Please note: the vegetarian fair in Phuket includes difficult scenes of the knives and sharp objects penetrating the bodies of the believers. This is not a simple or easy play to watch, so it is not recommended to come with children. Even people who are sensitive to harsh scenes and blood, it is recommended that they avoid this part of the festival.
The vegetarian festival in Phuket is one of the most colorful and colorful in Thailand, but also the one that includes the most difficult tradition to watch. Besides music, religious ceremonies with many participants and lots and lots of vegetarian food, there is also a procession in which the believers stick sharp objects in their faces.
This festival is already rooted in Thai tradition, but its origin is actually in China. Immigrants who came from China kept their tradition, which is celebrated in various places throughout the East, even after they moved to Thailand. This tradition began there in 1825. Although it is not the only one, the festival that takes place in Phuket is the largest and most impressive among those that take place in Thailand. This is due to the fact that many of the island's residents have Chinese roots.
It is a nine-day celebration of the believers of the Taoist religion and it takes place in the ninth month of the Chinese calendar - which usually falls on the month of September or October. The holiday is a combination of prayers, processions and singing. These celebrations, according to the belief, are supposed to bring health, wealth and long life to the members of the community.
The ceremonies are scattered throughout the island, between 6 different temples. The name Vegetarian Festival comes from the custom of abstaining from meat and alcohol during the days of the festivities, for the purpose of purification and asceticism. The believers also observe white clothing.
What makes this event famous all over the world is the ceremony during which the participants insert sticks, skewers, knives and any sharp object they find through their cheeks to the cheers of the crowd - a spectacle that can be particularly disturbing and shocking. This is the peak of the festivities and is reached on the eighth and ninth days of the festival. Those who do this do so to atone for the sins of the members of the community. They are convinced that the gods protect them and that nothing bad can happen to them. They blur the pain through the trance they enter during the religious ceremony. Despite this, a medical team is in the area and prepared to treat the injuries.
