Cambodia: The Royal Ploughing Ceremony

The Royal Government has been granted approval by the King of Cambodia to annually magnificently celebrate the Royal Plowing Ceremony "Preah Reach Pithi Chrot Preah Neangkol" at Mehru Square, adjacent to the North of the Royal Palace. The event will be held in coming 4th Roch, Month of Visak, Lunar Calendar, falling in May 21st, 2011.

The Royal Plowing Ceremony is an ancient royal rite held to welcome the beginning of rice-growing season; Farmers shall prepare for their agricultural activities such as: sowing seeds and growing rice, corn, bean, sesame etc. Beside these activities which have been shown as the symbol of farming by Sdech Meak and Preah Mehour, court soothsayers make a prediction on whether the coming growing season will be bountiful or not depending on what the Royal Oxen eat among many agricultural products,

Next, the soothsayers pray for a better weather with regular seasonal rainfall, particularly that all kinds of natural disasters be away from people’s land fields as well as the whole nation.Remarkably, the ceremony has been contented by the King of Cambodia and the King allows a couple of any high ranking figures to be appointed as as Sdech Meak and Preah Mehour for the event.

Source = phnompenh.gov.kh