In the town of Lopburi in Thailand there are monkeys everywhere. They run around the streets. They climb on cars, houses, and other buildings. They can go anywhere they want to, and they get into everything! The monkeys in this town are very playful and sometimes they cause a lot of trouble. But what about the people of Lopburi? How do they feel about these mischievous little animals? The truth is that the people of Lopburi are not too concerned about the trouble caused by the monkeys.

Of course, they know that the monkeys are troublemakers. They also know that sometimes they can make life difficult. It's not always fun when they sit on people's cars, run everywhere, and take food. However, the people of Lopburi also know that it's not just the monkeys. They know that the people of the town also cause the problem. They allow the monkeys to run ground the streets. They allow them to cause trouble. They don't try to stop the monkeys. And once a year, the people of Lopburi do even more.

They have a monkey party! They have a banquet. With lots of food - for the monkeys! But why do they have this big monkey party? Why do they present the monkeys with a banquet? The reason involves legend and tradition. Most people in Thailand are Buddhists, and for many of them monkeys are very important animals. Monkeys appear in many Thai stories and legends. Because of one special story, some Thai people consider monkeys to be heroes.

In Thailand, there is a famous old legend about monkey hero called Hanuman. In the story, a demon takes the god Rama's wife. The monkey, Hanuman, helps to save Rama's wife. Because of this, Hanuman becomes a hero.

Due to the legend of Hanuman and Buddhist traditions, many people in Thailand are especially kind to monkeys today. This kindness is not just limited to allowing monkeys to do anything they wish. Monkeys also get special food often - not just at festivals.