Four ordained females followed in the footsteps of the two beasts of burden, Perm and Poon, and strewed rice seeds produced at the royal farm in the plough furrows. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is 700-years old and dates from the era of the Sukhothai Kingdowm.
As part of the rites, the oxen are enticed with seven bowls of goodies. This year the pair sampled the offerings from five bowls. These contained water, rice liquor, rice paddy, soya beans and sesame seeds. The master ploughman was also given three different folded cloths to select from.
Brahmin fortune-tellers then analysed the selections. They predicted Thailand would have enough water for the coming year as well as bumper rice harvests and ample food for the country’s population.
Once the main ceremony was concluded, onlookers rushed to pick up the scattered rice seeds. The seeds are thought to be propitious when growing rice. Bangkok features an eclectic annual events calendar and 12GO ASIA is the way to go when booking tickets for buses and trains in and out of the city.
Thai Crown Prince presides over annual Bangkok ploughing rites
News in Asia
The Crown Prince of Thailand oversaw the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang Park this morning. A huge crowd turned out for the rite in which a pair of blessed oxen pulled ploughs in a circle in the centre of the park.