Phuket Vegetarian Festival
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival : 08 - 16 October
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".
Phuket Island seems like a curious place for a vegetarian festival, but the Phuket Vegetarian Festival has become world renowned for its food and its curious religious rites. Held during the 9th Chinese lunar month, typically September or October, the vegetarian festival spans the first nine days of the lunar month. During that time, Buddhists of Chinese descent follow a strict vegetarian diet, wear white clothing, and observe a set of rules that are intended to purify their bodies and minds.
All that seems well and good, but what has drawn the greatest publicity (other than the outstanding vegetarian food of course) is the unique manner in which some attempt to purify themselves during a procession of asceticism. On the 6th day of the vegetarian festival, after fasting for several days, devotees known as “soldiers of god” commit feats of self mutilation and tests of intense pain, including piercing themselves with needles and knives and walking across hot coals.
Around Phuket, in addition to large flags hung in honor of the event, 9 lanterns are lit up and placed aloft on Ko Teng poles to symbolize the presence of the deities throughout the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. On the last day, there is a “Koi Han” ceremony to exorcize ill fortune, and a finally a farewell ceremony for the deities at night.
How to go to travel Phuket Vegetarian Festival
By Train
By rail,There is no direct train service to Phuket. Travelers arriving by train must get off at Phun Phin Railway Station in Surat Thani Province and continue by regular bus to Phuket. For more information, call the State Railway of Thailand, 1690, 0 2223 7010, or 0 2223 7020.
By Bus
Air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses leave Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal for Phuket several times daily. Trips by air-conditioned bus, which normally leaves in the evening, take about 13 hours. ,Call 0 2434 7192, 0 2435 1199 or visit www.transport.co.th for more information.,
By Other
This is perhaps the easiest way to get to Phuket. Domestic airlines operate several flights daily between Bangkok and Phuket. Some flights go to Phuket via Samui Island with a 40-minute stopover. List of operators are as follows:,Phuket Air offers daily flights to Phuket and the journey takes only 1.20 hours. Call 02 6798999 or visit www.phuketairlines.com for more details on flights.,Bangkok Airways has daily flights connecting Phuket with Pattaya and Samui. For more information, contact their Bangkok office at tel. 66 2265 5678. Reservations can be made at tel. 66 2265 5555. Alternatively, browse its website at www.bangkokair.com for more flight details.,Thai Airways International has numerous daily flights servicing the Bangkok-Phuket route. In addition, they have regular flights connecting Phuket with Hat Yai, Surat Thani, and Narathiwat Provinces. For more information, contact their Bangkok office at tel. 02 628 2000 or book your seat online at www.thaiairways.com,One-to-Go by Orient Thai operates a daily flight between Bangkok and Phuket. The flight time is 1.20 hours. Call 1126 or visit www.onetwo-go.com for more information.,Air Asia also offers several daily flights connecting Bangkok and Phuket. The flight time is 1.20 hours. Visit www.airasia.com or call 02 5159999 for reservations.,Nok Air has several daily flights between Bangkok and Phuket with a flight time of 1.20 hours. Visit www.nokair.com or call 1318 to make your reservation. ,Destination Air porvides first class seaplane transfers to and from Phuket Internation Airport to resorts and hotels located in the Andaman sea. Popular destinations are such as Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Ko Lanta. Services commence in July 2006. Contact Bangkok Office of Destination Air at Tel: 0 2261 5323, Fax: 0 2261 5331 or visit www.destinationair.com ,
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