A Thai Festival took place this year on 21 August 2022 centered around the Thai House erected at the Moesgaard Museum near Arhus in Denmark.
Thailand’s Ambassador to Denmark, Sirilak Niyom opened the festival. She talked among others about the friendship between Thailand and Denmark which has been built over 400 years. There was a festive market atmosphere around the red Thai House with many booths offering delicious Thai food, Thai massage, Thai handicraft and souvenirs.
In an interview with Claus Bech, Aarhus City Association, the director talks about the exhobition “Verdensbilleder” some years ago, where Thailand also figured prominently.
The red Thai House in the park around the museum is a traditional Thai house. It was moved from Thailand to Denmark in 1975 in connection with a major special exhibition organized at Moesgaaard Museum about Thailand. The house was built in Thailand around the middle of 18,th century.
Moesgaard Museum’s Thai house is, as far as is known, the only traditional Thai house outside of Thailand. Therefore, it has also received royal attention. Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the house in 2002 and in 2010 it was visited by Princess Soamsawali. The house has been renovated several times, most recently in 2017 at the initiative of Thai former senator Pensak Howitz, the widow after Danish ambassador Frantz Howitz.
On the festival grounds around the house, the guests were offered various shows throughout the days, among others traditional and contemporary Thai music and dance.
“It was a beautiful day by the old Manor,” reported Jack Fridtjhjof, program director at TVAarhus.
The festival was the fourth Thai festival held at Moesgaard Museum. The event is organized in collaboration between the Royal Thai Embassy and the SAWASDEE Thai Danish Association and the Moesgaard Musuem. The collaboration has a long history, which has meant, among other things, that the museum has an extensive collection from Thailand.
Since the beginning of the 1970s, the collection of objects from Thailand has been closely linked to the research effort at Aarhus University. Over the years, this has given rise to a number of exhibitions and cultural festivals at the museum, where the Thai house has played a central role. Moesgaard received the Thai house as a gift from Thailand in 1975 in connection with a major exhibition about Thailand. The house is approx. 100 years old and originally from Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam.
Before the opening of the festival at 11 o’clock there was a ceremony with Thai monks. This took place in the lecture hall at Moesgaard manor from 9.30–10.30, after which the participants walk in procession to the Thai house in the park.
