The Vegetarian Festival is one of Phuket’s most important and most mysterious annual events. Its roots are not Thai but Chinese. Despite its name, the festival is not about food but about purification. And above all, it’s truly historic: in 2025, Phuket celebrates the 200th anniversary of this remarkable tradition.

The origins of the festival trace back to 1825, when tin mining was the island’s main industry, powered by Chinese migrant workforce. At one point, an epidemic swept through the workers’ quarters, also affecting a visiting Chinese opera troupe. In a bid to heal themselves, the performers held a grand festival to honor the Nine Emperor Gods.

At its core, the Vegetarian Festival is about cleansing the body and mind. The nine-day vegetarian diet is just one part of a much deeper spiritual practice. Participants commit to a strict code of conduct, focus on prayer, and avoid impurities of all kinds.

Central to the ceremonies are spirit mediums known as Ma Song, who invite deities into their bodies and perform intense rituals of self-mortification – images of which dominate social media every October.

In a trance-like state, Ma Song pierce their cheeks and bodies with skewers and knives, demonstrating purity to the gods and receiving divine blessings in return. As they lead the processions through Phuket’s streets, they pass this spiritual energy to onlookers, cleansing them of misfortune.

Rituals of the Vegetarian Festival

• Raising the Lantern Poles. On the first day of the ninth lunar month, lantern poles are raised at Chinese shrines to guide the gods down to earth and mark the beginning of the festival.
• Nightly Ceremonies: Each evening features collective prayers and rituals of physical endurance, such as walking on fire and climbing ladders made of blades.
• Street Processions: Large-scale parades feature devotees carrying relics and Ma Song performing in a trance state.
• The Final Farewell: The last major ritual is the symbolic crossing of a spiritual bridge at the temples, followed by a closing parade through Phuket Town to the sea at Saphan Hin, where the gods are sent off in a farewell ceremony.

If you are in Phuket during the bicentennial edition of the Vegetarian Festival (October 21-29, 2025), the street processions are should not to be missed. Key Chinese shrines include Tha Ruea Shrine near the Heroines Monument; Jui Tui Shrine, Pud Jo Shrine, and Bang Niew Shrine in Phuket Town; Kathu Shrine in Kathu; and Guan Yu Shrine in Chalong.