2010-05-02 (Xinhua) - Cambodia on Sunday held the first Royal Plowing Ceremony at Lean Chul Damrei near Angkor Wat Temple in more than four decades.
Chea Kean, deputy secretary general of Committee for National and International Festivals said that such Royal Plowing Ceremony was held for the first time in 1967 under then King Norodom Sihanouk, and the ceremony held here on Sunday was the second.
The Royal Plowing Ceremony is held annually at Veal Meru near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, but Chea Kean said this year the government decided to hold it in Siem Reap's province as a link to the first Buddhistic tourism event during Visakh Bochea Day that was held on April 27-29 in this Bayon Temple area.
Presiding over the ceremony was King Norodom Sihamoni, son of retired King Norodom Sihanouk, and participated by many government officials including Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly, other senior officials and diplomats and at least 100, 000 holiday goers from various parts of the country including foreign tourists.
Prince Sisowath Vochiravuth, and Princess Norodom Rasmei Pornita were acting as the main plowers at the ceremony on Sunday and accompanied by Sou Phirin, governor of Siem Reap province.
The ceremony is to mark the start of rainy season that begins in May and to end in October.
As the procession of the ceremony began Sunday morning, seven trays with rice, sesame, water, corn, beans, grass, and rice wine are put ready for two royal oxen and an astrologer makes predictions based on what and how much amount of the foods and drink taken by the two oxen.
As two oxen ate only corn and bean, Korng Keng, chief of royal astrologers predicted for the year 2010 that Cambodian farmers will enjoy good harvests with corn and bean and as well with other crops.
Each of the seven foods and drink has different meaning and most of them have good sign as long as those two oxen had eaten or drunken, except rice wine and grass that signify bad prediction.
Rice wine means theft, and robbery and grass means insects will disrupt crops.
Cambodia is an agrarian country with rice and other crops as the main exporters to other countries.
Chea Kean, deputy secretary general of Committee for National and International Festivals said that such Royal Plowing Ceremony was held for the first time in 1967 under then King Norodom Sihanouk, and the ceremony held here on Sunday was the second.
The Royal Plowing Ceremony is held annually at Veal Meru near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, but Chea Kean said this year the government decided to hold it in Siem Reap's province as a link to the first Buddhistic tourism event during Visakh Bochea Day that was held on April 27-29 in this Bayon Temple area.
Presiding over the ceremony was King Norodom Sihamoni, son of retired King Norodom Sihanouk, and participated by many government officials including Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly, other senior officials and diplomats and at least 100, 000 holiday goers from various parts of the country including foreign tourists.
Prince Sisowath Vochiravuth, and Princess Norodom Rasmei Pornita were acting as the main plowers at the ceremony on Sunday and accompanied by Sou Phirin, governor of Siem Reap province.
The ceremony is to mark the start of rainy season that begins in May and to end in October.
As the procession of the ceremony began Sunday morning, seven trays with rice, sesame, water, corn, beans, grass, and rice wine are put ready for two royal oxen and an astrologer makes predictions based on what and how much amount of the foods and drink taken by the two oxen.
As two oxen ate only corn and bean, Korng Keng, chief of royal astrologers predicted for the year 2010 that Cambodian farmers will enjoy good harvests with corn and bean and as well with other crops.
Each of the seven foods and drink has different meaning and most of them have good sign as long as those two oxen had eaten or drunken, except rice wine and grass that signify bad prediction.
Rice wine means theft, and robbery and grass means insects will disrupt crops.
Cambodia is an agrarian country with rice and other crops as the main exporters to other countries.
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