New Thailand videos every Wednesday. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/darrenb3. *** Warning: Contains extreme piercings *** The festival is held in Phuket, Krabi and many other parts of Southern Thailand. This footage is from the 2012 Vegetarian Festival (also called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival) in Krabi Town. Every year there is a parade through Krabi Town (about 18 km from Ao Nang) during the week of the Vegetarian Festival, and this video was filmed then. The parade leaves City Hall in Krabi Town at around 1PM and meanders through the streets, finishing outside Vogue Department Store. This video was filmed from outside Good Dream Guest House.Many types of objects are used in these piercings, I saw people pierced with beach umbrellas, garden tools, flowers, palm leaves, swords and many other things. Seeing this live gives a fascinating insight into Thai culture and traditions, and you'll certainly remember this part of your Thai holidays. I think it's one of the bloody best things to do in Krabi Thailand.The Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Festival of Ngan Kin Jeh, begins every year, in October, on the first day of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The event is celebrated by the Chinese-Thai community in many parts of Southern Thailand including Krabi, Songkhla, Trang and Phuket. Despite it's name, food does not provide the central focus for the festival, but the white clothed devotees attending do adhere to a strict vegetarian diet for the 9 days of the event. This practice cleanses the spirit and makes merit. Some participants engage in a number of extraordinary activities such as fire-walking over glowing coals, climbing ladders with rungs made of sharpened blades, piercing different parts of their bodies with various objects, and slicing their tongues with knives and swords. Those participating in the piercings and other activities (mah songs) prepare for the festival by abstaining from meat, alcohol and sex for the previous six days. The mah song say that they feel no pain during their actions, as they are possessed by the spirits of the Nine Emperor Gods, who protect them from any harm or scarring. The mah song are carefully chosen and their role is to bring good luck to, and scare evil spirits away from the community by their fearless acts. The origin of the Vegetarian Festival goes back a century and a half to a time when Phuket was populated by many Chinese people working in the tin mine. To cater to the entertainment needs of the huge Chinese population, Chinese opera performers were hired. During the ninth Chinese lunar month there was an outbreak of an epidemic in Phuket that claimed several lives, and the performers also fell seriously ill. It was eventually reasoned that this outbreak was occurred because the Chinese community had forgotten to pay homage to the Nine Emperor Gods (Kiu Ong Iah) in the first nine days of the month. One of the performers was asked to go back to China and invite the Kiu Ong Iah to Phuket. After completing the appropriate rituals those afflicted with the disease made a complete recovery.The following year, to make sure that there was no repeat of the epidemic of the previous year, and to keep the Gods happy, the Chinese refrained from having meat, alcohol and sex. The epidemic passed and every year since then people in Phuket and other parts of Southern Thailand have continued to celebrate this festival.Subscribe to my channel if you want more videos on what to do in Ao Nang and Krabi, and Thailand in general. New Thailand videos posted regularly about Ao Nang and Krabi hotels, resorts, villas and restaurants, places to see, things to do, Thai food, Thailand markets, Thai festivals & culture, holidays, Thailand tourism and travel.If you're looking into Thailand Hotels have a look at hotels and resorts in Krabi. The islands and beaches of Krabi are famous for Thailand holidays, the movie The Beach was filmed on a Krabi's Koh Phi Phi Island. Krabi is about 2-3 hours from Phuket by land or sea, and has world class accommodation standards comparable to what you find in Phuket hotels and resorts, but in a more relaxed environment.
