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Vegetarian Food Festival in Thailand

Vegetarian Food Festival in Thailand

The Vegetarian Food Festival (Tetsakaan Gin Jay) in Thailand is a national event held throughout the country, mainly in those areas with Chinese descendants. Phuket Province holds the largest and most spectacular festival, but visitors are welcome to attend any of them.
The actual name of the festival is “Observe the Ten Commandments and Abstain from Meat”, and lasts for nine days during the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, usually falling in October. The Chinese community believes that abstaining from meat and other stimulants during this time, health and peace of mind will be assured.

The History of the Vegetarian Food Festival in Thailand
The origins of this religious festival are Chinese. A Chinese opera company organized the first Vegetarian Food Festival about 170 years ago in Phuket’s mining town of Kathu. The town was thriving and was inhabited mainly by Chinese tin miners who hired the company to perform. After a few months of performances, an epidemic, possibly malaria, struck many members of the community and the troupe, forcing the theater to close.
Several members of the company believed they were being punished because they failed to follow the religious rites pertaining to the Nine Emperor Gods, once they came to Thailand. To atone for their negligence, at the proper time of the month, the troupe abstained from eating meat and animal oil for nine days, hoping to purify their bodies, minds, and souls.
Remarkably, after reinstating the rites and practices, they all recovered. The local people took note and some did the same as the opera troupe the following year – abstaining from meat, alcohol, sex, arguing, and telling lies.
Since that time, it evolved into a national festival, and with each succeeding year, it has become more fascinating and spectacular. 

The Ceremonies
Some of the rituals of the festival are rather gory, all performed with the intention of invoking the gods. There are fire walking, body piercing, and other acts of self-emulation. Amazingly, mostly to Westerners, there are few injuries, and little blood or scarring. Most injuries that do occur are from the indiscriminate use of firecrackers.
The festival begins with the raising of the “lantern pole”, to alert the nine gods that the festival is starting. It is believed that the Hindu god Shiva will bestow spiritual power to the ceremonies, once the pole is erected.
For several days, the community brings offerings of food and drink to the Chinese temples. Processions take place in the streets, led by images of the gods and local priests. It is during these processions that mediums or priests, who appear to be in a trance, engage in dangerous feats, to show the power of their belief in their gods and to rid themselves of bad luck.

The Ten Commandments
During the nine-day festival, the following ten commandments are to be followed:
  1. Abstain from killing animals
  2. Abstain from eating meat
  3. Abstain from embezzlement and stealth
  4. Abstain from harming others
  5. Abstained from lying, swearing or using obscene language or gestures
  6. Abstain from flirting or physical contact with members of the opposite sex
  7. Abstain from alcohol and drugs
  8. Abstain from gambling
  9. Abstain from wearing anything made from leather or metal
  10. Abstain from sharing receptacles, utensils, or a meal with others not observing the commandments.
Vegetarian Food at the Festival
The restaurants and food vendors that sell vegetarian food (jay), post yellow flags with red lettering that feature the word “jay” in Thai or Chinese, so that visitors who wish to partake only of true vegetarian fare will know where it is sold.
Visitors to the Vegetarian Food Festival all report that the ceremonies are breathtaking and the food is simply delicious. Since adherents follow the Chinese lunar calendar, it is important for visitors wanting to attend the festival to understand that the date changes each year.
Posted Jan 5, 2015