Surin Festival Thailand

Thailand a land rich in culture, colors and exotic festivals has some amazing ideas about celebrations. The Thais show there reverence to everything which is useful to them. In Central Thailand, they thank the monkeys in the Lopburi region by throwing a lavish feast for them. In the northeast province of Surin, the elephants are honored annually in the Surin Elephant Roundup.

This festival commenced in 1960 and has been celebrated every year on the third weekend of November. The people of Surin are quite famous for their knack of capturing and taming elephants. Throughout the province these gentle beasts can be seen working side by side with the humans.

In this unique festival watched by thousands of locals and foreign tourists the elephants display their skills and strength. There are soccer matches, elephant races, a tug of war between the elephants and 70 best muscled men of the Royal Thai Army and other activities showing the intelligence, agility and grace of this wonderful animal. The highlight of the festival is the mock battle scene of yesteryears re-enacted for public enjoyment.

The Surin Elephant Round up is much more than a fascinating public display of the elephant’s capabilities; it is a unique and a beautiful bond shared by a man and a beast.