Vegetarian Festival 2008 Photos in Phuket Town

So, on Monday after getting up early and seeing the piercing at Kathu Shrine, and heading out of Kathu Village with the procession (see Vegetarian Festival Photos Part 1), I headed into Phuket Town to pick up the procession again in the old town. The narrow streets mean you get very close to the Ma Song, and very close to the firecrackers! I was taking photos on Thalang Road close to my favourite little street in town, Soi Rommani.



 





Allow me to introduce my favourite guy! I had a photo of him last year looking rather ghoulish with 2 big black rods through his cheeks. This year looks like he used even bigger rods! Some aspects of the festival are not for everyone. If you don't like scary things or blood or the idea of ramming 2 large rods through your face, look away now!







This next guy is one of the entranced Ma Song who leap around the procession offering blessings to locals who have offering tables outside their houses. Some of these guys really are a bit spooky. The narrow streets meant that this guy almost bowled me over as he leapt around, thus the very close up photos!





And here's another Ma Song blessing a local Phuket town resident as the family look on and wai.



Meanwhile the procession of the gods continued in amongst the Ma Song.





There seemed to be more female piercings this year.. no stats to back it up, but there were certainly quite a few.



Last couple of extreme face assault photos for now... This year I had kind of intended to see more, but only witnessed one of the 7 street processions. Still, I think that's enough photos... next come the videos - will post in a few days - mostly some short snippets of the procession, the piercing in the early morning, Ma Song doing various things, and lots of firecrackers!





• Vegetarian festival 2008 Part 1
• 2007 Photos

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Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2008 Pictures

Well this year I wanted to see something different during the festival. I admit to being a lazy boy sometimes, but today I was awake before dawn and headed to Kathu Shrine before 6am to watch the start of the procession to Phuket Town, and hopefully see some face piercing close up. Actually, the word "piercing" does not describe what happens. Something like "skewering" or "mutilation" might be better! I am not squeamish, but... hint, if you are squeamish, I suggest heading to a different page on this blog!

It was hard to see inside the shrine, but the "Ma Song" were coming out in various stages of trance, and faces were duly threaded with knives, swords, guns, all manner of odd shaped metal pieces. You'd need 20 pairs of eyes to see all that was going on there. I was with a friend, Phil, who is director of the Helicam company in Phuket, so he's a "pro" photographer, but this was new to him too! Thanks for Phil for lending me a Canon G7 camera. Some photos were taken with the G7, some with my trusty Powershot. Some photos taken by Phil. By next year, I would like to upgrade to a bigger, better camera. These small lenses have trouble in low light. Enough tech talk.

All photos below were taken this morning in Kathu Shrine or as the procession started out of Kathu Village heading towards Phuket Town. I also have some video (the Powershot has a basic video function) - this will be added later along with some pics from Phuket Town. This is very real stuff, no excuse for lazing on the beach and missing it. Well worth planning a holiday to Phuket around it. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival rocks!

























The procession left Kathu Shrine little by little. When people were ready, off they went. Once all the Ma Song had left, the gods were carried out and on the road to Phuket Town. Next photos are in Kathu Village.









We'll finish with the gods being carried out of Kathu as the sun rises and a thousand firecrackers explode creating a fog of smoke. Walking along with the procession you get pounded by sound. I won't say it again. Sit on the beach or wake up late if you want. But this is something to experience.





More Photos : Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2008 - Part 2

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Jui Tui Shrine (Phuket Town)

Yesterday afternoon I took a walk around the streets near Jui Tui Shrine, one of the largest Chinese shrines in Phuket Town. It's just along Ranong Road road from the old market (which has now been demolished and a new building looks like it will be complete sometime soon - great! No more smelly old market!) - easy to find, and certainly worth a look if you are in Phuket Town. Ranong road near the market is busy enough at the best of times. The local buses leave from and arrive at Ranong road. From here you can get a bus to most parts of Phuket island.

During the vegetarian festival, much of the road is packed with food stalls and little restaurants selling Jae (vegetarian) food. I parked a couple of blocks away and wandered along Ranong road. Half close your eyes and ignore the mopeds squeezing through the people, and the road has a very old feel...



And if you look the other way ... a traffic jam. I mean, these people must know what's going on down here. There are plenty of other roads to drive on!



When the vege festival is over the road still has plenty of interest with all the market stalls and local buses, but it's not this crowded! A couple of food stalls...

 

Ah yes, the shrine. Jui Tui is somewhat hidden behind all the food stalls, but follow the smell of incense and you can find it! Yesterday was the day before Jui Tui's street procession, and there were many people heading to the shrine to pray. These shrines are fascinating, very colourful with amazing displays of Chinese gods, a very heady smell of incense in the air, combining to make something you just don't find back home!

 





I have tried to take a couple of short videos too... Practice for tomorrow. I want to take some video tomorrow morning for the Kathu shrine procession to Phuket Town.

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Kathu Shrine

Well Friday night was a bit disappointing! I guess I should have checked local sources (like the schedule posted on the wall of the shrine), but instead believed the festival schedule on the "official" vegetarian website that I copied on this blog.. but there was no bladed ladder climbing or oil bathing at Kathu shrine on Friday night. And there were lots of other similarly confused people there too! I met a big group of tourists who'd come over the hill from Patong. Well, hope you at least enjoyed the local atmosphere. I like Kathu village. I just posted about a walk in Kathu village, now a few more pictures of the shrine.

Compared to the big shrines in Phuket Town like Jui Tui and Bang Neow, Kathu is much quieter, yet it's an impressive building for such a small local community. You have to remember that Kathu was where the festival originated, and it seems the whole village takes part. Hardly anyone around not wearing white, young and old. Kathu village and shrine is worth a visit any evening during the festival...









And a little video of Kathu Shrine too...



Next entry... Jui Tui Shrine - I took a walk around that area yesterday evening. Oh, and the scary bloody face piercing photos will come later. I will drag myself out early tomorrow morning for the Kathu Shrine procession.

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The Vegetarian Festival: An evening walk in Kathu village

Kathu village is one of those quiet backwaters of Phuket that barely seems touched by tourism and development. Yes, there are some new houses and appartments around, yes you can see Mercedes and new pick up trucks outside some of the houses, but this is old Phuket. The Kathu area was the center of the tin mining industry which started in the 18th century. Many of the miners were Chinese, and they settled in this part of Phuket. And it was in Kathu that the vegetarian festival started many many years ago.

At this time of year, walking in the village in the area around the Chinese shrine, you can get a real time warp feeling. The firecrackers, the white clothes, the old shophouses, the shrine... I do recommend a visit. I took a walk around this evening with my wife to buy some vegetarian food and take some photos too! Tomorrow will be interesting as there will be "bladed ladder climbing" and bathing in hot oil at the shrine. See you there! Tonight I did not see any other foreigners. Hard to believe in Phuket, but as I said Kathu is a little off the beaten track, and yet the village and shrine are only about 5 miles from Patong Beach!






(above) local shops in Kathu village


Fireworks over Kathu shrine



The shrine was busy with devotees. We made a donation, kids were throwing mini fireworks left right and center, people were heading into the shrine to pray.. everyone wearing white. See you again tomorrow!

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