The orders, decorations, and medals of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
consist of (translatable as 'state decorations') and (literally 'medals of honour'). Both are awarded by the
Sultan of Brunei
The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...
on the basis of merit, especially on the contributions to the country. The investiture of some of the state decorations also include the conferment of titles, whereby they become part of the awardees' personal names in official correspondence or when mentioned in formal media in the country. The decorations and medals are under the responsibility of , a government department under the
Prime Minister's Office, which also oversees Bruneian royal traditions and protocol.
The insignia are displayed in the
Royal Regalia Museum
The Royal Regalia Museum (), previously known as the Royal Regalia Building (), is a museum located in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It mainly houses the regalia of the Sultan and the royalty, as well as exhibits relate ...
located in the capital.
Investiture
The actual investiture involves awardees being given badges in a ceremony by the Sultan or sometimes the
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
upon the Sultan's discretion. The ceremony is traditionally held in
Lapau
The Lapau, also known as the Royal Ceremonial Hall, is a ceremonial hall in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is where the royal ceremonies, state investiture and some state events are traditionally held. It was the place where the present Sult ...
which is a type of ceremonial hall for royal ceremonies in the
Bruneian culture
The culture of Brunei is strongly influenced by Malay cultures and the Islam. The culture is also influenced by the demographic makeup of the country: more than two-thirds of the population are Malay, and the remainder consists of Chinese, Indians ...
. At present, the state decorations to the third class are always conferred by
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...
in a royal ceremony held annually on the day of the Sultan's birthday on 15 July at , a ceremonial hall within
Istana Nurul Iman
The Istana Nurul Iman ( Jawi: ايستان نور الإيمان; English: The Light of Faith Palace) is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and the seat of the Brunei government. The palace is located on a lea ...
, the Sultan's palace. Meanwhile, the state decorations of lower classes as well as medals of honour are conferred by the Sultan or the Crown Prince
Al-Muhtadee Billah in other ceremonies on other days, although commonly held in conjunction with the said birthday celebration. They had been traditionally held at the Lapau building in
Bandar Seri Begawan
Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the sm ...
's
city centre
A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
but in recent years they have been held at the Lapau hall within the palace instead to accommodate the growing number of awardees.
Decorations and medals
The following are the lists of state decorations and medals of honour of Brunei.
All of their names are styled in the
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
, nevertheless many of the names have also been officially given the equivalents in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, that is by the Department of .
State decorations
Medals of honour
Below is a list of the current medals of honour ():
Medals related to national events
There are also several medals which are awarded in conjunction with certain national events:
Medals for armed forces of Brunei
The following are the medals of honour specifically for the armed forces of Brunei;
See also
*
References
External links
List of state decorations and medals of hoonour of Brunei Darussalam
*
ttps://www.medals.org.uk/brunei/brunei-text.htm Orders, Decorations and Medals of Brunei
{{Decorations by country
Brunei and the Commonwealth of Nations
Brunei-related lists