Phuket Vegetarian Festival – A Feast for The Body and The Spirit

Each year in late September or early October, citizens of Phuket celebrate their famed Vegetarian Festival for nine days with awe-inducing rituals such as walking on burning coals, climbing ladders with knife-edged rungs, etc. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is essentially Chinese in character and takes place during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During this period, they follow a strictly vegan but delicious diet since the festival is about purifying one’s body and soul. Many a Phuket restaurant like the dining venues at COMO Point Yamu, Phuket offer delicious gourmet meals during this period and throughout the year as well. Throughout the nine day period, devotees take to the streets in extravagant processions featuring various acts of self-mortification. The community believes that abstaining from animal produce and other stimulants during the festive days will help them lead healthier and more peaceful lives.