Complete Guide to the Nine Gods Festival
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2025 runs from 21-29 October during the ninth lunar month, marking one of Thailand’s most spectacular cultural celebrations. This nine-day Taoist festival transforms Phuket into a spiritual sanctuary where thousands of devotees in white clothing honour the Nine Emperor Gods through dramatic processions, firewalking ceremonies, and extreme body piercing rituals in every Chinese shrine around the island. Streets fill with vegetarian food stalls serving creative meat-free dishes, whilst firecrackers explode and incense burns throughout Phuket Town’s Chinese shrines.
Weeks before the Vegetarian Festival events, yellow Chinese flags bloom on every roadside and intersection, especially near Chinese temples. Stages, decorations and parade accessories gather near shrines, and hundreds of food stands are erected nearby. The whole event is usually heavily sponsored.
For several days, on both sides of Phuket Town streets leading to shrines, food stands display tons of vegetarian dishes in all imaginable shapes and sizes (but often have a very similar taste). Once, we even saw a full collection of fake sushi, all made of rice and tofu! See the end of the page to read about a few popular dishes. The irony is that real vegetables are hard to find: you mostly will find noodles, deep-fried stuff, and tofu shaped like meat, but no vegetables.
Note that most non-vegetarian restaurants in Phuket Town will close for a week, but the restaurants in all beach resorts will operate normally, so don’t worry too much.
It is to be seen once in your life, but it attracts a crowd of photographers who want their share of weird photos to take back home with them, such as eerie views. So, from early morning, worshipers enter a trance at their favourite shrine and pierce their cheeks with the most extreme object possible: from a gas nozzle to a scale warship model or a car shock absorber.
Anything goes; the weirder, the better. The procession will then start, leading the devotees from one shrine to another. Along the way, local Thais of Chinese descent prepare food offerings on small tables and receive blessings.
The History of Thailand’s First Vegetarian festival
Kathu district is an old phuket town that dates back to the height of the tin mining industry. At that time, this region was full of disease and jungle. Chinese people in Kathu have an answer to lift these misfortunes by calling upon each of the holy divine spirits they worship to give them their blessings and keep worshippers out of mischief and danger. Once, a Chinese opera group came to give their performance in the Kathu district.
After the play had been continued for almost a year, all members of an opera group got ill, and they realised that they had not yet devoted themselves to an annual Chinese vegetarian tradition they had used to do every year back when they stayed in China. Thus, opera group members decided to draft a version of their vegetarian ceremony at their theatre because there was no expert or skilled staff to do the proper ceremony. The result was a miraculous disappearance of their illness, which indeed surprised Kathu townsfolk, so the believers adopted the tradition and have celebrated the vegetarian festival every year since.
After that, in 1855 A.D. (2398 B.E.), the proper form of Chinese vegetarian tradition was done by bringing “Hiew hoei” (a smoke from incense sticks), scriptures, religious texts, and “Lien tui” (name badge) from China’s Kang Sai province by keeping incense sticks lit all along the way on their journey. The (supposed to be) holy items and relics came ashore at Bang Neaw pier, and the proper vegetarian tradition of Kathu folks began after that and has been carried on to this day. The traditional vegetarian festival, also known as “Gin pak” (means “veggy feast”) or “Chea chai” (by Chinese pronunciation) by phuket people, is celebrated during the new moon to the 9th day of the moon on ninthmonth (according to the Chinese lunar calendar in 2008, this shall be 29 September to 7 October) every year.
The Events
When the main festival starts, a crowd of worshipers, all dressed in white or yellow, gather at Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town for the first event marking the ceremony’s opening: a giant bamboo pole rising to invite divinities to come down to earth. The devotees wear bright and very ornamented outfits, and then you are set for a full week of firecrackers, parades, piercings, and vegetarian food.
Each day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, processions start from one of the leading shrines around Phuket island. Thousands of people will pay respect to their ancestors. During this week, everyone follows ten principles: mostly wear white, do not eat meat, do not drink alcohol, do not have sexual activities, etc.
Jui Tui Program for Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2025
- Thu 16 Oct: 07:00 – Invitation for everyone to join in cleaning the shrine and preparing vegetarian dishes, 20:00 – “Fang Guan” ceremony: releasing vegetarian food offerings into the water.
- Mon 20 Oct: 17:00 – Erect the “Gao Deng Zhu” lantern pole (symbolic start of the vegetarian festival) 23:00 – Welcome ceremony for the Jade Emperor (“Tsai Ying Yu Huang Shang Di”) and for the Nine Emperor Gods (“Tsai Ying Jiu Huang Da Di”)
- Tue 21 Oct: 18:00 – “Qing Shu” ritual: reading aloud the names of those participating in the vegetarian festival.
- Wed 22 Oct: 09:00 – “Bai Lao Cai You” ceremony: offering rites to honour the spirits of those who previously sacrificed to assist the shrine.
