#  >  > Thailand Festivals, Beaches, Scuba Diving and Temples, Tell us Your Tales >  >  > Thailands Festivals and Celebrations >  >  Vegetarian Festival 2013 kicks off nationwide

## Mid

*Vegetarian Festival 2013 kicks off nationwide                        * 

 

*BANGKOK*, 5 October 2013 (NNT) -  Many people in Thailand, especially Thais of Chinese origin, are joining  the celebration of the Vegetarian Festival which is being held until  October 13. 

In observing the Vegetarian Festival, they consume meat-free meals and  refrain from taking some vegetables with a strong smell. They also dress  in white and pay homage to gods in Chinese shrines. In addition, during  this period, they will try to purify their minds, conduct good deeds,  and make merit. 

Vegetarian food plays a major role in this festival. It contains no meat  or animal-related products, such as milk, egg, and honey. The symbol  for the Vegetarian Festival is a small yellow flag placed at vegetarian  food stalls. Several restaurants also include vegetarian dishes on their  menu for this festival. 

It is expected that more than 40 billion baht will be in circulation  during the festival this year. The amount represents an increase of 6.3  percent over that of last year, according to the poll conducted by  University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. 

The festival is celebrated in many provinces in Thailand. In Bangkok,  the Chinatown, or Yaowarat, celebrates this occasion on a grand scale,  with numerous kinds of vegetarian food offered to visitors. The Phuket  Vegetarian Festival is well-known for its spectacular procession. 

Phuket Vegetarian Festival has become world renowned for its food and  its curious religious rites. All that seems well and good, but what has  drawn the greatest publicity is the unique manner in which some attempt  to purify themselves during a procession of asceticism. On the 6th day  of the vegetarian festival, after fasting for several days, devotees  known as soldiers of god commit feats of self mutilation and tests of  intense pain, including piercing themselves with needles and knives and  walking across hot coals.

thainews.prd.go.th

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## Kurgen

> Many people in Thailand, especially Thais of Chinese origin,


AKA the ones who have taken over LOS and run the country, just don't tell the Thai's

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## withnallstoke

Today, i will mostly be eating a carrot.

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## kmart

As soon as it ends, the "exotic" restaurants and shark's fin vendors will be mowed out with business.

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