Phuket Vegetarian Festival: September 26 - October 5, 2003
According to legend, a Chinese
opera group fell ill while performing
on the island. All members of the
company then followed a vegetarian
diet in honour of Chinese gods and
to purify mind and body. So the
return of their health was also the
birth of the Vegetarian Festival, taking
place since then on every 9th
Chinese lunar month and meant to
honour the gods and to bring good
luck to individuals and the community.
In order to take part in this festival
promoting good hygiene, brightness
and inner peace, one is requested to
adhere to ten rules:
- Cleanliness of body during the festival
- To clean kitchen utensils and use them separately from others who do not join the festival
- Wear white during the festival
- Good behaviour physically and mentally (no lying or uncharitable thoughts)
- No meat eating (no killing of animals)
- No sex
- No alcoholic drinks
- People in mourning should not attend the festival
- Pregnant ladies should not watch any ritual
- Ladies with periods should not attend the ritual.
The devotees whom the gods
enter during the festival are called
'Ma Song'. They will, once in a
trance, manifest supernatural powers
and rub boiling oil on their bodies or
pierce their flesh, usually their faces,
with knives, metal rods or sharp
instruments without pain and only
minor blood loss.
For the faint-hearted the sight of
someone walking the city streets
with rods of wood or steel through
both cheeks does take some getting
used to. Disciples follow the ‘Ma
Song’ from temple to temple, making
donations and worshiping
Chinese Gods. Some people say that
the Chinese Gods are angry because
money is not used to embellish temples
but instead spent to build hotels,
bars, discotheques, and massage
lounges.
However, the local Chinese/Thai
communities continue to believe in
the benevolence of the gods and
bring their personal household gods
to the candle-lit temples, along with
offerings. They hope that the household
gods will absorb the spiritual
energy filling the temples at that particular
point in time.
Throughout the festival street processions
take place and drums are
sounded. The louder they are, the
better because noise drives evil spirits
away. Another fascinating aspect
is the sight of crowds of local people
in a trance running over burning
coals or climbing ladders with knifeedged
rungs.
Most of all it is firecrackers and
fireworks which play an important
role during these special days. They
are sold along the routes to the most
important shrines and because not
everyone is familiar with these particular
“party-elements”, the authorities
had to issue warnings in order to
prevent large number of people getting
hurt and ending up in hospital -
as has happened in recent years.
But it is not only the sound of
drums and the rich colour of tradition,
which fascinates participants
and tourists but also culinary vegetarian
delights which are available at
street stalls and markets during this
particular period.
The festival ends with special
temple-rites and the send-off of the
gods on the last night. It goes without
saying that the fireworks are at
their most impressive at that closing
ceremony which certainly is an
unforgettable experience for all participants
and visitors.
Herma Caelen
Links:
Tourism Authority of Thailand:
http://www.tourismthailand.org
Programme 2003:
http://www.phukettourism.org/festival/vegetarian/01.htm
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