Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), participated in the ceremony at Guan Yu (Nabon) Shrine in Chalong, the southernmost of the major Chinese shrines participating in Phuket Vegetarian Festival.
Guan Yu Shrine, situated in a small street starting from Soi Ta-Ied / Chao Fa East Intersection, will be among the first to host an Iw Keng street procession.
The opening parade is scheduled to start at 7.30am on Monday (Oct 16). The participants will walk through Nabon and Palai communities east of Chao Fa East Rd. This procession will have little to no effect on traffic since the devotees will be “walking around the village” off the main roads.
A much larger parade is planned for Wednesday (Oct 18), commencing at 7am. Devotees will start from Guan Yu Shrine and travel all the way to Chalong Circle, make a U-turn at Mueang Phuket PPAO School, and then proceed to Karon.
The event will provide tourists in Kata/Karon area with a unique opportunity to witness the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. No other shrine is planning activities in Karon.
The procession will involve vehicles due to the long and challenging route from Guan Yu Shrine to Karon and back.
The third and final Iw Keng parade in Chalong will be organised by Guan Yu Shrine on Sunday (Oct 22), beginning at 7am. The route will follow Chao Fa East Rd. only and is expected to result in traffic congestion, similar to the Oct 18 procession.
The devotees, including Ma Song spiritual mediums, will start from the shrine and head north until reaching Wichit Municipality (near the PTT and Shell gas station). They will then make a U-turn and head all the way south to Chalong Circle. From there, the devotees will return to Guan Yu Shrine in Nabon, walking along Chao Fa East Rd again.
For the full list of events at Guan Yu (Nabon) Shrine, please check out the schedule on the shrine’s Facebook Page. The shrine will hold its Fire Walking Ritual on Oct 20 (starting at 9pm) and Bridge Crossing Ritual on Oct 23 (starting at 8pm) among other events.
Read more about the Vegetarian Festival here.