The Phuket Vegetarian Festival (เทศกาลกินเจ ๕ วัน Tesagarn Gin Jae 9 Wan) is the island’s largest religious celebration. For nine days of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the San Jao Chui Tui at Ranong Road becomes the centre of a myriad of religious activities. There are various prayer offerings, a parade of mediums and astrologers, loud firecrackers and generally, a wonderful celebration of colours.

But few farang tourists are aware that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival or the Kiu Ong Tai Yeah is the highlight of every Chinese community in Southeast Asia. It does not matter whether you are in Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Semarang; for every nine days of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the Chinese community gathers to pay homage to the Nine Sons of Queen of Heaven (Chao Meh Thien Hou).

The real thing
Today is a special day; the last day of the Vegetarian Festival, a celebraton lasting nine days. To the majority of people, the name is synonymous with the gruesome acts of self-mutilation going down there in Phuket. It became a regular tourist attraction; Richard already wrote a blog about that, complete with pictures.

What few people know is that the Phuket show is just the tip of the iceberg that we call the Vegetarian Festival here in Thailand. I would like to tell you the real story behind the surface.

If you are in Thailand during the festival, you may notice small signs cropping up at eating places all over the country. The signs say "เจ", which means vegetarian. In the simplest terms, the occasion is marked by eating vegetarian food for nine days..

My name is Mat, I'm 22, I come from Paris, France where I'm studying sociology and history. Here is my first blog. At the beginning I thought it was a strange idea to tell to unknown people my life. Here starts for me a new life, and with the new life maybe come the new ideas...so I start the blog that will aim to explain how this country changed my life.

Follow me on my path, between joys and deceptions, hapiness and questions, between awkwardness and pure kindness. Here is my way, may you follow it or enjoy it.