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The Ploughing Ceremony

The coming of the sixth lunar month signals the time to hold one of the many colourful and ancient rituals specific to Thai culture, the Ploughing Ceremony. It's an occasion of especial importance to the farmers of the country. Coming at the beginning of the beginning of the Thai New Year, it also prepares the people psychologically for the beginning of the rains, the most active time of the agricultural cycle.

In this exotic ceremony, His Majesty the King appoints a Phraya Raek Nah, the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony, as his representative to carry out the rites in a fenced area of Sanam Luang in Bangkok. Usually the Minister of Agriculture will choose one of three identical pieces of cloth with different lengths to forecast the year's rainfalls. Following the ceremonial ploughing, sacred white bulls are released and presented with platters containing seven types of food and drink: rice seed, beans, maize, hay, sesame seed, water and liquor. Each of them has an underlying meaning and whatever the bulls choose to eat or drink will be taken as predictive of the year's agricultural outcome.

After the Phraya Raek Nah has scattered rice seeds and the ceremony is completed, the barriers are lowered and hundreds of people rush to the newly-created "rice field" to gather a few grains for good luck, while some - the farmers - will keep and mix them with their own rice seeds to ensure a good crop in the coming season.