Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2013 starts tomorrow

I do not know where I will be when the Phuket Vegetarian Festival starts so I suggest that if you need to know what's going on go and have a look at  my friend Jamie's Blog (pic below). I am NOT wearing flipflops again!

I previously posted here about Pae Leng - the Lee Loh Chia Medium who manages the spectacular event.

He was asked whether he was worried that the Vegetarian Festival would lose it's customs overtime and he replied.

The actual meaning of the Vegetarian Festival - not only not eating meat but;

                      1) no killing

                      2) no intercourse

                      3) no alcohol

                      4) no bad-mouthing

                      5) no stealing

Can you do this for the period of the Vegetarian Festival?

Phuket Local Food Festival 2016

Phuket Local Food Festival took place at Sapan Hin this year. It was essentially a big car park sent up with stalls around the edge and then more rows of stalls in the middle.

My favourite - Sakoo Sai Mai

So what food was there?
Well I really did not know what it was all called but here is a selection.

a selection of rice dishes with halal curried chicken

Pad Thai

stewed animal parts and 1,000 year old eggs?

sticky rice in bamboo

deep fried prawns

delicious 

a selection of stewed vegetables and animal parts?

do you want a massage?

shooting game

a bouncy castle

lots of chairs and tables

Jemma gets her light sabre...

So much happens here throughout the year.

Previous visits to Sapan Hin
 1) Local Food Fair (2016)
 1) มูลนิธิกุศลธรรมภูเก็ต Chinese Shrine (2015)
 2) Fried Chicken and Sticky Rice (2015)
 3) Fire-walking - Vegetarian Festival (2015)
 3) Local foods and more (2014)
 4) Kiew Tian Keng Chinese Shrine (2015)
 5) A park and more (2013)
 6) Vegetarian Festival Final Parade (2013)
 7) Mangrove Walkway (2012)
 8) Petanque in Phuket (2013)
 9) Invitation Ritual Vegetarian Festival (2013)
 10) Naval Museum (2012)
 11) Southern Trade Fair (2012)
 12) So much to see (2012)
 13) OTOP Festival (2012)
 14) Paramotoring (2012)
 15) Snakes and the Thai Lottery (2012)
 15) Sapan Hin Fair (2012)
 17) Local Food Fair (2012)

Go Teng Pole preparation - Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2016

This year I chose to go very early - to watch the preparation before it became busy - this was Bang Neow Shrine in Phuket Town.

It was beautiful and certainly something to be witnessed - these are the sedans for carrying the Chinese Effigy.

The Pole was being prepared in front of the Shrine - cleaning off the papers that were stuck there previously and paint.

Once clean the rope was prepared for them to pull it up.

Then there was some movement in the shrine

Then I saw that Lee Loh Chia was inside the shrine performing something.

Obviously something important and special.

Then it was time to light the 'old wood'.

Then to prepare the main sedan.

Then the fire was brought out.

There were a lot of sedans here.

The roads were being decorated

There was more decoration going up in around the Surin Circle.

Previous pole raising

 1) Vegetarian Festival 2012 - Warrior Propitiation and Pole Raising

 2) Vegetarian Festival 2014 - Pole Raising

 3) Vegetarian Festival 2014 - Pole Preparation

 4) Vegetarian Festival 2013 - Pole Lowering

 

Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2013 - Friday 11th - Procession

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a Festival that I have written about previously so I have chosen not to repeat but simply to comment on my experiences and put links in for previous visits.

Our Holiday in Australia meant that I did not go to every event as I did previously! After speaking to Jamie I was not too upset as I heard that there was rain during the beginning of the Festival.

But this did not mean that I did not join the Procession through Phuket Town.

Starting at Jui Tui Chinese Shrine in Phuket Town at 6am I watched some of the piercing - i did fell that there was an increase in the number of women which were taking part in this part of the Festival this year.

The beginning was rather sedate as the possessed and the pierced made their way through the very large audience - all wearing the white clothing.

The sedate walk was soon 'disturbed' when the Shrines left with enormous explosions.

The parade wound itself around Phuket Town and the crowds got bigger - reaching a peak at the ClockTower circle - there was even an enormous crane which took photographs of the parade as they walked past.

The Shrines were noisy and the atmosphere was possessive - fabulous.

Fire Walking 2012 
Propitation of Seven Stars 2012 
Lantern Pole Raising 2012  

'Pae-Leng' and Lee Loh Chia who is he?

at Katu Shrine at the beginning of the Vegetarian Festival

There is always one man that I have witnessed at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival and this is him.

Ever since I can remember (10 years) this man has helped lead the people in the celebrations during this time.

When he was 19 he had a death defying incident and it wasn't for 10 years that he understood that he was blessed - read the full story in The Phuket Bulletin - September 2013. 

Lim Hu Thai Su Chinese Shrine

He then found out that he was being used by the Chinese God 

- Lee Loh Chia as a medium.

Jui Tui Chinese Shrine

Lee Loh Chia is a General who served the Jade Emperor and can be recognised by the gold hoop that he always carries and the sharp ornate spear. 

Bang Neow Chinese Shrine

Yellow flags scatter the ground that he walks on!

Sam Kong Chinese Shrine

Thank you to The Phuket Bulletin for this information - now if I can only give names to the rest of the Gods?

Bang Neow Chinese Shrine on the 1st day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 

Ideas anyone?

View Chinese Shrines in Phuket in a larger map