The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a colourful annual event held on the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, usually in September or October. The Nine Emperor Stars are: On the eve of the ninth moon, temples of the deities hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors. The worshipers will follow the ten principles mentioned above to cleanse their spirits. Held at various locations throughout Phuket Island, this festival offers something for . Basic Thai Phrases: Learn the Basics for Your Holiday! There are a number of rituals or events to see during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. The Phuket vegetarian festival has something special for all who attend and it will surely leave a lasting impression on your trip to Thailand. Not all those hotels are historical, but they have a style that fits the event atmosphere. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. The Memory at On On Hotel is a real heritage, and a few small guesthouses built on those old Sino Portuguese shophouses are too. Technically, people who are in mourning are not supposed to attend the ceremonies in temples. However, the art of "jay" food is that many of the dishes look and taste like meat. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a unique event that takes place annually in Thailand and draws visitors from around the world. Once the lantern pole has been erected, participants believe that Shiva, the Hindu god, will go down and provide the festival with the gods spiritual power. These rules are a must-follow for anyone who participates in the festival. Consider before continuing. Health officials call for a 'safer' Phuket Vegetarian Festival. On the evening of the festivals last or ninth day, the celebrations end with a farewell and send-off ritual dedicated to the Nine Emperor Gods and the Jade Emperor. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony (Khmer: Preah Reach Pithi Chrot Preah Neangkol; Sinhala: Vap Magula; Thai: Phra Ratcha Phithi Charot Phra Nangkhan Raek Na Khwan) also known as The Ploughing Festival is an ancient royal rite held in many Asian countries to mark the traditional beginning of the rice growing season. The five most ancient Shrines are Put Jaw, Jui Tui, Bang Niew, Cherng Talay, and Kathu Shrine. Weeks before the Vegetarian Festival events, yellow Chinese flags bloom on every roadside and intersection, especially near Chinese temples. The Nine Emperor Gods should not be mixed up with the Wang Ye or Princes of the Ming rebels. by tripsavvy. The festival is associated with some ceremonies that are considered brutal and gruesome. Those photos are easy to take, follow and enjoy the parade. The festival also includes a vegetarian diet which consists of only vegetables, fruits, and nuts. There's a magic about this charming yet confounding kingdom that casts a spell on visitors. Along the way, local Thai of Chinese descent prepare food offerings on small tables and receive blessings. Bang Neow Shrine is on Phuket Road, a Kio Thian Keng Shrine is a colourful Chinese shrine that is set on the seashore inside Saphan Hin public park in Phuket Town. Close to the tail end of September and budding October, the ninth Chinese lunar month is when Phuket Vegetarian Festival is celebrated. Vegetarian Festival is not limited to Phuket, as it is celebrated throughout Thailand, particularly in cities with large Chinese populations, such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai. 15 Islands Near Phuket Phuket Island Hopping, Jade Emperor and Nine Emperor Gods Welcoming Ritual, The Pilgrims Name Reading Ritual in The Sacred Hall, The Birth and Death of Humans Gods Welcoming Ritual, Big Dipper Astrolatry: Seven Star Worshipping Ritual, Jade Emperor and Nine Emperor Gods Retreating Ritual, Wear white clothes during the whole festival, Do not eat meat or animal products (milk, eggs, etc. After ceremonially crossing the bridge, a red stamp of the gods is then placed on the back of participants to show they are already free from calamities and sin. These include invoking the gods through different self-mutilating acts such as body piercing and fire walking. Only pure, unmarried men or women without families of their own can become masong. Since then, the people of Phuket have continued to celebrate the festival. Since the arrival of the Nine Emperor Gods is believed to be descending through the waterways, processions are held from temples to the seashore or river to symbolize this belief. What is the vegetarian festival in Thailand? Although the Vegetarian Festival can seem like a bizarre carnival, it is still a deeply religious event; show respect and stay out of the way! [9], During the festival, food stalls sell Thai and Chinese food made without animal products. While the origins of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival are unclear, it is commonly thought that it was brought to the island by a wandering Chinese opera group that fell ill from a malaria epidemic. A fun-fact here is that you will hardly find any vegetables on the stalls. How to register for Test & Go on Thailand Pass system? According to Priest Long Hua, this information is inaccurate and considered derogatory to the actual teachings of Taoism as the. [2] The term Ye () as in Jiu Huang Ye () loosely translates as "Grandfather", a title worshipers commonly use to bring a more intimate relationship between themselves and the Nine Emperors. Typically the festival is held in autumn, near the end of September and beginning of October. However, for those who want to try out the wide variety of vegetarian dishes offered during this festival, Phuket Town is definitely the place tourists should check out. Aside from the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Phuket