What is Thailand's Royal Ploughing Ceremony?

Thailand is preparing for the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony, one of the kingdom's oldest and most symbolic royal traditions linked to agriculture and the rice-growing season.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives held the second full rehearsal for the ceremony at Sanam Luang on Thursday ahead of the official rite on May 11. Winairoj Subsongsuk, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, performed the role of Phra Ya Raek Na, or Lord of the Plough, during the rehearsal.

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony, known in Thai as "Phuetcha Mongkhon," dates back more than 700 years and marks the traditional beginning of the rice farming season in Thailand. The ceremony is traditionally presided over by the King or a senior member of the royal family and combines both Buddhist and Brahmin rituals intended to bring prosperity, favorable rainfall and abundant harvests for farmers across the country.

One of the ceremony's most closely watched moments involves sacred oxen pulling a plough around the ceremonial field while rice seeds are scattered onto the ground. The oxen are later presented with symbolic foods and drinks, including rice, corn, grass, sesame seeds, water and alcohol. What the oxen choose to eat is traditionally interpreted as a prediction for the year's agricultural conditions, rainfall and economic outlook.

Another symbolic stage involves the Lord of the Plough selecting one of three pieces of cloth of different lengths. The chosen cloth is believed to forecast the amount of rainfall expected during the coming farming season.

Large crowds usually gather at Sanam Luang to watch the ceremony and collect blessed rice seeds, which many believe bring prosperity and good fortune. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day is observed as a public holiday in Thailand and remains an important cultural event reflecting the country's deep historical connection to agriculture.