The Vegetarian Festival is a religious festival annually held on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed. Many religious devotees will slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other self destructive acts, although the devotees do not suffer any harm. This is attributed to spirits that are said to protect the devotees.
The Vegetarian Festival lasts for 9 days and 9 nights from the 1st to the 9th Chinese lunar month. This festival normally falls on the eleventh or around October. The Chinese call it "The ninth month vegetarian festival".
In Thailand, the vegetarian festival centers are in Trang Province, in Krabi Province and in Phang-nga Province. But the most famous center is in Phuket Province. Due to the old and believable legend is that while there was an epidemic at Kratu District in Phuket, a group of Chinese opera entertainers performed their vegetarian festival and built some Taoist temples to get rid of bad lucks and to heal the ailments. The native people there then all believed those activities. They have maintained and performed this festival until now. In the beginning of this festival, some the local people representatives went to Kung Sai Community in China to invite the joss-stick smoke and ash called among the natives Hiawaient to perform their vegetarian festival. On the way back from China to Phuket, the joss-stick had to be lit all time.
On the first night of this festival, there is an important activity, The Tall lamp or Ko Teng Raising Ceremony at each Taoist temple. The nine wicks-in-oil in a glass cover are arranged in three rows on Ko Teng. This tall lamp represents Kiu Ong Tah., The holy Chinese God. Once the tall lamp is lighted and raised, it signified the arrival of Kiu Ong Tah and Siva, the God of Heaven.
The tall lamp is lowered by a pulley to add oil to the wicks and raised to the top of the post everyday in order to prevent the lighted from going out.
Another activity on the next day is to light big joss-stick. Some ritual propitiation, such as, sandal wood, slabs, the gold and silver paper and amulets are burnt to worship the shrine spirits, such as, the previous dead Kings or the dead people who had their good deeds for the nation.
After the first three days, the vegetarians realize that they have purified themselves. There will be and invitation the other two gods through the spirit mediums. The first god is 'Lamtao' who is the god register for the birth record and 'Pugtao' the god register for the death record. The Peung Kun or the God soldiers are invited to Protect vegetarian people from the evils and monsters. The highlight of this activity is watching the spirit mediums performances. Some of the god soldiers 'characters like Hieng Jia, or Buosong who could kill tigers with their bare hands are very exciting. The devotees are given Hu (a piece of paper with Chinese alphabets believed to be a holy amulet).
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