Second Vegetarian Festival – Phuket – its rare!

If you are chartering a yacht in Phuket, and include the period October 24th to November 1st, then you will be lucky enough to witness a second Vegetarian Festival which will occur at Kathu and Cherng Talay Shrines.

This is an extremely rare event as only happens once every 100 years, when there are two ninth lunar months, which according to local legend means the visits from the Gods are doubled!

Kathu Shrine is known as the original home of the festival, and will host the second Vegetarian Festival. Originally the shrine was not very grand and rather small, but it has been expanded and renovated over the years, and is now considered as one of the most holy shrines in Phuket and a stunning example of traditional Chinese architecture. The Shrine also hosts amazing historical items including wooden craftings of Taoist gods, as well as many of the implements used for the traditional body piercing that can be witnessed during the festival.

Cherng Talay Shrine is a fairly quiet Shrine and only really becomes busy during festivals such as the Vegetarian Festival and Chinese New Year. It came about over a hundred years ago when a local, Mr Ju Pai Tuk returned from a visit to China with 3 wooden image of Taoist gods and set the original Shrine up. Since then there are many deities to admire at the Shrine, including the traditional Chinese figures of dragons, as well as a statue of Nacha who always carries weapons of a golden ring and lance, and according to Chinese mythology is the doorkeeper to heaven.