Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Vegetarian Festival Phuket

Came across this website for a Vegetarian Festival in Phuket. From the website:

"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"."

It is interesting that so many cultures seem to have periods when eating meat is given up for religious reasons.

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