This ceremony is intended to demonstrate the significance of the rice
farming occupation as well as to boost the morale of farmers all over
the country. During the ceremony the Farming Lord, or Phraya Raek Na,
will plough a piece of land designated on the Phramane Ground near the
Grand Palace to signal the beginning of the ploughing season. He will
also offer and assortment of food to the cows used in the ceremony.
The choice of food made serves as a basis for the forecast of the
amount of rainfalls and the prospect of the rice harvest.
The ceremony, performed now early in May of every year, is not much
different from the one performed in the old days.
It is only simplified. The origin of the ceremony certainly is
The Phraya Raek Na at the present time is usually the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. Those who attend the
ceremonies include not only Thai and foreign dignitaries but also
farmers, who often try to collect the rice seeds sown on to the field
during the ceremony. They believe that these rice seeds are sacred and
will bring blessing to their fields if they are mixed with the regular
seeds they have themselves prepared for the season.
of the Constitution Day
The Constitution Day is the 10th of December, which is the anniversary
of the day King Rama VII granted the First Constitution of Thailand to
his people in 1932