The Royal Ploughing Ceremony marks the official start of the rice planting season in Thailand and aims to promote good harvests.
It is a public holiday in Thailand.
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When does the Royal Ploughing Ceremony take place?
The date of this holiday is determined by astrological observations and announced by the Royal Household Office.
The ceremony will take place on May 9, 2025 in Thailand.
History of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony
The day of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony is officially known as "Wan Phra Ratcha Phithi Phuet Monkhon Lae Charot Phra Nangkhan Raek Na Khwan" which literally means the "day of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony marking the auspicious beginning of the rice growing season".
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient royal tradition observed in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand to mark the traditional start of the rice-growing season.
This tradition has Hindu and Buddhist origins, and is intended to honor farmers and bless plants, as well as to mark the ceremonial beginning of the new growing season.
How does the Royal Ploughing Ceremony take place?
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is held at Sanam Luang, an open field and public square located opposite Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace .
Royalty often attends and the ceremony is broadcast on national television.
During the ceremony, two sacred oxen are harnessed to a wooden plow and dig a furrow in a ceremonial field, while rice seeds are sown by the court Brahmins.
The oxen are covered in red and gold and circle the ceremonial ground nine times, nine being a lucky and auspicious number in Thailand.
After plowing, the oxen are offered plates of food, including rice, corn, green beans, freshly cut sesame, grass, water, and rice wine.
Depending on what the oxen eat, court astrologers and Brahmins predict whether the coming growing season will be abundant or not.
The ceremony is rooted in Brahmin belief and is held to ensure a good harvest.
As Royal Ploughing Day is a public holiday for civil servants and employees of state-owned enterprises, government offices will be closed.
Banks and businesses continue to operate normally and the sale of alcohol is permitted.
Post offices are closed for half a day.
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