What’s a Monkey Buffet?
In a town only a day’s trip from the capital of Bangkok, there is a special festival in Thailand that celebrates monkeys. Yes. Monkeys. The town of Lopburi is one of the oldest settlements in Thailand, said to be founded over 1000 years ago by a king that came into the area. Lopburi used to be the stronghold of this new found kingdom, but today it is an example of a typical Thai town that is a little bit stuck in the past.
Every year on the last Sunday in November, the townspeople of Lopburi present a beautiful, huge buffet, complete with pristine red tablecloths, in the ruins of the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple. It is here that the majority of the monkeys have made their home. When a person first comes upon these temple ruins, however, which are left over from the Khmer Dynasty in the 10th century, they do not see the monkeys as the foremost aspect. The temple rises off the ground with great stone and brick that were cemented together. The magnificent pointed dome-like structures are the first thing the eye takes in. The age of the temple is portrayed by the darkened color that covers the points and seems to cascade down the whole building. On closer inspection, the stones reveal detailed marks and intricate designs…and lots of monkeys.
The monkeys that inhabit the ruins of the temples in Lopburi are called the Long Tailed Macaques or the Crab-Eating Macaques. These monkeys actually eat more nuts and fruits than crabs, though. The Macaques can weigh anywhere from six pounds to 19 pounds, the females weighing in smaller than the males. So, what makes these monkeys special? Their heritage is said to be dated back to a hero, Hanuman, a monkey with some human traits, that saved a bride to be and founded the town of Lopburi in ancient times. This tale is the reason these monkeys are not chased out of the town when they behave badly.
The Monkey Buffet Festival is a huge event, and accounts for the vast majority of the tourism to this small town. It gives the townspeople, the hotels, and the businesses some much needed revenue. Over 8818 pounds of fruit is dished out on large platters and tables for these monkeys every year, and they heartily enjoy the time to stuff their faces. Though the food starts off in delicately laid out plates and arrangements, the monkeys soon make a mess of it. Through the many, many years of living beside the residents in the town and the years of having the buffet be a big tourist attraction, the monkeys have learned that bad behavior gets them more attention, and they don’t get punished for it. The monkeys, after having eaten their fill, delight in throwing the extra food at each other and at the tourist watching the feast. It is not uncommon for a monkey to jump on an unsuspecting tourist and pull their hair among other things, like stealing anything that is not firmly held. Stealing is a daily occurrence for these monkeys, as they love taking phones, cameras, wallets, purses, and anything that can be grabbed from a person’s hand. The lack of good behavior has spread to every other day of the year as well, not only the day of the buffet. The Macaques can often be seen through the town of Lopburi, sitting on rooftops or telephone lines, stealing food from people’s plates, and throwing things at them.
However much the townspeople of Lopburi find the monkeys a nuisance for their bad behavior; they do not chase them out because the monkeys are Lopburi’s source of income. The monkeys are the tourist attraction in the small town of Lopburi, so the townspeople put up with daily interactions with the Macaques. It is a love-hate relationship as the monkeys share Lopburi equally with the human residences. The Monkey Buffet brings two sides together. The townspeople love the tourists, the monkeys love the food.
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