Coronations in Asia
Coronations in Asia in the strict sense are and historically were rare, as only few monarchies, primarily in Western Asia, ever adopted the concept that the placement of a crown symbolised the monarch's investiture. Instead, most monarchies in Asia used a form of acclamation or enthronement ceremony, in which the monarch formally ascends to the throne, and may be presented with certain regalia, and may receive homage from his or her subjects. This article covers both coronations and enthronement.
Coronations by country
Bhutan
Kings of
Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei crowns its ruler in formal ceremony of coronation (istiadat perpuspaan) held in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city, wherein a gold crown is given to the new Sultan as well as the dagger Keris Si Naga (The Dragon Dagger), symbolizing his royal authority, as a 21-gun salute is fired by personnel of the Military Police of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Following this, senior traditional ministers appointed from the royal family (Wazir) and the principal senior-ranked Cheteria (titled nobles) in the order of precedence, will remove their swords from their scabbards and brandish them before the audience to show loyalty and fidelity to the new Sultan. A proclamation consisting of 7 statements (Puja Puspa) will be read, by the most senior Wazir. The royal musical ensemble (Naubat Diraja) will play Naubat Iskandar after each statement is read, followed by a senior traditional minister shouting to the audience to pay homage to the newly crowned Sultan followed by the acclamation Daulat Kebawah Duli Tuan Patik by the Grand Chamberlain. The coronation is traditionally held one year following the Sultan's ascension.
The last such coronation was held on 1 August 1968, for the present Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah in the Lapau, or ceremonial hall, having been crowned by his father and immediate predecessor Omar Ali Saifuddien III.[4]
Various items of royal regalia used during the coronation are exhibited at the Royal Regalia Building in the capital city.[5]
Cambodia
The
The following day commences with the new king taking a ritual bath in water drawn from the Kulen Mountains, whose water is believed by Cambodian royals to be exceptionally pure. The bath is said to wash away the king's impurities, and increase his prestige.[7] The new monarch is carried into the Preah Thineang Dheva Vinnichay, or Throne Hall, of the Palace on a gold chair, at the head of a large procession. Orange-clad Buddhist monks, one for every year of the king's life plus one, chant blessings. The king prays before statues of his ancestors inside the Hall. While priests blow on conch shells outside, the ruler next takes a formal oath to observe the constitution and to rule in the country's best interests. Following this, he receives various items of the royal regalia, including a calico cat, golden slippers, and the jewel-encrusted gold crown and sword.[6][8]
The last such ceremony was held in 2004 for the current monarch, Norodom Sihamoni. Unlike some previous Cambodian rulers, Sihamoni chose not to wear the crown during his coronation.[6]
Iran
The
Next, the Empress Farah entered the room, followed by six maids of honor; these were followed in turn by the Shah, preceded by the heads of the Iranian army, navy and air force. He took his place in front of the Nadari throne, where his wife curtsied to him, while a choir intoned the hymn Avalin Salam. The crowns of the Shah and empress were brought in next, together with a copy of the
The ceremony itself began with the
Jerusalem
The first two
The new monarch was dressed in the palace by the chamberlain. The chamberlain, who bore the royal sword, then headed procession to the Church in which the coronation ceremony took place. The chamberlain then handed the crown, sceptre and the rest of the regalia to the monarch. The coronation was followed by a feast for the noblemen who attended the ceremony.[11]
The regalia possessed by the Kings of Jerusalem, as well as coronation ceremony itself, were influenced by those of Byzantine emperors. The coronation of
Laos
Myanmar
Kings of Burma were crowned in a way similar to its South-East Asian neighbors. There were huge Hindu and Buddhist influence on the coronations.
Nepal
Kings of
Thailand
Vajiralongkorn's coronation began with a ceremonial bath, following which the new king put on the white robes of a Brahmin
After this, the new Thai ruler seated himself upon the Bhatarabit Throne at the
Enthronements by country
China
The only monarch in Chinese history to have been formally crowned (Chinese: 加冕; pinyin: jiāmiǎn) was Ying Zheng, who later became the first Emperor of China. Although he had acceded to the throne of Qin at the age of 13, when he reached the age of majority at 22 in 238 BC, he was additionally crowned. The coronation symbolised that he would take charge of the state affairs himself, instead of the regents who had ruled in his name since his accession. However, this coronation did not equate to accession, and no other Chinese monarch was ever "crowned".
