Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong held a meeting on Monday (August 25) to announce details of the festival which was also attended by Urai Lursakanusorn, acting director Office of Phuket Cuture; President of the Phuket Shrine Club, Prasert Phakthongphol and a number of city officials.
Speaking at the meeting, Governor Nisit said, “ The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival will start on October 13 and end on October 21, and this year we will have additional parade to honor HM The King.
This parade is scheduled to take place on Wednesday October 14 at Chai field and we will also have a blessing ceremony for HM The King at Saphan Hin.”
“During the 9 days of the Vegetarian Festival, observers must dress only in white, and they must abstain from meat and alcohol to purify their bodies. This is also a time for merit making and giving thanks to ancestors.
“The Festival will begin with the raising of Go Teng (Lantern) Poles at the participating Chinese shrines , or 'San Jao', around the island to invite the spirit gods to be present during the festival.
“The opening ceremony is generally a quiet affair but the emotion will build over the following days as a riot of parades with massive amounts of firecrackers and “mah song” – steeds of the gods – mortifying their flesh with axes, maces, and a variety of artifacts inserted through cuts in their cheeks or hung by hooks from the chests or backs.” said Governor Nisit.