Vegetarian Festival Phuket Thailand

The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket – Thailand  helps prevent illness and death according to popular legend. In 1825 a traveling Chinese opera company, ngiu in Thai orpua-hee in Hokkien dialect, came to perform in Naithu Village, Kathu.

Unfortunately, after a time many of the performers became terribly sick, and they decided that the cure was to eat only vegetables as they had done in China, in an act of contrition or expurgation for the sins incurred by the killing and consumption of animals.

Miraculously the ill members of the group were healed, and so the Chinese immigrants arranged for a Festival to be held again the next year, and every year since.

Thus, many believe holding the Festival helps prevent illness, death and the loss of innocent lives in the community by promoting physical and spiritual recovery through ritual practices that cleanse the body and mind while strengthening the faith.

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A.A. Mangkling’s Ngaben, Bali

Attending A.A. Mangkling’s Ngaben in Bali was an honour.

The Hindu-Balinese believe the body is impure, a temporary shell, having no significance at all, except as a container of the soul and its anchor to the earth.

All thoughts at the time of death are concentrated upon the spirit and its passage to heaven.

The body is just there to be disposed of, and instead of grieving the Balinese prefer to throw a great celebration. And in the process hastening their dead friends soul to oneness with god.

Community working together for Mr A.A.Mangkling's ngaben in Bali
Community members working together to make the bamboo stretcher.

The village community members banjar work together to make the bamboo stretcher for the first ritual, nyiramin layon the bathing of the corpse.

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