On the 13-th of March, the people of Thailand celebrate the National Day of the Thai elephant. This holiday was established in 1998 by the Thai Cabinet of Ministers in order to attract public attention to the importance of these animals.
The elephant is a national animal of Thailand, it was even depicted on the first officially approved flag of the country. It is very difficult to overestimate the role of elephants in the history of Thailand. Since ancient times, elephants have helped the Thais to build temples and cities, as well, struggled with them in wars.
So, now elephants are one of the biggest baits for tourists coming to Thailand, playing a very important role in the economy of the country, because tourism is one of the key branches of Thailand's economy.
At the beginning of the last century in Thailand there were about one hundred thousand elephants. Now their number has significantly decreased. There are about 3-4 thousand elephants in the country, about half of them are domesticated, and the second half lives in national parks in the wild.
On the National Day of the Thai elephant, a holiday is organized, 80 kilometers north of the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, on a specially equipped site. The entrance to the holiday is absolutely free, so that as many people can express their respect to the national animal.
All elephants are dressed up, with colorful ornaments. One of the main events of the holiday is a gala dinner ... of course, for the heroes of the celebration - elephants! In advance, incredible quantities are harvested fresh vegetables and fruits that elephants eat with pleasure.
According to the materials of anydaylife.com
