The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient Thai tradition held each year in May, marking the beginning of the rice-growing season. The ceremony blends Hindu and Buddhist rituals, symbolizing prosperity, good harvests, and the close relationship between the Thai monarchy and agriculture.

When is Royal Ploughing Ceremony?

Royal Ploughing Ceremony varies each May, and it is determined annually by royal astrologers and Brahmin priests.

The following is the list of Royal Ploughing Ceremony from 2020 to 2029.

The History of Royal Ploughing Ceremony?

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony has origins dating back over 2,500 years, with similar rituals found in India, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. It was introduced to Thailand during the Sukhothai period and formalized in the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin eras.

The ceremony consists of two parts Phuetcha Mongkhon Ceremony (Buddhist) and Raek Na Khwan Ceremony (Brahmin/Hindu).

– Phuetcha Mongkhon Ceremony (Buddhist) was held in the Grand Palace, where monks bless rice seeds to be used during the ploughing rite.

– Raek Na Khwan Ceremony (Brahmin/Hindu) was held at Sanam Luang, and it features symbolic ploughing by royal representatives and sacred oxen.

The ceremony was discontinued in the 1920s, and it was revived in 1960 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) to reestablish the monarchy-agriculture bond. Since then, it has been overseen by the King or Crown Prince, conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, and televised nationwide.

Ritual Details:

The Lord of the Ceremony (a high-ranking official) performs a ceremonial ploughing of the field using a golden plough pulled by sacred white oxen.

The oxen are offered trays of food: rice, corn, beans, grass, water and alcohol. The choice of food they eat is believed to predict the coming season's agricultural fortune.

Blessed rice seeds are then sown by court officials as a symbol of abundance.