Vegetarian Festival in Thai Muang

The Vegetarian Festival is starting today here in Thai Mueang; it is an annual event which is held in the ninth month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is held to honor one of the emperor gods “Kiew Ong Tai Tae”.
Mainly Thai-Chinese people attend this festival and it is believed that people attending the festival and the sacred rituals will have good fortune coming their way.

The sacred rituals are held at the Chinese shrine in the center of Thai Mueang. The “Ma Song” are the people performing these rituals, nine out of ten are men. The rituals include walking on hot coal, long spears pierced through the cheeks, and smaller spears pierced through other parts of the body. Twice during the festival there will be parades through town with the “Ma Song’s” carrying huge chairs with a sculpture of a god on it. They walk through town and stop in front of shops and houses where a table with various fruit and tea is displayed. The house and the people are blessed by one of the “Ma Song’s” hoping that nothing bad will come to the house or the people. A huge band of fire crackers is then lit and dragged under the chair and among the carriers chasing away evil spirits. This is an impressive sight and I am surprised every year that no one is harmed.

Rules for people attending the festival:

• · Keep your body clean at all times during the festival
• · Wear white during the festival
• · Show good behavior both physically and mentally
• · No killing of animals
• · One cannot eat meat or vegetables with an odor
• · No sex
• · No alcohol
• · Grieving people should not attend the festival
• · Pregnant women should not watch any rituals
• · Women having their period should not attend any rituals

Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. It is said that the louder they are the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits. The festival ends with merit making ceremonies at the shrine and the send-off of the gods on the last night.

So for me here at Thai Mueang Volunteers it is ten days without meat and vegetables with an odor, like garlic, one must not grave food during the festival so most of the food is quite tasteless.
Last year I lost about four kilograms during the festival even though I ate five times a day.
This year I will eat six times a day.

Of new volunteers, we have David from Scotland who should be on his way in mid-October, and Eileen who is American but lives in Germany is coming in mid-November. We are very much looking forward to seeing both of you here in Thai Mueang.

Smiles

Anders