Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite.

During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".

10 RULES FOR THE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL

• Clean your body during the festival
• Clean kitchen utensils and to use them seperately from others not used during the festival
• Wear white during the festival period
• Behave physically and mentally
• No eating meat
• No sex
• No alcoholic drinks
• People in mourning should not attend the festival
• Pregnant women should not watch any ritual
• Women having their period should not attend any rituals