Predict the harvest in Siem Reap with Chat Preah Nengkal - AsiaRooms.com

AsiaRooms.com can announce that holidaymakers staying in hotels in Siem Reap in May might wish to venture to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh to witness an annual agricultural festival.

Chat Preah Nengkal is held at the beginning of May to mark the beginning of the rice-growing season in Cambodia.

Known in English as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, the rite is led by members of Cambodia's royal family and is rooted in Brahmin traditions.

It is believed that the ritual, which presents the royal oxen with a selection of feed, predicts the farming conditions for the coming year - including the weather.

After a procession before the king of Cambodia, the animals are led to seven golden trays containing sesame seeds, corn, beans, rice, grass, wine and water.

Based on the selections of the oxen, farmers can make assessments about which crops will perform well during the coming season.

The ceremony has been performed in Cambodia for centuries and the traditional method of predicting the future is taken very seriously by agriculture workers in the country.

People staying in hotels in Siem Reap can easily travel to Phnom Penh for the ceremony by air, bus or river ferry and mototaxi.