The nine-day festival, which began on Oct 3, concluded with spectacular street processions through the heart of Phuket Town by devotees from the 39 shrines that took part in this year’s festival.
Along the procession route, the streets of Phuket Town were ablaze with the sound and colour of firecrackers filling the air with smoke and the roar of continuous explosions. It An estimated 1 million firecrackers were set off during the festivities last night.
The processions made their way to Saphan Hin, where the deities Yok Hong Song Tao and Kiew Hong Tai Te were symbolically sent back to heaven with a ritual “burning of the blessings” and a bonfire.
The traditional send-off ceremony held at Saphan Hin marks the close of the festival, and includes a specific sequence of events. The first to be sent off is Yok Hong Song Tao, in a ritual held in front of the Ko Teng pole at 9:30pm.
Following this, the spirits of Kiew Hong Tai Te are sent off from the beach at the tip of Saphan Hin. As the deities are sent back to the heavens, the participating shrines are required to extinguish all their lights and close their gates.
As is tradition, the final act in closing the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival will be held at sunset today, the day after the Saphan Hin rituals, when devotees will lower Go Teng poles at all participating shrines. The Go Teng poles were raised nine days ago to mark the start of the festival,
The lower of the Go Teng poles will begin at about 4pm, marking the end of the 2024 celebrations.
The dates for next year’s Phuket Vegetarian Festival have already been announced. In 2025, the festival will take place from Oct 21-29.