Thailand’s quirkiest celebration – the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, is taking place this year 28 September to 7 October and is set to be as crazy as ever.
Also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, Thai locals of Chinese heritage believe that abstinence from meat and performing sacred rituals for nine days during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar helps bestow good health and peace of mind for the community.
The parade is so much more than vegetarian food and music, however, with participants wearing elaborate costumes and piercing their faces with obscure objects. Everything from large spears to hooks and even spades and bicycle handles – the weirder, the better.
Each piercing represents a sacrifice, with the hope of earning future protection from harm for the community. Devotees enter a trance and ask the gods to enter their bodies, as it is believed that they feel no pain during the piercings and few have residual scarring. Other sacrificial rituals which take place include walking across burning coals barefoot and crossing a ladder made of sharp iron blades. There is no denying this celebration isn’t for the faint hearted.
New Offerings at Amari
In time with the festival, Amari has introduced a range of delicious plant-based dishes which will be available at seven properties across the country including Amari Koh Samui, Amari Phuket, Amari Hua Hin, Amari Pattaya, Amari Watergate Bangkok, Amari Don Muang Airport Bangkok and Amari Buriram United.
Plant-based diets are gaining popularity around the world, not only have they been linked to numerous health benefits, adopting a greener diet is also reported to help reduce environmental damage caused by traditional food production. To raise awareness and inspire travellers to explore the benefits of plant-based diets, Amari is partnering with Green Monday, a social enterprise that promotes green, healthy and sustainable living, to offer mouth-watering plant-based menus.
Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian or just looking to try something new and delicious, Amari has made it much easier for travellers to explore and be inspired by delectable plant-based dishes while exploring the favourite holiday spots of Thailand.
For more restaurant and hotel information, please visit www.amari.com and choose your destination.