The Phuket Vegetarian Festival in Thailand is a colourful event held in October. The festival begins on the first evening of the 9th lunar month and lasts for nine days.
This festival celebrating the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind.
The festival is famous for its extreme celebrations. Many religious devotees slashing themselves with swords, piercing their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community.
