As the queen’s birthday is also National Mother’s Day and a national holiday, schools organised events for pupils to express gratitude to their mothers yesterday, while others found a variety of ways to express love and gratitude to their mums.

According to a recent Culture Ministry-Suan Dusit Poll, many people – 84 per cent of 3,048 respondents – planned to verbally express their love, to hug their mothers and to present them with flower garlands.

Sixty-five per cent planned to take their mothers out to dinner or to visit an attraction. About 43 per cent said they would call or send messages, 31 per cent said they would buy gifts and 17 per cent planned to give greeting cards.

To comply with their mums’ wishes, 76 per cent promised to study and work hard, 73 per cent said they would be obedient, 63 per cent would take care of their mum, 56 per cent would be good members of society and 17 per cent said they plan to always do their best, the survey said.

Eighty-seven per cent regarded August 12 as an important day to celebrate the birthday of HM the Queen who is considered to be the country’s mother. At least 81 per cent saw the day as a chance for children to express love and gratitude to their mothers, while 52 per cent said it was inspiration for people to do more good deeds.

Several prisons hosted events for inmates to be reunited with family members. A prison in Tak’s Mae Sot district allowed 200 female inmates to receive family visits.

Government offices hosted merit making rituals for HM the Queen in the morning as well as a candlelit blessing in the evening.

National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai led officials in a prayer at Parliament accompanied by senior monk Phrathep Sangwarayan of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara and 85 new monks who were previously ordained to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.

Associations also conferred awards to outstanding mothers on the occasion. Among the outstanding mothers honoured this year was Sai Charoenrit, 103, who received an award from the Senior Citizens Council of Thailand’s Trang Office.

Sai and her late husband Song Charoenrit have seven children, 20 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Her son Jian Charoenrit, 58, said his mum taught them to be good and grateful people, and all of her progeny had grown up to be good citizens with decent jobs.

In Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pimai district, shopkeeper Atthapol Srisantithorn, 32, showed his collection of 10,000 photos of the Queen that he had compiled over the past 17 years.

Culture Ministry officials contacted two of eight villagers who had been granted an audience with the Queen during trips. The two women were from the same village of Ban Nong Moung in Sahon Nakhon’s Song Dao district. Farmer Dokmai Khamwong, 61, met the Queen in November 1980 while farmer Wassana Hanam, 33, met the Queen in June 2004.

More than 120 pupils at Serng Sang School in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday completed drawings of HM the Queen and participated in a coordinated group event while holding cards to form the number “84”.

Many people yesterday also bought one of the 20 million Bt500 commemorative banknotes produced by the Bank of Thailand. Blue shirts and jasmine, the symbols of the day, were in high demand.

Phichit residents yesterday shopped for blue shirts to wear today while the price of jasmine garlands soared.