December is the holy month for Thailand. The much-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej turns 87 on Dec. 5.

The king has been on the throne since 1946 and now becomes the world¡¯s longest reigning monarch. In the past seven decades, Bhumibol had been able to transform the once-unpopular monarchy into Thailand¡¯s most powerful political institution.

Throughout the country, tourists find it perplexing to witness a colossal human wave clad in yellow. Yellow is the color of the Monday on which the king was born. Thus the yellow shirt was made a royal symbol.