‘To Jeen Ling’ in Lopburi
The Monkey Buffet Festival, aka To Jeen Ling, is a major event in Lopburi which is held annually to throw a feast for local monkeys in the area as they’re the province’s resident animals that live side by side with the people.
Image credit: Tourism Thailand
Often held on the last Sunday of November, the festival this year will take place on 29th November 2020 from 9am to 12pm and 4pm. Like previous years, the event’s venue is at Phra Prang Sam Yot and Wat San Phra Kan.
Fruits and vegetables like watermelons, apples, cabbages, and papaya will be served on a giant platform, beautifully decorated with flowers and leaves. After the opening ceremony, all the monkeys come to the table and fill up their bellies.
Image credit: Posttoday
Here’s a little history of the Monkey Buffet festival from Richard Barrow; it first took place in the 1980s to thank all the monkeys for bringing many tourists to the province each year, which helped to boost the local economy.
The idea came from a hotel owner before it evolved to the grand scale ceremony we see today.
Lopburi is around a 2-hour drive from Bangkok and you can get there via bus and train services which operate daily.
Monkey news:
- Mischievous Monkey Thief “Arrested” For Stealing Food From Neighbours In Chonburi
- Rival Monkey Gangs Go Berserk And Fight Over Yogurt Drinks, Causes Traffic Jam For Hoomans
- Monkey Steals Tourist’s Cell Phone In Phuket, Thai Police Get It Back And Save The Day
Featured image adapted from: Tourism Thailand, Posttoday
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