The Elephant festival is celebrated within the Thai Buddhist beliefs on the third Saturday of November. The festival pays tribute to one of the most loved animal of the Buddhist Kingdom, elephant. The Buddha cited a wild elephant, which when captured is tied to a harness to domesticate it. This, he used to, explain that, a new Buddhist needs to get along well with the older monks so as to absorb the message of Buddhism well. Similarly, the older monbks also need to interact with the younger generation and learn new things from them.
The Elephant Festival at Surin, Thailand
Located on the Kampuchean boundary of Thailand, Surin is one of the most well known towns in the northeast Thailand. The town is most famous for its The Elephant Festival which draws large number of domestic as well as foreign visitors and pays tribute to not only the elephants but also everything that is 'elephant like'.

Around two hundred of the giant animals are brought together to provide entertainment to the huge crowd. The show commences with the elephants performing a range of tasks that is well beyond the capacity of any other domestic animal. This is followd by folk dances and other cultural performances.
The elephants are made to star in displays of old-time elephant hunts. Demonstrations of intelligence, strength and gentility, and the wonderful re-enactment of a war elephant parade also forms part of the two days festival. Another interesting part of the festival is the sporting activities. There is a tug of war between an elephant and some seventy powerful members of the Royal Thai Army; sprints which display the agility of the animal and a soccer match in which the animal picks up small objects like a matchbox with its trunks and then follows commands given to it.

In brief, the Elephant festival of Surin is one time when the town displays the zenith of excitement and enthusiasm.