- Thu 23 Oct: 15:00 – “Ji Kun” ritual: distributing vegetarian food offerings; “Cha Det Kiem” ritual: planting bamboo swords as part of the vegetarian vows, 20:45 – “Qing Nan Dou Xing Jun, Bei Dou Xing Jun” ceremony: invoking the Southern and Northern Dipper deities (performed on the rocks by the sea)
- Fri 24 Oct: 09:00 – “Bai Lao Cai You” ceremony: offering rites to honour the spirits of those who previously sacrificed to assist the shrine.
- Sat 25 Oct: no ceremonies.
- Sun 26 Oct: 09:00 – “Bai Lao Cai You” ceremony: offering rites to honour the spirits of those who previously sacrificed to assist the shrine, 15:00 – “Ji Kun” ritual: distributing vegetarian food offerings, 18:00 – “Qing Shu” ritual: reading aloud the names of those participating in the vegetarian festival, 20:00 – “Lian Huo” fire-offering ceremony
- Mon 27 Oct: 08:00 – “You Jing Qian Wang Hai Kou Dao Xiang” incense procession to the seashore (to offer to the sea deity) 21:00 – “Bai Qi Xing” ceremony: paying homage to the Seven Stars
- Tue 28 Oct: 09:00 – “Bai Lao Cai You” ceremony: offering rites to honour the spirits of those who previously sacrificed to assist the shrine 20:00 – “Dun Yin” ritual: protection ceremony to expel misfortune
- Wed 29 Oct: 15:00 – “Ji Kun” ritual: distributing vegetarian food offerings 18:00 – “Qing Shu” ritual: reading aloud the names of those participating in the vegetarian festival 23:00 – “Cai Ying Sheng Jia Fan Tai Zuo Yu Fu” ceremony: sending the deities back to the Jade Emperor’s palace (performed at the shrine) 23:45 – “Cai Ying Sheng Jia Hui Gong” ceremony: sending the deities back to the shrine by sea/rocks (farewell at the waterfront)
- Thu 30 Oct: 17:00 – Lowering the “Gao Deng Zhu” lantern pole; “Ji Kun” ritual distributing vegetarian offerings; “Fang Guan” ceremony calling back the offerings.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2025 – Ritual Schedule
| Shrine | Fire Walking Ritual | The Ceremonial Bridge – Crossing Ritual | Street Procession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathu Shrine | 29 October – 15:00 | 29 October – 19:00 | 28 October – 06:45 |
| Jui Tui Shrine | 26 October – 20:00 | 28 October – 20:00 | 27 October – 08:00 |
| Bang Liao Shrine | 28 October – 20:00 | 29 October – 16:00 | 26 October – 06:00 |
| Lim Hu Tai Su Shrine | 28 October – 20:15 | 29 October – 17:45 | 24 October – 06:45 |
| Sui Bong Tong Shrine | 28 October – 21:00 | 29 October – 20:30 | 29 October – 07:00 |
| Tha Rua Shrine | 26 October – 20:00 | 29 October – 20:00 | 25 October – 06:09 |
| Sapam Shrine | 26 October – 20:45 | 29 October – 19:00 | 23 October – 07:00 |
| Guan Yu Shrine | 26 October – 20:30 | 29 October – 20:30 | 24 October – 07:00 |
| Cherng Talay Guan Imma Shrine | 28 October – 20:30 | 29 October – 20:00 | 22 October – 07:30 |
| Jong Nghi Tong Shrine | 26 October – 08:00 | 29 October – 08:00 | 26 October – 08:00 |
| Jeng Ong Shrine | 26 October – 08:00 | 29 October – 06:30 | 25 October – 06:30 |
| Lee Ong Tong Tha Chaitchai Shrine | 25 October – 08:15 | 29 October – 07:15 | – |
| Yok Kae Geng Shrine | 26 October – 08:45 | 29 October – 08:00 | 28 October – 07:45 |
| Hai Yian Geng Shrine | 26 October – 09:30 | 29 October – 09:30 | 23 October – 07:00 |
| Guan Tae Gun Baan Poh Shrine | 26 October – 09:00 | 29 October – 09:00 | 27 October – 08:00 |
| Tai Houd Tong Shrine | 25 October – 08:00 | 29 October – 06:00 | 24 October – 08:00 |
| Bu Seng Tong Shrine | 27 October – 09:00 | 28 October – 08:30 | 24 October – 08:30 |
| Seng Leng Tong Shrine | 25 October – 08:30 | 29 October – 07:00 | 23 October – 07:00 |
| Sam Ong Hoo Cherngtalay Shrine | 26 October – 20:30 | 29 October – 16:00 | 26 October – 07:30 |
| Tae Gun Tai Tae Shrine | 26 October – 20:30 | 29 October – 18:00 | 25 October – 07:15 |
| Ngore Choon Gend Baanya Shrine | 25 October – 20:45 | 29 October – 19:45 | 24 October – 07:30 |
| Gim Su Ong Kang Shrine | 25 October – 21:00 | 29 October – 20:00 | 27 October – 06:30 |
| Bang Koo Shrine | 25 October – 20:45 | 29 October – 21:30 | 23 October – 06:30 |
| Sam Sian Tong Shrine | 25 October – 20:00 | 29 October – 19:30 | 24 October – 07:00 |
