Oxen, Plough and Fortune

A Buddhist and Brahmin tradition which dates back hundreds of years, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony on 13 May is observed in Thailand to mark the beginning of the rice growing season. This government holiday is observed across the country by monks who bless the fields and in Bangkok with an official ceremony at Sanam Luang. In front of the Grand Palace, two sacred oxen plough the field then are fed auspicious foods as offerings for a successful harvest. Royal astrologers observe what the oxen eat which foretells the bounty of the upcoming rice harvest. Lucky farmers who take home seeds scattered during the ceremony are also believed to have a blessed harvest.