Angela Killian

Every year Phuket locals celebrate the Vegetarian Festival. This is predominately a Chinese celebration, so the festivities take place in Chinese temples throughout Thailand, but you don’t have to be of Chinese decent to join in on the fun. The festival falls in the 9^th lunar month (October) in the Chinese calendar and lasts for 9 days.

During that time, people pay respect to the 9 Emperor Gods and abstain from meat, alcohol, sex and various other “unclean” things, which subscribers believe will purify both body and mind.

Here is a list of regulations that must be followed during the festival:

• Clean kitchen utensils not to be used by others who do not participate in the festival
• Wear white during the festival (this represents purity)
• Behave correctly, both physically and mentally
• Avoid eating meat
• Avoid sex
• Avoid alcohol
• People in mourning should not participate
• Pregnant women and menstruating women should not attend ceremonies

The festival begins the night before the first day with fireworks and ceremonies all over Phuket. This is believed to notify the 9 gods that the celebrations are beginning.

During the festival, people who believe they are mediums to the gods walk on fire and mutilate their bodies among other dangerous practices. “Mediums” believe the Chinese gods will protect them from infection and also prevent scarring from these gruesome acts. Every year there are severe injuries from these acts and sometimes even deaths. Here’s an idea…how about not hurting your body at all to prevent infection and scars?

People do the same crazy things during Buddhist holidays too, such as releasing caged birds for merit making purposes. Some people keep these caged birds at their house for the sole purpose of releasing them later. How about not caging the bird at all and allowing it to live freely? But I digress…

People also bring their household gods to the Chinese temples during the 9 days. They believe the household gods will absorb the extra spiritual energy that is present at the temples.

Here is where more irony comes in. People are permitted to smoke cigarettes and eat meat substitutes, which are loaded with chemicals and artificial fillers.

I respect vegetarians and have even considered becoming one myself at times, except that I have an ongoing love affair with chicken and eggs.

I also have a high respect for individual interpretation of the divine, but some parts of religion just don’t make any sense. Many people who participate in the festival do it out of routine tradition, but don’t know the reasoning behind it. I suppose the Vegetarian Festival is another excellent example of what happens when man interferes with spirituality.

Today is the last day of the festival. Some people will vow to continue eating “clean”, but my officemates have been starving for the past 9 days and can’t wait to eat cheeseburgers. Call me coldhearted or disrespectful, but I’m looking forward to no more traffic or firecrackers in the street that result in an extra hour to my already-long commute to and from work.