The
weekend proper starts
with the parade of the elephants through the centre of the town on the
Friday morning. The elephants and floats congregate by the railway
station and thereafter parade down Tanasan Road to what is locally
called the "Elephant Roundabout" (approximately 2 km). It is estimated
that in 2005, almost 300 elephants were present for the parade.
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Adjoining the Elephant
Roundabout, the local population has already set up trestle tables of
food for the elephant breakfast. After a few words of welcome from the
local dignitaries, the elephants are allowed to eat their fill of
fruits and vegetables.
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The
elephants and mahoots then
make their way to the "Elephant Stadium" for
the rehearsal of the weekend's highlight, the "Elephant Roundup". The
official show is on the Saturday and repeated on the Sunday.
Here the elephants and mahoots show their skills and strengths to both locals and tourists alike. There is a football match, a demonstration of painting skills and the famous Tug o' War where the bull elephant is pitted against around 60 soldiers of the Royal Thai Army. The show culminates in a re-enactment of the historic battles between the Thai, Laos and Khmer armies. In
spite of
their great bulk the elephant is actually an exceptionally agile animal
and year after year they show their qualities of agility at the festival. Nonetheless despite strength and agility they also show an endearing gentleness which goes a long way in explaining the deep affection that the Thai people hold for them. |