This morning I left early and went into Bangkok to watch the Royal Plowing Ceremony. This is an ancient custom that is held to mark the beginning of the rainy season and to predict the levels of rainfall and rice production that can be expected in the country this year. It's a Brahmin (Hindu) tradition and predates the arrival of Buddhism. The gist of the ceremony is that the "Ploughing Lord" uses two sacred white oxen to plow in a specially prepared field beside the Grand Palace. He's accompanied by men blowing conch shells and women who carry rice that has been specially blessed. After they go around the field several times, scattering the rice seeds, the oxen are used to make predictions about the upcoming year. They are offered a choice of seven foods and drinks (rice, corn, millet, beans, grass, rice wine, and water). Whichever dish the oxen choose first is an indicator of what the upcoming year will hold. They put up fences to keep the public back quite a distance, so I couldn't see any of this very clearly - but I had read about what to expect.
All of that was interesting to watch, but I was beginning to wonder if it had been worth getting up early and standing in the crowd that long to watch. However, the last part of the event made it all worthwhile. I had also read that at the end of the ceremony the crowd rushes to the field and collects grains of the blessed rice that they will then mix with their regular rice to plant in the upcoming season. The man beside me had come from a town 10 hours away to get some of the rice. As the ceremony ended people began pressing closer and closer to the fence and finally they pushed the fence down and ran for the field. I've never been in a stampede like that! I tried to push close enough to get some pictures, but decided not to wade into the muddy field and hunt for rice grains myself. (Later someone who had rushed in early and collected a bagful of mud mixed with rice gave me a single grain.) People were even uprooting banana trees and carrying off potted plants that had been brought in as decorations.
The ceremony itself was solemn and dignified, but afterward everyone was just having a lot of fun wading in the muddy field and collecting as many grains of rice as they could find. Here are a few pictures...
If you look closely you can see the oxen plowing in the distance.
The mad dash for the rice grains.
Since it had rained overnight the field was very muddy - but that didn't seem to dim the crowd's enthusiasm.
Many people filled up bags with dirt from the field and then sorted out the grains later.
The oxen who pulled the plow.
It will remain to be seen if the oxen correctly predicted this year's rice crop yield - but it seems as if the ceremony did indeed herald the arrival of the rains. This afternoon we had a wild, street-flooding thunderstorm. We're ready for a break from the heat - even if it does mean getting drenched every now and then!
-Tom