Enthronement ceremonies in
The last widely recognised enthronement ceremony of the Qing dynasty occurred in 1908 with the enthronement of the Puyi. In 1915, Yuan Shikai, then President of the Republic of China, declared his intention to be enthroned as the Emperor of the Empire of China. Yuan had staged a dress rehearsal for the proposed enthronement ceremony, but then the attempt at monarchy was abandoned in the face of overwhelming public opposition. In 1917, Puyi was again enthroned without ceremony during the short-lived Manchu Restoration. Finally, in 1934 Puyi was enthroned as Emperor of Manchukuo, a Japanese-controlled puppet state in northeastern China, which was largely unrecognised internationally and which ceased to exist at the end of World War II in 1945.
India
In Indian monarchy, the royal enthronement ceremony is called
Korea
The main contents and the procedure of The enthronement ceremony of
The Enthronement Ceremony was concluded with performing the rite in the royal ancestral shrine, Tae‒myo(태묘 太廟) or Gyeong‒ryeong‒jeon(경령전 景靈殿). Performing that ceremony, the new king got justness of king’s authority. In Goryeo, also
The enthronement ceremony of
A record of the 1724 coronation of Korean King
Japan
The
The second part of the ceremony is the enthronement ritual itself, previously held in Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. The most recent enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in 2019 was held in Tokyo instead. The ritual is not public, and the regalia itself is generally seen only by the emperor himself and a few Shinto priests.
The Daijo-sai or the Great Thanksgiving Festival is the final inauguration ritual, involving sacred rice, sake, fish and a variety of other foods from both land and sea that are offered to the Sun-goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami. This ceremony effects a singular union with the goddess, thus making the new emperor (in Shinto tradition) the immediate intermediary between Amaterasu-ōmikami and the Japanese people.[21][22]
Malaysia
The nine royal rulers of
The new king proceeds into the Istana Negara Throne Hall at the head of a large procession also consisting of his spouse, specially-picked soldiers carrying the royal regalia, and other notables including the
See also
- Videos of the Malaysian king's coronation Click on "Installation Ceremony" and scroll to bottom of that page for the video link.
- Videos of the Enthronement of the Japanese Emperor in 1990
Notes
This section contains expansions on the main text of the article, as well as links provided for context that may not meet Wikipedia standards for
- ^ A photo of the last Nepalese king, Gyanendra, in coronation regalia may be seen at Cross-Cultural Studies: Ethnographic Performances in Nepal (May 2004) Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine.
References
- ^ "The Chhoetse Penlop — Keys to Bhutan". Keystobhutan.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Bhutan National Symbol, Bhutan Raven Crown — YANA Expeditions, Inc". Yanatravel.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Bhutan to crown its fifth king in November | Reuters". In.reuters.com. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ Liputan Perpuspaan KDYMM Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam. YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Jabatan Muzium-Muzium Brunei". Museums.gov.bn. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ a b c "Royal Pledges". Camnet.com.kh. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
- ^ "Cambodian Online News New King Coronation November 2004". Cambodianonline.net. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "King Sihamoni's reign begins". Abc.net.au. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ a b "Coronation of the Shah of Iran". Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "Coronation of the Shah of Iran". Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-23000-4. Archived from the originalon 12 September 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "Laos — Ethnic Diversity". Countrystudies.us. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "The Official Website of Prince Somsanith". Princesomsanith.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Coronation in Katmandu". time.com. 10 March 1975. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "Pattaya Mail — Pattaya's First English Language Newspaper". Pattayamail.com. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ a b "Pattaya Mail Features". Pattayamail.com. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
- ^ "The secretariat of the Cabinet". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ISBN 8121901448.
- ^ Kim Cheolwoong (2015). The Enthronement Ceremony in Goryeo Dynasty. The Academy of Korean Studies.
- ISBN 0-231-06657-0.
- ^ Schoenberger, Karl (23 November 1990). "Akihito in Final Ritual of Passage - Japan: The emperor communes with his mythical ancestor, the Sun Goddess, in a night-time, controversial rite of enthronement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ Steven R. Weisman (23 November 1990). "Akihito Performs His Solitary Rite". New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Yang di-Pertuan Agong". Malaysianmonarchy.org.my. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.