Vegetarian festival ประเพณีถือศีลกินผัก 吃斎节 this festival starting the first evening of the ninth lunar month, it continued until the ninth evening; the aim was to bring good luck to individuals as well as to the community. Phuket's Vegetarian festival (or เจี๊ยะฉ่าย)in local Hokkien Chinese dialect) began in 1825, when.the govenor of Thalang, Praya Jerm (พระยาเจิม), moved the island's principal town where there were tin mines and Chinese miners. •Kathu was then still covered by jungle and fever was rife(มีมาก). •It happened that a traveling opera company (called ngiu(งิ้ว) in Thai) came from China to perform for the miners •When the whole company grew sick from an unnamed disease, they kept eating vegetarian meals to honor two of the emperor gods. The sickness then disappeared. This greatly interested the people of Kathu, who asked how it was done. The answer came that ritual vegetarianism with its attendant ceremonies had been the cause, with the result that people embraced the faith enthusiastically.