Vegetarian Festival 2011 in Thailand

Many people in Thailand are celebrating the Vegetarian Festival, which is being hepd from 27 September to the 5 October 2011.

Even though the Vegetarian Festival is celebrated everywhere in Thailand, it will feature in the southern province of Phuket. Many people will visit,especially from Singapore, Malaysia, and China.

The Vegetarian Festival has little to do with vegetarianism in the Western sense. It draws its name from the fact that practitioners do not eat meat for a s short period of time. The festival is observed from the first to the ninth day in the ninth month of the Chinese calendar, or the eleventh Thai lunar month.  However, Thai vegetarian food is similar to Western vegetarianism, in that meat is avoided and vegetables are used in food preparation.

Originally, the festival was observed in Chinese communities or among ethnic Chinese, or Thais of Chinese origin. Today, a large number of people, regardless of their origin and beliefs, join the celebration. Some people participate because vegetarian food is good for their health. They believe that by consuming only meat-free meals for the nine-day period, they will cleanse their bodies and minds. Meat consumption also encourages slaughter and is therefore sinful. So refraining from eating meat is considered meritorious, because the practice eliminates one cause of killing.

Legend has it that during this spell in the ninth Chinese calendar month, nine deities dressed as kings come down from heaven to inspect the earth and record the good and bad deeds of each person. So during this period, those who observe the festival try to do good to show to the deities their good deeds. The symbol for the Vegetarian Festival is a small yellow flag placed at vegetarian food stalls. Yellow represents Buddhism and good moral conduct.

In observing the Vegetarian Festival, many people dress in white and pay homage to spirits in Chinese shrines. Apart from not taking meat, they also refrain from taking some vegetables with a strong smell, such as garlic, onion, spring onion, Chinese chive, and Chinese parsley. Vegetables and fruits are the main raw materials for a vegetarian diet.

Apart from Phuket, other major provinces where the festival is celebrated on a wide scale include Trang, Phang-nga, Songkhla, Nakhon Sawan, and Bangkok’s Chinatown. The festival has become a major cultural event of the island of Phuket and Hat Yai district of Songkhla, attracting tourist arrivals during this period.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the festival this year is expected to generate at least 1,000 million baht, an increase from 850 million baht recorded last year. Out of this amount, 500 million baht will be circulated in Phuket, 240 million baht in Hat Yai, 100 million baht in Trang, and 25 million baht in Bangkok’s Chinatown.