Two pairs of sacred oxen unveiled for royal Ploughing Ceremony

Oxen eligible to participate in the ceremony must have good characteristics and manners plus similar skin and fur colour, said department director-general Sorawit Thaneeto.

The first pair of oxen are named “Por” and “Piang”. Both main oxen are 10 years old. Combined, their names mean “sufficiency”.

The second pair of oxen are called “Perm” and “Pool”. The reserve animals are 12 years old, and combined their names mean “prosperity”.

"These oxen have pinkish-white skin, clean white fur and no dark spots or other colours on their bodies,” he explained. “Their horns and tails are beautiful and they look graceful while standing or walking.”

Separately, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry said this year’s royal Ploughing Ceremony will be held live via the Television Pool of Thailand, Radio Thailand and on social media from 8am on May 13.

In the ceremony, two sacred oxen are hitched to a wooden plough. They plough a furrow in ceremonial ground while rice seeds are sown by court Brahmins.

After the ploughing, the oxen are offered plates of food, including grass, rice grain, corn, green beans, sesame, liquor and water.

Depending on what the oxen eat, court astrologers and Brahmins make a prediction on whether the coming growing season will be bountiful or not.