Elephants Ploughing : Riding + Planting

Elephants Ploughing Paddy Fields: Ceremony

On the 8th August 2009 there was an "Elephants Ploughing Paddy Fields" Ceremony at Baan Nai Fun Project in Chiangmai, North Thailand.
Held on an 8 rai area using 8 elephants.
The ceremony aspects included an educational video about the Karens of Ban Na Kian Village in Omkoi District who have been ploughing their rice fields in this manner for several generations.
There was a blessing of the fields, to the rice guarding spirits "Khwan Khao", from the Karen's ceremony "Pucha Phifa-Na Khao".
There was a cultural dance by the fields ... followed by the ploughing.
The celebrations continued with guests being invited to plant rice themselves and to take an elephant ride themselves .... and a demonstration of an elephant painting a picture of rice plants.

This video is part of a set taken by Shamblesguru (Chris Smith) during the two hour ceremony ... which, fortunately, took place in view of his own house.

Digital photographs can be seen on Flicker at http://www.flickr.com/photos/csmith/sets/
Please note the copyright license .... Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0

Category:

Education

Tags:

• rice
• chiangmai
• elephants
• elephant
• Baan Saen Doi
• shambles
• shamblesguru
• thailand
• Baan Nai Fun Project 2
• Karens
• cermony
• celebration
• Khwan Khao
• Pucha Phifa-Na Khao
• organic
• organic rice
• field
• fields
• omkoi
• plowing
• mahout
• Khamtul
• Thongphun
• 8-8-2009
• 8august2009
• eight
• chris smith
• paddy