Phuket Vegetarian Festival

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a major annual event and a unique tradition of Phuket that tourists eagerly await to witness at least once. It is held annually from the 1st to the 9th day of the 9th lunar month (according to the Chinese calendar), lasting for nine days and nine nights.

 

About the Phuket Vegetarian Festival

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is also known as the "Jia Chai" Festival. The Jia Chai festival incorporates the culture of overseas Chinese and blends it with local traditions, becoming a signature event of Phuket.

Originally, the Jia Chai festival was a custom practiced by Chinese people in specific areas where the Hokkien and Teochew communities resided. They didn't call it the "Vegetarian Festival" but rather the "Nine Emperor Gods Festival," which was a Taoist tradition. Later, when Buddhism spread, legends, beliefs, and practices became associated with seven Buddhas and two Bodhisattvas, known as the "Kiu Ong Hut Joo."

 

Buddhists would observe the Phuket Vegetarian Festival and only eat vegetarian food to pay homage to these nine deities:

1. The Sun (Tai Iang Chae Chae)

2. The Moon (Tai Im Chae)

3. Mars (Hui Chae)

4. Mercury (Jui Chae)

5. Jupiter (Bak Chae)

6. Venus (Kim Chae)

7. Saturn (Tou Chae)

8. Rahu (Lo Kao Chae)

9. Ketu (Koi Tou Chae)

Later, when Chinese people from this region migrated to Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Southern Thailand, it marked the beginning of the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand.

  

Origins of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival

About 200 years ago in 1825 (Buddhist Era 2368), the Phuket Vegetarian Festival began when Chinese junk sailors arrived in Phuket, which was a popular destination for overseas Chinese in Thailand at the time.

It originated in the Kathu area during the heyday of the tin mining industry, which attracted people from all directions seeking work. The Kathu area was a dense forest infested with mosquitoes and jungle fever (malaria). As a result, many people in the community fell ill, including a visiting Chinese opera troupe from Fujian Province who came to entertain the miners.

The opera troupe realized they had forgotten to perform the "Jia Chai" ritual (literally translated as "vegetarian eating ritual") as they usually did. They then began conducting the vegetarian eating ritual just as they had practiced in China. This involved making offerings to the Jade Emperor (Ngek Sian Hong Teh), the Nine Emperor Gods (Kiu Ong Tai Teh), and the opera deities (Ih) to seek forgiveness, purify their bodies, and ward off misfortune to avoid illness.

Amazingly, shortly after the ritual, the ailments and epidemics disappeared completely. The people of Phuket developed a strong faith and devotion to the deities. They continued the beautiful traditions, which evolved into the grandest Phuket Vegetarian Festival. This is also the origin of the name "Jia Chai" (Vegetarian Eating Ritual) for this iconic Phuket festival.

 

Unique Charms of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Apart from observing a vegetarian diet, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival features unique rituals not found elsewhere.

The first notable ritual is "Raising the Lantern Pole" or "Raising the Go Teng Pole." It begins on the evening before the festival, with nine lanterns lit on top of the pole. The lanterns must remain lit throughout the nine days until the end of the festival.

The second ritual is the "Yiu Keng" or "Parading of the Deities" ceremony. It is a sacred ritual practiced by each Chinese temple for generations. It symbolizes the inspection visit of Kiu Ong Tai Teh, the presiding deity of the festival, to bless the general public.

The procession includes spirit mediums who perform rituals to absolve bad luck for those observing the vegetarian festival. According to belief, Kiu Ong Tai Teh will bear the misfortunes on their behalf. Once possessed, the spirit mediums will begin piercing their cheeks with various weapons or sharp objects. This act of torturing their bodies is believed to be done in place of the Phuket people.

The third ritual is the "Koi Hoi" or "Fire Walking" ceremony. It is performed to purge negative energy from the body, and participants must adhere to strict protocols.

On the final night of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, the "Koi Han" ritual takes place after the fire walking. Paper effigies of men and women are made, inscribed with the person's name and date of birth. Participants then walk across a bridge where the spirit mediums expel evil forces and stamp a seal on the back of their white shirts to complete the ritual.

Additionally, on the same final evening, the "Sending Off Kiu Ong Tai Teh" ceremony is held. Processions from various Chinese temples in Phuket parade around the city to send Kiu Ong Tai Teh, the presiding deity, back to heaven. The processions usually converge at the Go Teng Pole around 10:30 PM to conclude the festival. During this time, participants light firecrackers and sparklers, throwing them at the spirit mediums and attendants carrying the sedan chair (known as "Tiaw Lian") in which Kiu Ong Tai Teh resides. Those who observed the vegetarian fast of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival set up altars in front of their homes and lit firecrackers to welcome the procession along both sides of the route.