The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2007 dates are announced.

Thai News 08-23-2007

Phuket Vegetarian Festival this year will be held from the 11th to the 19th of October 2007. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.

Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".