Phosop

Phosop (Thai: โพสพ) or Phaisop (Thai: ไพสพ) is the rice goddess of the Thai people. She is a deity more related to ancient Thai folklore than a goddess of a structured, mainstream religion. She is also known as Mae Khwan Khao (Thai: แม่ขวัญข้าว; "Mother of Rice Prosperity").

Background

Ritual offerings (เฉลว chaleo IPA: [tɕʰä˩.leːw˩˥]) are made to propitiate the Rice Goddess during the different steps of rice production. Villagers believe that Phosop ensures everyone has enough to eat.

In modern Thailand, paying homage to Phosop by rice farmers had been declining in recent times, but Queen Sirikit gave royal patronage to this ancient custom of Thai folklore in August 2008.

These traditional celebrations related to rice and its cultivation stages have a deep traditional significance in order to ensure that farmers will have good harvests. Every year the Royal Ploughing Ceremony takes place in Thailand. At the end of it people scramble to collect the seeds from the furrows in order to increase their luck.