Royal Oxen Eat Only Beans and Corn, and the Royal Astrologer Says There Will Be Good Yields – Saturday, 16.5.2009

President of the Cambodian Supreme Court Dith Munty sits on a litter during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in Phnom Pehn, capital of Cambodia, on May 12, 2009. The ceremony is an ancient royal rite of Cambodia to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season and wish for a better harvest in the year. (Xinhua/Lei Baisong)

Maids of honor sow rice seeds during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in Phnom Pehn, capital of Cambodia, on May 12, 2009. The ceremony is an ancient royal rite of Cambodia to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season and wish for a better harvest in the year. (Xinhua/Lei Baisong)

President of the Cambodian Supreme Court Dith Munty ploughs during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in Phnom Pehn, capital of Cambodia, on May 12, 2009. The ceremony is an ancient royal rite of Cambodia to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season and wish for a better harvest in the year. (Xinhua/Lei Baisong)

Sacred oxen eat corns symbolizing a good harvest during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in Phnom Pehn, capital of Cambodia, on May 12, 2009. The ceremony is an ancient royal rite of Cambodia to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season and wish for a better harvest in the year. (Xinhua/Lei Baisong)

President of the Cambodian Supreme Court Dith Munty ploughs during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in Phnom Pehn, capital of Cambodia, on May 12, 2009.

The ceremony is an ancient royal rite of Cambodia to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season and wish for a better harvest in the year.

Picture courtesy of http://english.sina.com

Posted on 17 May 2009

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 612
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Phnom Penh: The royal oxen chose to eat only two kinds of food among the seven kinds offered to them, put on trays in front of the spectator’s platform, presided over by the King, the president of the Senate Samdech Akkak Thomas Pothisal Chea Sim, and the president of the National Assembly Samdech Ponhea Chakrey Heng Samrin, with officials who went to watch the Royal Plowing Ceremony directly on 12 May 2009 [See pictures on SINA English, the English-language destination for news and information about China].

“Rice, corn, beans, sesame, fresh grass, water and [rice] wine are presented for the royal oxen to eat every year, in order to annually predict the yield of agricultural products, but for this year, only beans and corn were well eaten by the royal oxen, and a Brahman priest foretold that corn and beans will have good yields this year.

“The president of the Supreme Court, Mr. Dith Munty, was assigned by the King as the Sdach Meakh [to hold the plow] and Mrs. Ing Mony, his wife, as Me Huo [to sows the seeds] for the 2009 Royal Plowing Ceremony, and many people attended. Products from all ministries countrywide were displayed to the north of the Veal Preah Meru [the plowing field, next to the Royal Palace, in front of the National Museum], where the Royal Astrologer went to see the results before he returned to the Royal Palace. Even though the Brahman priest stated that the day of the celebration of the Royal Plowing Ceremony is to mark the starting day of the rice sowing season, there has been repeated continuing heavy rain.

“Though the royal oxen did not eat rice, there is already the hope that there will be a surplus paddy rice yield, based on the paddy rice yield in the previous year.

“According to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries for 2008, there was rice cultivation during the rainy season on 2.25 million hectares. The average yield per hectare was 2.54 tonnes and the total yield was about 5.72 million tonnes. The 2008-2009 dry-season rice cultivation was carried out on more than 0.35 million hectares, and one hectare could produce 4.04 tonnes, and the total yield was more than 1.43 million tonnes. All fields, for both the rainy season and the dry season rice cultivation, are 2.61 million hectares, and the yield was around 7.15 million tonnes; per hectare 2.74 tonnes could be produced on average. As a balance, there is more than 2.01 million tonnes of rice left, corresponding to more than 3.14 million tonne of paddy rice, which is 0.57 tonnes more than in the previous year. From 1950 and 1968, one tonne of paddy could be produced from one hectare. In 2007, the whole paddy rice produced amounted to 6.72 million tonnes [comparing rice yields during different political regimes].

“According to a document of the Royal Plowing Celebration Committee, the royal oxen are not forced to eat any type of food among all the food offered, and the prediction is not very accurate. A Brahman priest foretells the future based on what the oxen ate. Whatever kind of food the oxen eat, this kind of food will be announced by the priest to have a good yield. But if they eat grass, there might be cow diseases. And if they drink rice wine, there might be many bad people and many cases of thefts and robberies.” Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1942-1944, 13-15.5.2009

Note:

Other reports mentioned that some farmers, who had come to observe the ceremony, expressed their concerns about the rice harvest, because the rice harvest would probably decrease, while the Ministry of Agriculture refused to comment on the role of the Royal Plowing Cermenony.

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #182-186, 12-16.5.2009