Today is National Elephant Day in Thailand and celebrations have happened around the country.
In Ayutthaya province, there was a ceremony at the famed Ayutthaya Elephant Camp. The ritual is designed to remove bad luck and increase good luck for the elephants and their mahouts in the coming year.
Over 60 pachyderms and their mahouts were involved, reported Thai PBS.
A mountain of fruit was also offered to the elephants to honor them.
Similar events were held around the country.
In Pattaya’s Nong Nooch Botanic Garden, the luck ritual included 75 elephants and their mahouts, who also took part in a grand elephant procession at the park.
Thai Elephant Day began in 1998.
