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Thailand's National Vegetarian Festival

Source: www.thaiwaysmagazine.com

THAILAND, August 25, 2010: The Thailand Vegetarian Festival is observed nationwide on a grand scale. The most well known place holding this festival is Phuket province, where the event takes place yearly. In other provinces such as Trang, Songkhla (Hat Yai) and Chon Buri (Pattaya), people of the Chinese descendants observe the festivals.

The festival has a religious dimension. It is also known for its spectacular but austere practices, such as, piercing the cheeks with a pointed steel rod, walking barefoot on burning charcoal, and climbing a ladder with rungs made of sharp blades. [Living Ahimsa note: These austere practices are known as kavadi, ancient tapasvi practices of the Hindu Culture]

The festival occurs yearly during the period from the 1st to the 9th of the 9th Chinese lunar month, which corresponds to 11-19 October. During this time almost all food shops and restaurants will fly yellow flags signifying that vegetarian food is available there. In recent years, the Vegetarian Festival has become more popular and has been increasingly observed by young people.