Shrines getting ready for the forthcoming vegetarian festival in Phuket

Chinese shrines are getting ready for the festival with the aid of city employees and volunteers. The Ma Song during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is well-known. With swords, knives, and spikes, these spiritual adherents will self-mutilate by slicing their cheeks and tongues. Masks must also be worn at all times by participants. Administrators of the shrines will be in charge of implementing the regulations, according to Chantana Sittiphan of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Ministry of Culture. The Ma Song are accompanied by aides who wipe up their blood and pat them down with towels to prevent them from catching fire from the numerous fireworks being launched. Up until October 4, they will take place each day of the festival.


In order to ensure that all shrine managers were aware of the guidelines that shrines must adhere to during the festival, Phuket’s Vice Governor Pichet convened a news conference.


Teams worked to clean the forecourts of the festival’s principal shrines, including the Pud Jor and Jui Tui shrines in the center of the city. At the festival, authorities intend to put Covid-19 regulations into effect. ATK tests must be taken every three days throughout the festival by everyone taking part in the ritual activities at the shrines, as well as receiving at least two Covid vaccination shots. After that, they will march for hours with the hope of achieving a holy and spiritual condition via their suffering. On September 27, at the Koor Su Gong Naka Shrine in Wichita, the street processions for the festival will get under way. The “fire walking” purification ceremonies from September 30 to October 4 and the “bridge crossing” ceremonies from October 3–4 are additional events that are prominently featured on the festival’s schedule. The annual vegetarian festival in Phuket will take place from September 26 to October 4 this year.