Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah waves to the crowd during a Royal Procession in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Oct. 5, 2017. Brunei celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's accession to the throne on Thursday, with a grand ceremony at his vast, golden-domed palace and meet-and-greet with his people, participated by over 80,000 Bruneians. (Xinhua/Jeffrey Wong)
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Brunei celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's accession to the throne on Thursday, with a grand ceremony at his vast, golden-domed palace and meet-and-greet with his people, participated by over 80,000 Bruneians.
A series of commemorative events have been organized to mark the occasion, including the issuing of 50 Brunei dollars commemorative polymer note, commemorative coins, first day cover and special edition stamps.
The highlight of the celebration is a Royal Procession along the main streets of Bandar Seri Begawan on Thursday in a display of long-standing royal traditions and pageantry. Prior to that, a ceremonial guard of honor and an audience ceremony with the Sultan was held at Istana Nurul Iman, Brunei's royal palace.
The Sultan will also host a Royal Banquet on Friday for invited guests including a number of foreign senior officials, and members of royal houses from various countries, an official from Brunei's Information Department of the Prime Minister's Office told Xinhua.
Brunei is a state of 5,765 square km situated in the northwest corner of Borneo, with a population of approximately 420,000.
