Lopburi is around 150 kilometers north of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. What make Lopburi famous are its more than 2,000 monkeys who live in the middle of the city. They hang on phone line, cross streets, grab food from other locals and tourists, or even search your pockets. However, nobody blames the monkeys. As the locals say, they bring prosperity  to the town. The "Lopburi Monkey Festival" is held each year on the last weekend of November and is a major attraction for locals and foreign visitors alike. A local businessman started the tradition twenty years ago. The monkeys attracted many foreign tourists to travel there. The businessman started the tradition in order to honor those monkeys. On the festival, they are offered a buffet  of delicious fruits and sweets, ice cream, and more as a way of thanking them for the good fortune they bring to the town! The monkeys were not always living in the city. They used to love outside the city limits, but the group divided and a new group formed and decided to live in the ruins of the temples. As time went by, the monkeys became more familiar and daring and started to go out of their homes. They are now part of LOpburi's local culture. Last year, people had a great time celebrating the monkey festival. A parade  was held through town, cultural shows were lined up and the streets were filled with locals and tourists as they watched the parade with monkeys. Sellers selling food and souvenirs can be seen everywhere. There were 20 chefs who "cooked up" a lot of food for the "monkey" buffet. It was reported that about two tons of fruits and vegetables, ice cream jelly and milk were prepared for the more than 2,000 monkeys. According to the passage, the businessman started the festival to   _  .
feed the hungry monkeys spread Lopburi's local culture express thanks to the monkeys help natives make more money