"Department of Agricultural Extension" is the agency involved in this event, responsible for agricultural promotion. They held a ploughing ceremony to prepare for the upcoming royal ceremony. The event is called the "Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day and the First Ploughing Ritual." The year is 2026.
On 21 April 2026, Mrs. Anchalee Suvachittanon, Director-General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, announced that Mr. Winarot Sapsongsuk, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, presided over the ploughing ceremony. The event was attended by ministry executives, agency heads, civil servants, and staff of the Department of Agricultural Extension at the plough storage building ceremony site.
The plough used in the Royal Ploughing Ceremony was made in 1996 by dairy farmers from Nong Pho, Photharam District, Ratchaburi Province. They respectfully dedicated it to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great for use in the ceremony.
The plough is made from ironwood and is kept at the plough storage building of the Department of Agricultural Extension. It features a red lacquered and gold-leafed finish, measuring 2.26 meters high and 6.59 meters long. The plough’s head is carved in the shape of a Naga serpent. The decorative patterns include cane-eye motifs. The plough’s tip is covered with white cloth trimmed in gold for the handle. The yoke, 1.55 meters long, is decorated with a Garuda figure cast in brass, lacquered, and gold-leafed on a lotus base. Both ends of the yoke have attachments for the sacred ox, with ropes tied for guiding. The base supports the plough and yoke, made of hardwood. A three-tailed flag adorns the plough’s Naga head, crafted from paper and felt, decorated with gold lacquer patterns and glass beads, with white tassels as an ornamental finial honoring the royal dignity.
This year, the Royal Household Bureau has set the dates for the 2026 Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day. Tuesday, 12 May 2026, will be the chanting day marking the Buddhist ceremony at the Ubosot of Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram in the Grand Palace. Wednesday, 13 May 2026, will be the main Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day, a Brahmin ritual held at the ceremonial ground in Sanam Luang.
Mr. Winarot Sapsongsuk will serve as the Royal Ploughman. The Golden and Silver Carrying Goddesses will be Ms. Chantisa Arisawat, a senior veterinary officer from the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, and Ms. Apichaya Fuseang, an accounting officer from the Cooperative Auditing Department, serving as the Golden Goddesses; and Ms. Pornchitra Jancharoen and Ms. Saranya Thongkham, agricultural promotion officers from the Department of Agricultural Extension, serving as the Silver Goddesses.
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day is an ancient and significant Thai royal ceremony still observed today. It aims to uplift the spirits of farmers, instill confidence in agricultural work, and ensure the prosperity and abundance of crops. It also brings auspiciousness and symbolizes the stability of the nation and the monarchy, which graciously orders the ceremony in every reign. This tradition preserves valuable Thai cultural heritage and customs for future generations.