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This annual festival is
the most colorful and dramatic celebration by Phuket’s Chinese-Thai
majority and it takes place during the first nine days of the ninth
lunar month of the Chinese calendar, usually in late September or early
October. It has been an annual event since the first festival was held
in 1825 in the Kathu District of the island, when according to legend a
popular opera troupe on tour from China mysteriously all fell seriously
ill. The Vegetarian Festival originated as a healing event for the
ill-fated and promotes physical and spiritual recovery through ritual
practices that cleanse the body and mind while strengthening the faith,
it is observed with great reverence.
Some
insights:
the Chinese believe that great merit is
acquired by inviting the nine gods of the Vegetarian Festival to earth
paying homage to them and in return receiving their blessings and cures
and then sending them back home with a dazzling ceremony.
The object is to purify
the mind and body and demonstrate the strength of their faith. During
this period, devout Chinese Buddhists dress in white attire, and eat no
meat, eggs, milk, fish, garlic, or spices. They avoid sex, gambling,
swearing, killing animals, drinking alcohol, smoking, and wearing
jewelry. Amazing feats are performed by participants who are possessed
by spirits and or in a trance. They walk on burning coals, pierce tender
parts of their bodies with sharp or thorny instruments, climb a ladder
made of knives barefoot, and generally do such as might leave an
ordinary person dead or in critical condition. All this is done without
any apparent suffering, massive loss of blood, or other ill-effect. It
is an astonishing spectacle, but not recommended for the faint hearted,
performed not by actors but by the common citizenry. On the morning of
the last day of the Vegetarian Festival elaborate dragon and lion dances
are held, along with many mind-bending acts of self-mortification in
front of the clock tower in the center of Phuket Town. This frantic
ceremony lasts into the evening, as thousands of people clog the streets
of Phuket setting off great strings of firecrackers to bid a last and
very noisy farewell to the gods.
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Held annually on April
13, marks the traditional Thai New Year. The word Songkran comes from
the Sanskrit words for New Year and was probably inherited along with
Buddhism from India making its celebration one of the oldest traditions
in Thailand. During this auspicious celebration Thais traditionally
return home for family reunions, and visit temples, sprinkling water on
Buddha images in reverence. Meeting friends and sprinkling water on each
others' shoulders and hands is an act of wishing good luck.
The traditional gentle
sprinkling of water in temples and homes is still practiced; however,
overzealous Thais and tourists alike have resorted to throwing water at
any passersby that dare to venture out of their hotel. It is a splashy
affair for all on that day, and generally a good way to beat the heat in
what is normally the hottest month of the year in Thailand. Lately many
revelers have taken to adding talcum powder or flour to the water. The
victims of this high spirited affair get a real whitewash.
Remember this date when
you are in Phuket. Leave your cameras and anything likely to suffer
water damage behind in your hotel room, because you will get wet.
Turtle Releasing Festival
Falls on the 11th of
April, which is incorporated into part of the Songkran Festival or the
Thai New Year, the Department of Fisheries has declared it as National
Fisheries Day. Baby sea-turtles are released into the sea at various
beaches around Phuket. As the numbers of sea-turtles have been
drastically reduced over the years this government sponsored program is
hoped to both increase the number of turtles and increase public
awareness about the importance of conserving and protecting this
endangered species.
These are held twice
annually, once before the monsoon and once after it. They usually occur
in the middle of the 6th and 11th month of each year. During the 3-day
event, sea gypsies are grounded from working. Merry-making on liquor,
singing, chanting and participating in the famous ‘Rahm Rong Ngeng’
dance are all part of this auspicious celebration. It is an exorcism of
sort. An elaborate boat called a "prahu" is built of wood. Each sea
gypsy puts in personal items like fingernails and clippings of hair,
while little doll effigies of sailors holding swords, spears, and guns
man the deck. The whole boat is then ceremonially set adrift, the
purpose being to drive sorrow and suffering from the gypsies' midst. The
Chao Nam or Sea Gypsies, at Rawai and Sapam set their boats adrift on
the evening of the 13th; those at Koh Sirey on the 14th; and those at
Lam Lah (at the north end of Phuket) celebrate on the 15th.>Back
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Is scheduled for May.
This is one of the more popular international sports events held
annually on the island. It was first held in 1989, and since then the
news of the challenging scenic route covering landscapes and stunning
sea views, the prize money, and a chance to spend a splendid holiday in
Phuket, have drawn a growing number of international marathon runners
and those who follow the sport.
Added to this spectacle
is a 10Km mini-marathon that is broken into age groups from the very
young to those over sixty. The beginning and ending venue is at Saphan
Hin Park in Phuket Town.
The origins of this of
this charming evening are not clear but it is the most beautiful of Thai
celebrations. One legend has the festival beginning in the 13th century
Sukhothai period when a young princess floated a small boat laden with
candle and incense downstream past a pavilion where her husband was
entertaining friends. It has grown to be one of the country’s most
enchanting festivals.
As the full moon rises,
Thais fill tiny floral boats with candles and incense and launch them
into the rivers, canals, ponds, and the sea to wash away sins and to
bless love affairs. Join in the fun: buy a kratong from a vender, light
the taper and incense, place a small coin and a few hairs plucked from
the head, say a prayer and send it on its way on a pond or waterway. The
celebration begins about 7.30 PM. Thai women dress in beautiful
traditional Thai dresses
An annual yacht race on
December 5th in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand. First held in
1987, to celebrate the 5th 12-year cycle of the Kings birth. More than
100 racing yachts from all over the world compete in different classes,
in what has now become Asia’s premier yachting event. The competition
features a one week series of races between Nai Harn Beach and Phi Phi
Island.
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