1. Loy Krathong - Which falls on the full moon of the 12th
Thai lunar month every year.
On
Loy Krathong, many Thais, will do merit making in the morning and in the evenings, will
converge on to streams, canals, rivers, lakes, ponds or even the sea with beautifully decorated
Krathong or "floating vessel" together with candles and joss sticks and set it
adrift. This can be a very colorful sight, as the many beautifully decorated Krathongs with the
candles lighted and the joss sticks burning floats silently on this full moon night. time tracking software
The
12th Thai lunar month, is also when the rainy season is just over, with the streams, rivers,
lakes and ponds full of water. Traditionally, the gesture of setting the krathongs adrift or
Loy Krathong in Thai, is actually an offering to ask for forgiveness to the water spirit
"Phra Mae Khong Ka" for the use of water in our every day life and some also believed
that it will float away their bad misfortune. Thus, with all the different believes, some even
placed a few Baht coins on their krathongs, as a way to compensate for the usage of
water apple laptop models
2. Vegetarian festival - Which falls on the 9th
Chinese lunar month.
The
Phuket vegetarian festival first started around 1825 when a visiting Chinese entertainment
troupe succumbed to malaria, which was epidemic on the island. By strict adherence to a
vegetarian diet and purity through deeds and thoughts, the worst ravages of the plague were
beaten. This custom was adopted by the local populace and has been followed by Phuket's Chinese
community and even Thais on every 9th Chinese lunar month since. Yet, maybe this is a myth, but
it is also the foundation for believes and sacrificial acts. Клиника урология Каширская.
For nine days, urban Chinese-Thai, particularly in Phuket,
Trang, Krabi, Takua Pa, Satun, and Ranong, cleanse themselves spiritually and physically by
abstaining from meat, alcohol, sexual encounters, lying, uncharitable thoughts and aggression.
As an outward sign, devotees of Kiu Ong Yeh wear white clothes.
The Taoist festival takes place at all major Chinese temples
in Phuket. This annual absolution also appeals to Thais who are not necessarily of Chinese
origin or Taoist.
During the Vegetarian festival today much public focus -
perhaps too much - is on the "spiritual devotees" or "Ma Soung" . These are
young men or women who will undergo rites of purification at a Chinese temple inviting benign
gods to possess their soul, days before the festival. Once in a trance they pierce their flesh,
usually their faces, with knives, metal rods or sharp instruments and begin their street
procession of the "spiritual devotees" accompanying Kiu Ong Yeh, the spirit of the
Nine Emperor Gods who is carried aloft in a palanquin carriage.
Visitors
are confronted with such a spectacle of fire crackers and cymbals, and the heroic sight of
brave "spiritual devotees" defying pain. The rites continue at Chinese temples with
"spiritual devotees" climbing ladders of blades, walking on hot charcoals, and
rubbing boiling oil on their bodies. The "spiritual devotees" allegedly do not feel
pain.
On the ninth night, lanterns representing Kiu Ong Yeh are
lowered from temples, and his urn poured into the sea. "Spiritual devotees" and
devotees alike return to their normal life for another year.
There are controversies over the authenticity of the
"spiritual devotees" etiquette. Are they possessed souls or just showmen? For the
majority of the "spiritual devotees", however, the vegetarian festival is one of
simple dignity, sacrifice, and spiritual cleansing. For the spectators, it is a colorful sight
and activity, and the innovative food stalls that make it an extra ordinary Phuket experience.
3. Songkran Festival - Which falls on April 13th every
year.
Songkran festival, or water festival, is also regarded as a
traditional Thai New Year, characterized by good natured splashing of water over another and
celebrated throughout the country from April 13th - 15th. The word Songkran is from Sanskrit
and it relates to the "passing of" or the "beginning".
April, normally being the hottest month of the year, The
origin of the custom of splashing water, over one another is not known for sure and there are
speculations that this festival originated from India and is celebrated throughout Indo China.
