Royal oxen signal bountiful crops, economic growth

The annual and ancient Royal Ploughing Ceremony, presided over by Their Majesties the King and Queen this morning, indicated a positive outlook for Thailand’s agriculture and foreign trade this year.

The ceremony, which marks the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season, was led by Vinaroj Sapsongsuk, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, acting as the ‘Phraya Raek Na’ (Lord of the Plough).

The highlight of the ritual is when two sacred oxen are offered seven bowls containing various foods and liquids. The oxen chose to consume beans, water, grass and liquor, leading to the following prognostications by royal astrologers:

Beans mean cereal crops and foodstuffs will be in great abundance.

Water and grass mean rainfall will be adequate and that there will be a plentiful supply of grain, fruit and meat.

Liquor means transportation will become more convenient and foreign trade will flourish, resulting in a more prosperous economy.

In a separate ritual, the Lord of the Plough selected a piece of folded cloth (phanung) from among three choices of different lengths. He picked the six-palm-wide cloth (6 khueb).

The astrologers predicted that water levels might be lower than usual this year. While lowland rice paddies are expected to yield a full harvest, highland farms may face some damage and might not reach full productivity.

The ceremony commenced at 7.19am when the Lord of the Plough and the four consecrated "Celestial Maidens" (Thepi) travelled from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) to Sanam Luang. Their Majesties arrived at the ceremonial pavilion at 8.30am.

Following the ritual ploughing, consisting of three longitudinal and three transverse rounds, the Lord of the Plough sowed rice seeds in the ceremonial grounds.

After the rites at Sanam Luang, Their Majesties proceeded to the Chitralada Villa royal residence. There, the Lord of the Plough sowed the remaining rice seeds in the demonstration plots, which will be harvested for use in future ceremonies.

During the event, Their Majesties also presented plaques of recognition to outstanding farmers, agricultural institutions, cooperatives and agricultural philosophers from across the country, honouring their contributions to the nation’s agrarian sector.

As is tradition, once the formal ceremony concluded, crowds of spectators rushed into the ploughed area to gather the lucky rice seeds sown during the ritual, believing them to bring prosperity and a good harvest to their own farms.