The full name of the festival is "Observe the Ten Commandments and Abstain from Meat".
The Vegetarian Festival is a colourful event held over a nine-day period in October, celebrating 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.
In Thailand, the most talked-about vegetarian festival is in Southern Province of Phuket where the auspicious ceremony is held in a grand celebration. During the 9-day period convert to vegetarians and observe the rules in order to purify their minds and bodies. Rules of the festival include
Don’t eat meat
Don’t eat vegetables that have a strong flavour, such as parsley,garlic
Wear white dress during the period and give donations
Besides a strict vegetarian diet and temple offering, some highlights of the 9 – day event include incredible acts of self – mortification such as climbing knife – blade ladders, walking on hot coals, a ritual of bridge – crossing and a street – procession in which the mediums in a state of trance have their cheeks pierced and bodies spiked with various types of sharp objects.
The entire atmosphere is full of religious frenzy – splitting sound of firecrackers and lion dances. In the evening of the last day event, the main road of Phuket Town is turned into a path of din and smoke of Firecrackers