The vegetarian festival is an annual event, held in the ninth lunar month, according to the Chinese calendar. It starts on the first day of the waxing moon and lasts for 9 days. The festival usually falls in the month of October. The dates are different each year as they are set by the phases of the moon.
This year, the festival will last from 27 Sep - 5 Oct 2011.
Don’t miss out on the huge variety of delicious Chinese vegetarian foods if you’ll be in Thailand during the vegetarian festival! An exceptional treat for vegans, since the food imitates all the delicious non-veg. dishes using strictly nothing but vegetarian stuff! The taste, feel and appearance imitates meat so well that one could also call it ‘vegetarian meat’! So, do not miss on this once a year opportunity of relishing the most delicious vegetarian meat !
‘Vegans’ – relish it risk free since it’s bound to be 100% vegetarian in order not to violate the festivals’ religious ties and beliefs. So, need not worry about any non-veg. contamination. Wherever you see the ‘yellow triangular flags’ saying ‘che’ during the festival, it is 100% vegetarian – just go for it and enjoy it carefree!
However, do keep an eye on your weight since there are lots of yummy deep-fried foods
As we all know it’s easy to get out of shape, but needs immense effort to shed those extra pounds – whew !In Thailand this festival is called ‘Thesakan Kin Che’(เทศกาลกินเจ spelled in Thai), the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Chinese. A colourful event held over a nine day period in late September/early October, this celebrates the Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. Most of the attention is on the events happening in Phuket, but really you will find that Chinese communities all around Thailand will be celebrating the Vegetarian Festival at this time. The main venue in Samut Prakan city is at Rongjae Thongsiang near Taiban Circle.
Though the origins of the festival are unclear, it is thought that perhaps the festival was bought to Phuket by a wandering Chinese opera group who fell ill with malaria while performing on the island.
They decided to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and pray to the Nine Emperor Gods who would ensure purification of the mind and body. On recovery, the people celebrated by holding a festival that was meant to honour the gods as well as express the people’s happiness at surviving what was, in the nineteenth century, a fatal illness.
This is the reason it is more prominently celebrated in Phuket, and is also known as ‘The Phuket Vegetarian Festival’.
Main purposes of the Vegetarian Festival
To cut down on the number of animal lives that otherwise would be killed for food.
To plant the seeds of kindness in one’s heart in order to cleanse the mind.
And, to have good health and longevity.
Main Food Sources Of Chinese Vegetarian Food
Chinese vegetarians get their proteins and nutrients from soy beans, tofu, soy products, imitation meats, other beans and vegetables.
The main source of calcium is roasted black sesame seeds.
Fish sauce that is a popular seasoning in Thai dishes is replaced with soy sauce and mushroom sauce.
‘Che’ Practitioners
Most people associate che food with not eating any meat, but the true meaning of che is observing the 8 precepts. One of which is not eating after midday.
When the Chinese character (in the word che) is studied in detail, we learn that every brush stroke carries a deeper meaning and outline how we should live our lives.
Not only do true che practitioners eat Chinese vegetarian food, they also give attention to what they say, do and think. One could say that che is a combination of vegetarianism and mindfulness practice.
Self-Mutilation Practices during the Festival
The vegetarian festival is the most colorful event in Phuket and Trang, where a number of participants called mah song do self-mutilation practices; such as sticking swords through their cheeks and walking bare feet on hot charcoal.
Each ‘mah’ song invites a God to possess his body. Then, he performs the self-mutilation without feeling any pain.
The spectators pay homage to the gods, that possess the bodies of the mah song, by lighting firecrackers when the mah song walk past.
Strict devotees wear white and spend the whole period eating jay food and practicing in the temple.
Definition of Chinese Vegetarian(che) Food
Chinese vegetarian food or ‘che’ is any food without meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and animal products.
Furthermore, ‘che’ food excludes 4 kinds of pungent vegetables; including garlic, onion, Chinese single-bulbed garlic and Chinese chive.
During the festival the participants also refrain from smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol.
The strong qualities of these vegetables are believed to stimulate sexual desire, which makes it more difficult to be mindful. In addition, these vegetables destroy the 5 elements in the body, which in turn has negative effects on five main inner organs – heart, kidneys, spleen, liver and lungs.
There are two groups of Thai vegetarians in Thailand -
The first group is strictly vegan, and does not accept dairy products and eggs – which is comparable to being a vegan in the West. This kind of strictly veg. food is called ‘che’ in Thai.
The second group eats dairy products and egg. The latter group is comparable to being a lacto-ovo vegetarian. This category of veg. food is called ‘mungsawirat’ in Thai.
So, beware of what you say depending on the category you fall into.
The Festival Origin
The vegetarian festival was brought to Phuket and Trang, in the south of Thailand, by Chinese boatmen in the 19th century.
Taoists worship nine Gods. These Gods are believed to take the form of planets and have direct influence on the 5 elements (earth, water, wind, fire and gold), that make up the physical body.
In the beginning, only the Chinese-Thai partook in the vegetarian festivals, but over time it’s grown into a nationwide practice.
There are many devoted Chinese-Thai who eat ‘che’ food all year round. These Buddhists practice at the temple regularly.
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