also celebrates the Loi Krathong Festival, the Chinese New Year, and the Por Tor, or the Festival of the Hungry Ghost. Prasat Bakong - Ancient Cambodia Temple of Roluos Group, Prasat Bei - The Temple of Three Brick Towers, Prasat Lolei - Ancient Cambodia Temple of Roluos Group, Pre-travel Covid tests for arrivals lifted from April 1, Preah Khan Temple - The Royal Sword of Khmer Empire, Preah Ko - the Oldest Temple of Roluos Group, Preah Palilay The Mysterious Temple in Angkor Thom, Preah Vihear - Ancient Temple in Northern Cambodia, Reopening Cambodia Tourism - Everything you need to know. Experiencing the festival for the first time is life-changing as it really needs to be seen to be believed. The preparation for the festival gears up long before the main day. The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival takes place during the 9th Lunar Month of the chinese calendar. Most participants miraculously heal up without needing stitches or medical care. The festival culminates with a grand procession on the last day where participants carry decorative floats around town before returning to their temples for blessings from monks. Injuries during the festival, though, are mostly caused by the firecrackers being indiscriminately used by the festival participants. It is to be seen once in your life, but it attracts a crowd of photographers who want their share of weird photos to take back home with such eerie views. The festival begins by the raising of a 10-meter-tall bamboo pole in all Chinese shrines across the island. CONTACT USif you cannot find yours. Once the 10-metre-tall pole is erected, celebrants believe that the Hindu god, Shiva, descends to bring spiritual power to the event. Celebrations typically include preliminary music and dance performances, competitive processions of floats, dancers and musicians on the second day, and culminating on the third day in competitive firings of home-made rockets. Local participants and sponsors use the occasion to enhance their social prestige, as is customary in traditional Buddhist folk festivals throughout Southeast Asia. Tourists can join in the lighting of candles and joss sticks before they are placed around the household gods. Also to maintain purity devout festival participants abstain from sex, alcohol and stimulants during the festival. The local Thai and Chinese community will then bring their offerings of food and drink along with their household gods to the temple in the next few days of the festival. Yellow chinese flags are put up in the entire city. During these nine days, participants abstain from eating meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, as well as pungent vegetables, such as onion and garlic, which are believed to be "heating" and contribute to aggression and lust. Reopening Thailand: Everything you need to know when traveling during covid, Songkran in Bangkok - Sacred Tradition Vs. Crazy Water Fight. There are also fortune telling booths offering advice from monks or fortunetellers about ones future prospects based on palm reading or astrology readings. The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival occurs on the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (often, around October) and spans nine days, where participants - usually of Chinese ancestry- undergo a strict vegetarian diet during the period. (and get our downloadable Phuket Travel Guide PDF for free too!). This is done without anaesthetic, always inside or near the temples surrounded by other devotees with only iodine, petroleum jelly and surgical gloves as precautionary measures. As humans attempt purification using fire, they are actually overcoming their yin and making amends for their sins. The main events are held at the Jui Tui Shrine in Old Town Phuket and other temples throughout the city. One of the oldest shrines on the island, Kathu Shrine is believed to have been the first shrine to observe the festivities of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. When is Tet Vietnam - Should you travel during Vietnamese lunar new year? The Phuket Vegetarian Festival attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed.[4][5]. The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket is an annual event that takes place over nine days during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. In pre-modern times, Magha Puja has been celebrated by some Southeast Asian communities. Then for the past 27 years, my passion for photography and my natural curiosity has taken me to every corner of Thailand, jumping frequently between Bangkok and Phuket and basically everywhere I could go. Either are you wondering about best time to visit, visa policy, or how to get the cheapest flight, we have your back! The Nine Emperor Gods should not be mixed up with the Wang Ye or Princes of the Ming loyalists. This ritual is believed to summon the Nine Emperor God on earth. San Diego's biggest vegan festival is held at Encinitas' own outdoor bazaar. According to Long Hua, this information is inaccurate and considered derogatory to the actual teachings of Taoism as the Nine Emperor Gods are actually high-ranking Star Lords who preside over the movement of planets and coordinate mortal Life and Death issues. During this week, everyone follows ten principles, mostly wear white, do not eat meat, drink alcohol, do not have sexual activities, etc. The festival runs for nine days and is observed in other Asian countries as well. However, the two biggest processions are taken out from the Bang Neaw and Jui Tui shrines.Besides volume, the thing that sets Jui Tui apart is featuring women as Chinese Goddesses. Really needs to be seen to be seen to be seen to be seen to seen. 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