BANGKOK — This year’s ceremony marking the beginning of Thailand’s planting season took place inside a royal residence on Monday due to the coronavirus epidemic.
King Rama X appointed one of his Privy Councilors to preside over the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which was held at a rice field inside Chitralada Royal Palace. The facility was converted into a site for agricultural experiments under King Rama IX.
With Gen. Surayud Chulanont as head of the ceremony, Anant Suwannarat, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, sowed the rice grains per rituals that herald the traditional start of the rice planting season.
Today’s ceremony also did away with the ritual of using a royal ox to cast prophecy on this year’s harvests.
In previous years, Royal Ploughing took place at Sanam Luang, a field in front of the Grand Palace complex.
