We have heard of the Gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda but the Bangkok Monkey Buffet Festival will blow your mind away. The festival is held annually in Lopburi, Thailand.
In 2007, the festival included giving fruits and vegetables to the local monkey population of 2,000 crab-eating macaques in Lopburi Province north of Bangkok thought to bring good luck to the area and its people.
Described by London’s Guardian newspaper along with Spain’s baby-jumping festival as one of the strangest festivals in the world, the celebration is said to bring good luck to the area and its people.
A photograph from the Monkey Buffet Festival at Phra Prang Sam Yod temple in Lopburi Province shows a monkey trying to get at fresh fruits and vegetables embedded in blocks of ice
The Celebration
The Monkey Buffet Festival kicks off with an opening ceremony that includes performances by dancers in monkey costumes. When the monkeys arrive, hosts remove sheets from the banquet tables, revealing decorative spreads of vibrantly hued fruits and vegetables.
The macaques jump across tables and climb towering pyramids of watermelon, durian, lettuce, pineapple, and more, indulging in the nearly two tons of offerings.
Respect for monkeys traces back at least 2,000 years to the epic tale of Rama, a divine prince, and his struggle to rescue his wife, Sita, from the clutches of a demon lord.
According to the tale, the monkey king Hanuman and his army helped rescue Sita. Since then, monkeys have been appreciated as a sign of good luck and prosperity. Lopburi’s annual buffet is one way people mark their appreciation.
While tourists and townspeople may want to rub monkey elbows directly at the table, vendors and food stalls provide sustenance for human attendees.
