Vegetarian Festival in Phuket
Besides the sounds and attractions, you should be interested in this one festival in Phuket!
This article brings you up to speed the excitements, fun, and thrills of the vegetarian festival in Phuket, all for your adequate preparation and enlightenment!
Vegetarian Festival in Phuket
This festival is a colorful event that celebrates the belief of the Chinese clan. It holds the faith that staying away from meant and substances that are considered to be stimulants in the ninth lunar month of the year (in the Chinese calendar) help them stay healthy and have peace of mind! Being vegetarian is good for health, no doubt, but adding this belief surely adds a plus to it.
Though it is difficult to pin the origin of the festival to a particular event, the common belief is that the festival was started by the Chinese opera group that moved from place to place for their performances
On falling ill to malaria, the group decided to abstain from meat; stay glued to a vegetarian diet and offered prayers to the Nine Emperor gods to purify their body and mind. Amazingly, this worked for them and they recovered fully.
The community constantly celebrated by holding this annual festival to honor the gods for and to show gratitude for surviving the deadly malaria illness of that period.
The Ceremonies
The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket gets a lot of attraction from far and near owing to its uncommon pattern of ceremonies that are done to invoke the gods. Visitors and tourists to the festivals may view these rituals to be frightening as they include activities such as piercing the body, fire-walking, and other horrific acts performed by individuals seen as the medium of the gods.
You’ll find both women and men pierce their cheeks using knives and skewers among other items. There is nothing to worry about this. It’s a tradition they are used to. The mutilation acts are believed to be one that makes the Chinese gods protect them from harm or bleeding.
Quite strange and interesting you may say but make sure to be vigilant and watch out for the firecrackers anytime you pay a visit, they are deafening and may cause somebody injuries.
Where else could Phuket Vegetarian festival
Phuket Vegetarian festival be held than the abode of the gods! It takes place around the six Chinese temples in Phuket, with the major temple being the Jui Tui Shrine, located a distance away from the market in the town called Fresh Market.
You can bet to find good spots for sightseeing in the vicinities of the temples as they carry different emblems and symbols.
The very first event of the festival is the lifting of the Lantern Pole, announcing to the Chinese gods that the event is about to begin. The Lantern Pole which is estimated to be 10 meters tall also gives the impression to the celebrants that Shiva, the Hindu god has descended with spiritual blessings for the event.
For a few days to come, the Chinese community will bring their household gods to the temple with food and drink offerings. The household gods are believed to gain more spiritual powers from the festival.
As a visitor, you can join in the mood of the festival by lighting candles and joss sticks that are placed around the different gods. The Vegetarian Festival n Phuket is indeed one festival with great excitement but not without some horror! There is something for everyone who participates, food, drinks, and entertainment has no bound!