| Baan Kian Shrine | – | 29 October – 19:45 | 29 October – 07:45 |
| Lee Sian Tong Shrine | – | 29 October – 20:15 | 25 October – 18:00 |
| Tai Seng Oud Jor Shrine | 25 October – 21:00 | 29 October – 21:00 | 25 October – 06:45 |
| Thee Gong Tua Shrine | – | 29 October – 20:00 | 24 October – 07:00 |
| Bangjo Shrine | – | 29 October – 20:00 | 25 October – 06:09 |
| Hok Ong Tong Shrine | – | 29 October – 19:45 | 25 October – 07:45 |
| Hean Lhee Tong Shrine | 26 October – 21:00 | 29 October – 20:00 | – |
| Seng Thum Shrine | 27 October – 15:00 | 29 October – 16:00 | 25 October – 16:30 |
| Kiw Tean Keng Shrine | – | 29 October – 04:00 | – |
| Pud Jor Shrine | – | – | – |
| Giw Aong Tai Tea Shrine | – | 28 October – 20:39 | – |
| Sam Sae Joo Hud Shrine | – | 29 October – 14:00 | – |
| Po Seng Te Kata Phuket | – | 27 October – 18:00 | – |
| Thung Thong Shrine | 26 October – 19:45 | 28 October – 19:45 | 28 October – 06:45 |
| Boo Tong San Shrine | – | 29 October – 04:00 | – |
Program and Processions Itineraries 2024
Calendar by Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket Office
Principles to Follow During the Festival:
- Wear white clothes during the whole festival
- Do not eat meat or animal products (milk, eggs, etc.)
- Keep your body clean
- Do not drink alcohol
- Do not lie, cheat or steal
- No sexual activity during the festival
- Do not eat food with a strong smell (garlic)
- Keep and wash cooking utensils separately from those used in the event
- Mourners should not attend the festival
- Women in menstruation and pregnancy should not participate in the festival.
The purpose of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which seems to originate in 1800, seems to differ from the Chinese event in several Southeast Asia countries. The worshipers will follow the ten principles mentioned above to cleanse their spirits. At the same time, the devotees will go in procession, self-inflicting all kinds of tortures to shift other worshipers’ evil onto themselves to bring luck back to the community.
Main Shrines Where Ceremonies Occur
Shrines In Phuket Town
Shrines Outside Phuket Town
Where to Find the Vegetarian Food in Phuket Town?
You will find hundreds of food stalls all along Ranong Road that connect The Fountain Circle to Jui Tui Shrine.
Some Vegetarian Foods to Try During the Festival
▷ Mee Pad Jay (หมี่ผัดเจ) fried flat rice noodles or round egg yellow noodles with kale, one of the most popular vegetarian dishes during the festival.
▷ Por Pia Tod Jay (ปอเปี๊ยะทอดเจ) Deep-fried spring rolls
▷ Yen Ta Fo (เย็นตาโฟเ) is a pink-coloured soup with noodles served in a broth seasoned with fermented and pungent red bean curd. This dish comes with chicken or pork for the rest of the year. Read more
▷ Khao Mok Kai (ข้าวหมกไก่เจ) A dish that looks like chicken rice, but the chicken is replaced with tofu
▷ Khanom Jeen Jay (ขนมจีนเจ) thin cold rice noodles served with a curry sauce and with tofu and mushrooms.
▷ Tao Hu Phad Phed: Stir fried Tofu with chili past
▷
▷ Tao Hu Pad Phed: Tofu with mushrooms
More Vegetarian Food Photos
Where to Stay in Phuket Town to See the Event?
Phuket Vegetarian Festival Photo Gallery
We post the unavoidable piercing photos that everyone has already seen or shot themselves here. Those photos are easy to take, follow and enjoy the parade. We won’t even spare you the gross ‘tongue sliding on a giant blade’. Pictures of the firecracker parade are more challenging, with a tremendous amount of suffocating smoke and loud noise.
The ‘walk on the fire’ is another challenging photo to capture, as you must come early to secure the best spot. Get ready to wait and feel the heat for an hour or so: you have to save a place near the burning charcoal early, not to have anyone in front of you, which means sweating for at least an hour. Second: the ‘walking’ is more of a jump as fast as you can above the charcoal, so with the lack of light, taking sharp images is difficult, so get ready to freeze the moment with a well-calibrated flash (too much flash would kill the atmosphere). More about the Vegetarian Festival.
Phuket Shrines Photos
Map of Phuket Chinese Shrines
Phuket Events and Festivals
