Kampong Chhnang: The Royal Ploughing ceremony, which marks the beginning of the crop planting season in the country, will be celebrated this year on May 15 at the Royal Field in Kampong Chhnang Stadium, located in Klaing Prak village, Sangkat Pha-er, Kampong Chhnang city, Kampong Chhnang province.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the annual event will be presided over by His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia. Senior officials from the government and parliament, as well as foreign ambassadors accredited to Cambodia, will attend the ceremony. The event will be followed by a photo exhibition and an agricultural fair.
Generally, the governor of the host province assumes the role of 'King Meak' by guiding the royal oxen and plowing around the Royal Field, while his spouse takes on the role of 'Queen Mehua', scattering seeds on the furrowed ground. This ceremony is traditionally held in May to signal the commencement of the rainy season among Cambodian farmers, ensuring they are prepared for farming and praying for a bountiful harvest for the year.
According to tradition, the ceremony is celebrated annually to predict the upcoming distribution of rainfall and subsequent rice harvesting in the country, based on the oxen's appetite for paddy, corn, bean, grass, sesame, water, and wine. Last year, this traditional event took place in Chbar Mon city of Kampong Speu province.