The Phuket Vegetarian Festival scheduled for 18-26 October this year. Activities include fire walking, the offering of food to the gods and street processions of self-mutilating entranced devotees will also be taking place at different shrines around Phuket. Despite how grizzly it sounds, the festival is expected to attract over half a million spectators this year.

Some of the attendees perform self torture in order to shift ?evil? from individuals to themselves and bring the community good luck.

Yuthit Limnakul of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said, ?The festival is for everyone and everyone can come and join in and have fun.?

The festival?s true origins although unclear, were almost certainly brought over to Phuket by the thousands of Chinese tin mine workers who settled in Phuket over 150 years ago. It is thought that a Chinese Opera group became sick with haemorrhagic fever, so decided to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and pray to the nine emperor gods for nine days in a bid to ride themselves of the disease.

Once they recovered, they held a festival to give thanks to the gods and so it has remained ever since. Starting the first evening of the ninth lunar, it continues until the ninth evening.

Prasert Fakthongphol, President of Phuket Chinese Shrine club said, ?The festival aims to clean people?s health and minds.?

Preparations are already well under way, including the arrangements for the locations of the prayer ceremonies, the food, traffic and security measures, fire crackers, and last but not least spare blood.

Attendees are recommended not to eat pungent vegetables like onions, garlic and celery, etc.

Other rules for the Vegetarian Festival include no meat eating, no sex and no alcoholic drinks. Pregnant ladies are also strongly advised to not attend the festival.

The schedule for the Vegesterain Festival street processions is as follows:
Tue 20 Oct - Sapam Shrine
Wed 21 Oct - Samkong Shrine
Thu 22 Oct - Ban Tha Rve Shrine
Fri 23 Oct - Bang Neow Shrine, Cherng Thalay Shrine
Sat 24 Oct - Jui Tui Temple
Sun 25 Oct - Kathu Shrine, Yokkekeng Shrine
Mon 26 Oct - Sui Boon Tong Shrine

For more information, visit: www.phuketvegetarian.com or www.tourismthailand.org