When you see many yellow flags in Phuket street,
it means Phuket Vegetarian Festival is coming soon.
Nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
Celebrating the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants will help them obtain good health and peace of mind.
The festival is famous for its extreme celebrations.
Commonly thought that the festival was bought to Phuket by a wandering Chinese opera group who fell ill with malaria while performing on the island. They decided to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and pray to the Nine Emperor Gods to ensure purification of the mind and body. To everyone's amazement the opera group made a complete recovery. The people celebrated by holding a festival that was meant to honour the gods as well as express the people's happiness at surviving what was, in the 19th century, a fatal illness. Subsequently the festival has grown and developed into a spectacular yearly event.
One of the most exciting aspects of the festival are the various, (and sometimes gruesome) ceremonies which are held to invoke the gods. Firewalking, body piercing and other acts of self mortification undertaken by participants acting as mediums of the gods.
And also there are many local markets where sell many foods out of vegetables, no meat, no seafood.
During nine days, participants observe the followings,
- Cleanliness of the body
- Wear white cloths
- Avoid eating meat
- Avoid sex,
- Avoid Alcohol
- Pregnant or menstruating women should not attend ceremonies
Try to enjoy Phuket's Vegetarian festival,
you can feel Amazing Thailand ~~
> Why Phuket > Local Report
