A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 16 March 2010

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony represents the beginning of the rice-growing season in Phnom Penh

Royal Ploughing Ceremony held in the Khmemarin Palace in 2008.

Usually held in May, this ancient royal rite allows Cambodian people to mark the beginning of the rice-growing season and is also observed in Thailand.

The ceremony traditionally takes place in the grounds of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, where two sacred oxen are used for a symbolic ploughing procession.

After ploughing a furrow in the Cambodian capital's Veal Preahmein Square, the animals are led to seven golden trays containing different foods - rice, corn, sesame seeds, beans, grass, water and wine.

Predictions are then made by royal soothsayers for the coming year's harvest, depending on what the oxen decide to eat.

According to the Tourism Cambodia website, last year the sacred animals ate mainly rice, corn and beans, while largely ignoring the contents of the other trays.

This was taken to mean that farmers would see a moderate yield in the rice harvest but enjoy a strong output in their secondary crops, especially corn and beans.

The ceremony is usually presided over by the monarch - currently King Norodom Sihamoni - although prime minister Hun Sen has also overseen proceedings.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This non-sense secular out of Buddish religious should no longer practice in Cambodia due to its unrealistic fact; it's fiction for the king to be self respected. Get real !!!