthday of Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, held on December 24-25, 2007, at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The performances received widespread attention, becoming well-known as "The Khon of the Foundation for the Promotion of Arts and Crafts."
With her far-reaching vision, Her Majesty initiated studies to research traditional Khon performances, reviving the knowledge and techniques of Khon costume creation to bring back the authentic beauty of its original form. She commanded experts and artists in relevant fields to study the historical references in detail to create new Khon costumes and develop the performance techniques to make them contemporary.
In 2009, the royal Khon performance of "Ramakien: The Battle of Phromas" marked the first successful chapter of the royal Khon performances, praised for the beauty of its costumes, grand scenes, and the intricate techniques used to recreate the nearly lost art of Khon.
This revival of Khon brought it global recognition, and in November 2018, Unesco declared Thai Khon as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, making it a precious cultural asset for all Thai people to preserve with the utmost care.
The royal Khon performances have continued ever since, with the latest production, "Satyapali," performed from November 6 to December 8, 2025, at the Thailand Cultural Centre’s Main Auditorium. - The Nation/ANN
