Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Phuket Vegetarian Festival
There are festivals for each faith, religion, race, and tourists in Phuket. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is celebrated in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. According to the English calendar, the date arrives in the month of October. It is actually a Chinese festival that is marked by severe self torture willingly undertaken by the devotees. The food offered or prepared during the festival is, as the name suggests, purely vegetarian.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Activities
The Phuket Vegetarian food Festival stretches over a period of 9 days. The devotees join in a parade that starts from the shrines at Phuket. They perform self-mortification rites like walking on burning charcoal, body piercing and suspending weights from pierced body parts, and parade on the streets in that condition. These devotees are believed to be possessed by Daoist Gods. During these nine days of the festival, the Chinese keep away from eating meat or any non-vegetarian food.

History of Phuket Vegetarian Festival
The exact origin or history of the festival is unknown. It is assumed to have been brought to Phuket by a traveling opera group. The members of the group are said to have fallen ill with malaria while performing on the island. To recover from it, they decided to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and pray to the Nine Emperor Gods who would ensure purification of the mind and body. On recovery, the people celebrated by holding a festival in the honor of the gods and to pay homage to them.

For more information, please contact info@phuketvegetarian.com or by phone at +66 (0) 81 569 9076

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