Visitors and resdients at Lop Buri honor monkeys during annual festival

At the Pra Prang Sam Yot Buddhist temple in Lop Buri the annual Monkey Festival has become a major tourist attraction. The festival began in 1989, it was started by the owner of the Lopburi Inn Hotel as a way of showing appreciation for the town’s population of crab-eating macaques, commonly believed to bring good luck to businesses.

Each year during the last weekend of November and elaborate feast of vegetables and fruit is prepared for thousands of macaque that reside in the central province. Along with peanuts, grapes, corn, cucumber and bananas, the offerings of cakes and boiled eggs are made to the monkeys.

Many local residents believe that the monkeys are descendants of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman and believe that honoring them with a feast will bring good fortune. Around three thousand monkeys that lived in and around the temple flocked to enjoy the feast and the honor bestowed on them.

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